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In the discussion of the death Friday in Lake Superior, Bob Wright wrote: >I was not impressed with the Whitefish point presserve. They are >catering to the so called "Tech" divers. The only wrecks that are bouyed are >the wrecks deeper than 100'. This will help push people into making >dives that they are not ready for. Couple this with the attitude >that seems to be going around the dive industry that the deeper the >dive the better. All we are going to do is get more people killed. Bob is correct that Whitefish generally appeals to more experienced divers. Conditions up there are dark and cold and best wrecks are down deep. Most newer divers do not have the equipment for comfort in the cold water of Lake Superior nor do they have the experience and skills appropriate for many of the dives. The locations of several shallow, broken up wrecks at Whitefish that the novices can easily do are published and they are easy for individuals or charter boats to find and hook. Divers can also drive an hour or so west to Munising or south to the Mackinac/St. Ignace area for easier dives in the Great Lakes. Deep, cold, wreck diving is like any other type of diving in that there are inherent risks associated with the sport. The individual must accept responsibility for his or her own actions. Whether the dive is to 30' off Cozumel, 150' in Lake Superior, or 300' in a cave in Florida the diver makes the decision to go into the water. Above are my opinions, below is some information about the Whitefish Point area. *************************************************************************** Currently following 4 wrecks in the Whitefish preserve are buoyed: Ship Min depth, max depth Sadie Thompson 80 115 Vienna 120 148 Osborne 145 165 Cowle 170 220 If weather conditions permit, this weekend a line and buoy will be placed on the Panther (90'-110') and the Mathers (140-170) Loran Coordinates, depths, and short descriptions for these 4 wrecks and 14 others starting at 15 feet are published in the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council's pamphlet "Explore Michigan's Underwater Preserves" available free throughout the state. Many of the wrecks are appropriate for diving by novice divers. For example: Ship Min depth, max depth Myron 45 55 Miztec, 45 55 Drake, 40 50 Eureka, 50 55 Nimic, 15 20 Sagamore 45 65 There are several other wrecks in the 80-120' range Conditions at Whitefish are cold and deep. Bottom temperature reaches 40 in late summer. Visibility is excellent for the Great Lakes, reaching 30-50 feet occasionally. Violent weather can kick up fast, as all the shipwrecks in the area prove. Remember, the Edmund Fitzgerald went down a few miles off Whitefish Point. **************************************************************************** For more info, send me a note Tim Taylor taylor@ru*.ne*
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