(September 27, 2014)
Timing is everything in the late summer on the Great Lakes. It tends to be windy as the temperature difference between the land and water is at its greatest. I had two charters cancelled. But last weekend I took advantage of some nice weather at the last minute, and put together a charter for Saturday afternoon. Except a late first morning group, and a first response to a Mayday call almost derailed that plan too.
We left the Marina late at 2:00 pm and at 2:05 we heard a Mayday distress call being relayed by the Coast Guard. Since we were the closest, we answered the call. A speedboat had wandered too close to Snake Island, a tiny spit of land about 2 km offshore in Lake Ontario, and struck bottom. They were taking on water and we could see them sinking. We had no means to communicate as they had no VHF radio (likely only a cell). We were nervous about getting too close, as we could already see bottom ourselves and didn’t want to share their circumstances. So we did the only thing we could do- don our drysuits and fins to do the 200m swim over to them and escort them back to our boat. But as we were putting on our fins, two Coast Guard boats arrived and radioed their thanks, and that we could now stand down. We watched them approach the sinking boat in their smaller zodiac very cautiously, measuring their depth and probing as they went by dipping a line pole. Now that they were in good hands, we could at last get on with the diving…
Although the water is warmer this time of year, the problem is that algae likes it too, and the visibility drops. On both wrecks the temperature at depth was an unusually warm (for the Great Lakes) 63 deg F, and the algae bloom lowered the viz to about 20′. This combined with the sun setting in less than 4 hours didn’t leave much opportunity for wide angle photography. But here are some shots of what I could get.
The George T.Davies (186’x 35′ x 12’5″) is one of the “A” wrecks at Kingston. Its a composite freighter barge, made of wood and steel. In the spring, when the water is cold and clear, its an awesome sight to see. It was built in 1898 and foundered in heavy seas in April of 1945 while carrying a cargo of coal, but all of its crew of four men were rescued. Its resting in 105′ of water on its starboard side, with alot of debris (lifeboat, crane, superstructure) resting on the lake floor beside it. Its large holds can be easily penetrated and explored. The stern cabin is still attached, and filled with planking, and makes for an interesting swim through.
The second dive was at the “Glendora” (a nickname, as it’s unidentified), which rests in 75′ of water. It’s one of the many wrecks that were purposely scuttled during the 1920’s off of Amherst Island, in an area collectively known as the “Graveyard”. The bow was heavily damaged during scuttling, but the rest of the hull is intact. A couple of holds offer easy access to below deck, where you can safely explore the entire length of the hull. In the spring, on a sunny day when the water is clear and cold, it looks like a “Cathedral of Light” from the inside, with all of the light rays penetrating through the decking and holds. A striking visual treat. But this was not that kind of day.
Related Articles:
Kingston, Lake Ontario- Diving the Cornwall and Marsh shipwrecks (June 7, 2014).