Lake Erie and the Lincoln Connection-diving the Brunswick, Dean Richmond, Indiana & Washington Irving wrecks (June 28-29, 2014).

Lincoln & Grace Bedell statues Westfield New York
“You see I let my whiskers grow for you Grace”. The crowd cheered. She was so nervous that she forgot to give him the roses.

I’ve never dove Lake Erie from the American side, so I jumped at a chance to join a friend sharing an Osprey Charter from Barcelona Harbour, New York.  Having a few hours to spend before boarding, we explored the nearby town of Westfield only a few minutes away. There we discovered an interesting museum, and a touching piece of American History that took place there- how Lincoln acquired his trademark beard.  At the corner of Main st. and Portage st. in Westfield you will see a pair of statues commemorating this moving piece of Lincoln lore. (more…)

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Ontario’s (not so) Hidden Gem- the “Tiller Wreck”.

June 15, 2014

Tiller wreck, Port Dalhousie, Ontario
The “Tiller wreck”. Note the broken bow sprit- a testament to the storm that brought this ship down.

It must have just missed the cut in Cris Kohl’s book, “The 100 BEST Great Lakes Shipwrecks”.  It has all the elements that make a great shipwreck: it’s largely intact, significant, beautiful, and reaches back to a very different time period (nearly 200 yrs).

The “Tiller Wreck” is a 94′ two-masted schooner that lies in 116′ of water about 4 km off Port Dalhousie, in Lake Ontario. It gets its name from the tiller which steers it, as opposed to a wheel, which was introduced around 1850.

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Kingston, Lake Ontario- Diving the Cornwall and Marsh shipwrecks (June 7, 2014).

Kingston is considered by many to be in the top three scuba diving destinations in Ontario.  Owing to its location where Lake Ontario empties into the St. Lawrence River, the area has enjoyed a rich maritime history since the 18th century.  Consequently, the area has a high concentration of shipwrecks that are accessible to sport divers.

Diving in the Great Lakes is best in May and June when the weather (wind) is more predictable, and the visibility is at its highest (if you can stand the cold, that is).  We had another sunny day, with calm winds, but frigid water temperatures of 41-43 deg F.  The visibility was in the 30-40′ range.

diving Cornwall wreck, Kingston
Starboard side paddlewheel.

The group decided to dive the Cornwall, a 177′ iron-hulled side-wheeler that was launched in 1855.  It had a very checkered past (eg. deaths, fires, etc.), as it had sailed under three different previous names.  It was later scuttled in 1928 by dynamiting after outliving its usefulness.

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Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve, Michigan (May 24-25, 2014).

Port Sanilac Lighthouse
Port Sanilac Lighthouse. Its now privately owned, but the Coast Guard is still repsonsible for the light.

Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve stretches along the shoreline of Southwestern Lake Huron, Michigan. It has some of the most interesting wrecks that I have ever dove in the Great Lakes. It is popular with divers because of the quality and concentration of wrecks, mostly within sport diving range.  It also contains two easily dived wrecks from the Great Storm of 1913, the Price and Regina (see below). Visibility was a welcoming 50 ft but the temperatures were an icy 39-41 deg. F.  Here are four of the wrecks that we dove over a bright and calm weekend.

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Big and Small Encounters at Grand Turk (April 28, 2014).

While waiting for the ice to melt and our swollen rivers in Southern Ontario to subside to diveable conditions, I was thinking of warmer thoughts like my recent diving trip to Grand Turk.  So I used the time to put together a video that I had always planned to do when I could.  It shows a range of animal encounters from the big stuff like sharks, moray eels, and barracuda to the smaller things like garden eels and cleaner shrimp, with everything in between.

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Truk Lagoon-last thoughts and a Major Motion Picture (March 24, 2014).

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, best-seller list
Cover photo of Unbroken, 142 weeks on the NY Times best-seller list.

Truk  has been the halfway point for some very distinguished POW’s enroute to imprisonment  in Japan during WWII. The better known was Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, the top scoring USMC ace and Medal of Honor recipient of the famed “Black Sheep Squadron”.  He actually witnessed the Hailstone raids (and had to take cover) while held captive there.   Another person is soon to be added to that better-known list.

On the long flight to Truk, I read a top-seller book called ” Unbroken” , which is soon to become  a major motion picture (release Dec. 2014), directed by Angelina Jolie and written by the Coen brothers.  This book will grip you.  (more…)

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Grand Turk (Turks & Caicos Islands), Jan 2014

Grand Turk, Oasis Divers, Columbus Landfall Marine National Park
from the beach you can see how close the wall starts from shore.

I like Grand Turk for what it doesn’t have, as much as for what it does have.   Along with Little Cayman, its one of my favourite places to dive in the Caribbean.

It has all the modern conveniences,  but it still retains a quiet, laid-back appeal from an earlier time.   You’ll feel like you’re “getting away from it all” as you walk down Front and Duke streets, just feet away from the beach, among beautifully flowered-bushes, friendly people, and historic British colonial homes.   (more…)

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Diving Truk Lagoon- the last dives, Submarine I-169, Betty Bomber and Kensho Maru.

Aug 3, 2013

Submarine I-169 at Truk Lagoon
The submarine I-169. Its heavily damaged in places due to depth charging. Here you can see the inner pressure hull exposed.

I’ve always been interested in submarines, beginning when I found out that my great-grandfather served in the Royal Navy on the ill-fated submarine HMS E24 in WWI.  So when I asked about the I-169 Capt. Nelson said “We’re here to make your dreams come true”. (more…)

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Diving Truk Lagoon- the “Ghost Fleet” Wrecks

Fujikawa Maru
Exploring the holds of the Fujikawa Maru.

July 2013

Truk Lagoon was the scene of “Operation Hailstone” (Feb. 17-18, 1944), a devastating aerial bombardment by the US Navy on Japan’s largest Naval strongold in the Pacific.   Today it is known as the “world’s greatest wreck dive”, with more than 48 preserved and diveable wrecks all concentrated in one area.

To dive them is to step back in time.   You will see live munitions, guns, planes and tanks and personal artifacts from the period, such as china, bottles, books, shoes and even the occasional bone.  These wrecks are considered to be war graves.   You are allowed to penetrate the wrecks, but strict policies are in place that forbid the removal of anything from them.   

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Truk Lagoon Day 1 Island Tour

July, 2014

Etten Island in Truk Lagoon (Chuuk)
Preparing to land on Weno at Chuuk Lagoon (formerly called Truk Lagoon). Note that Etten Island in the foreground was shaped by the Imperial Japanese (using forced labor) to replicate an unsinkable aircraft carrier. Tonoas (formerly called Dublon) is in the immediate background.

Truk’s (Chuuk’s) historical treasures aren’t just hidden beneath the waves. They’re everywhere.  And a WWII buff’s dream.  The Blue Lagoon Dive shop/Resort is located on Weno (formerly Moen), the main island of Chuuk, and occupies the prior site of an Imperial Japanese fighter & Seaplane Base. On this beautiful property you will find old bunkers, machine guns, propellers and other artifacts.
The dive shop was founded and run by the late Kimiou Aisek, who witnessed the US Navy’s devastating attack on Truk (Operation Hailstone) in February 1944. His son Gradvin now operates the dive shop. Here are some pictures of the dive resort grounds:

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