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Top Ten Dive Sites in Chicagoland Area

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Top Ten Dives in Chicagoland

Yes there are top ten dive sites in Chicago. When most people think of SCUBA diving they thinks of warm water and colorful fish but there is great diving close to home. I offer the following as my top ten dives in the Chicagoland area. For the purposes of this article I have defined "Chicagoland" to be roughly from Milwaukee on the north, the southern tip of Lake Michigan on the south, the near shore of Lake Michigan on the east and Rockford on the west. I admit to a fascination with wrecks and you will see my bias in the following list. I welcome you comments and suggestions below.

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Prince Willem
. This fully intact ship is off Milwaukee and is one of the premier wreck dives in the world. It sits in on its side about 85 feet of water. It is sunken into the lake bed so it could not be salvaged. Pilot house and cargo bays are easily accessible without penetration dives.

Car Ferry Milwaukee

Car Ferry Milwaukee
- this wreck is a more serious dive. It sits in 120 feet of water and is beginning to collapse. The wreck was featured on Under Sea Detectives on Discovery Channel. The wreck holds railroad cars full of cargo including an antique truck, bath tubs and toilet. The pilot house "blew off" when the ship sank and sits about 100 feet away. It can be accessed by a guideline installed by previous divers.

Straits of Mackinaw

Straits of Mackinaw - scuttled as a dive site the Straits of Mackinaw sits in about 80' of water. It is a 200 foot long former car ferry that was in use before the building of the Mackinaw Bridge. This wreck was clean up prior to sinking with most common diving hazards - cables and loose pipes - removed making it a great wreck dive for beginners.

The Wells Burt

The Wells Burt

The Wells Burt is a relatively shallow dive and is the wreck of an old schooner. It is historically significant for the artifacts that have been discovered and preserved on the wreck. It is largely broken up.

Caribbean of the Midwest

Caribbean of the Midwest - Haigh Quarry. This former limestone quarry has been transformed into the premier training site in the area. There is a shallow area (20') for new divers and a deep area (50') for more experienced divers. The quarry hosts large qualities of local fish including bass, crappie, blue gill, carp, northerns, perch and the elusive paddle fish. There is also a number of items to discover including old quarry equipment, a truck, land craft, and a house boat.

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The Material Service Barge

The Material Service Barge is another very good wreck for the beginning diver. It is shallow - less than 35' to the deck. It was a ship and not a barge but was built low so that it could pass below the bridges on the river. It haled gravel and the material screw and lift can still be seen.

The Number 6 Dredge

The Number 6 Dredge - also off Milwaukee this Dredge sunk upside down and it sits on its crane in relatively shallow water. It is only about 40 feet to the deck. The bottom of the lake is scattered with tools and debris.

The Caissons

The Caissons is the popular name of the area just outside of the Chicago River. After the Chicago Fire debris was loaded on barges and taken out into the lake and dumped. Over the years many souvenirs from bottles to gas lamps have been recovered in the area. The bottom is covered with bricks and other remnants of the fire. The best discoveries have been after a storm stirs up the waters and new items brought to the surface. At the dive shop we have an old rifle recover at the site. To dive the site you will need to do it from a private boat because as far as I know no charters visit the site.

The Wisconsin

The Wisconsin - also a serious dive as it sits is 130 water off Winthrop Harbor with the deck at about 100'. This cargo ship is largely intact. This wreck is just east of Winthrop harbor and is a popular charter boat desitination.

Books on the Great Lakes

There are several great books on the wrecks of the great lakes. At Sea Lions Dive Center we we have signed copies of Cris Kohl's book the Great Lakes Diving Guide. Email and we will contact you about how you can get your copy.

What are Your Favorite Chicago are Dives?

Share your favorite dives in Chicagoland. With the price of gas we are all likely to be diving a lot closer to home so help out your fellow divers with ideas and suggestions.

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JenOfChicago Apr 10, 2009 @ 3:34 pm | delete

I had no idea that there were sites nearby! Please feel free to add this to the All Things Chicago group http://www.squidoo.com/groups/allthingschicago

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bdkz Sep 2, 2008 @ 1:40 pm | delete

Excellent lens! 5 Stars and a Squid Angel Blessing!

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Tom98284 Jul 28, 2008 @ 9:31 am | delete

to Chicago Wreack Divers Team

I guess we all make spelling mistakes on occasion. I believe the English for Willem is indeed Wilhelm but I have made the change you suggested.