The change in Lake Michigan diving has came about from an unlikely source that is more often villain then savior, the dreaded zebra mussel. While it is clear the mussels are accelerating shipwreck decay, these little creatures filter a quart of water a day! As a result, Lake Michigan's water clarity has improved greatly. Added to the improved visibility, many new shipwrecks have been found in the last 10 years on Lake Michigan and when added to new artifact laws and changes to how diver's view shipwrecks, many of these wrecks hold sights that would take years to see on Lake Superior.

Trip one, July 19-21, leaving out of Bailey's Harbor showed the rumors were true with two dives to the Frank O'Connor on Saturday. The O'Connor is a large wooden ship with several deck winches, a large double boiler, steam engine, and propeller all still present. Schools of cisco blocked out the sun as they swam through the machinery. There are two buoys for dive boats to tie up to and the wreck lies near several boat launches. Overall the wreck was so good, we went right back down for a second dive to make sure we hadn't missed a thing. After that we tried a little salmon fishing with great success. After packing up Saturday, we was decided to try diving the Sheboygan area Sunday. An all night drive and a little sleep in the truck and we were ready to do it again.

Launching at Sheboygan we headed out to a wreck just outside the harbor, the schooner Hetty Taylor. This wreck lies deeper in 100 feet, but is mostly intact with a large bow winch. Surfacing, we ran down to the Niagara to see it's walking beam engine and what's left of the two side paddle wheels. Once again we were not disappointed as the wreck contains the remains of the paddle wheels, the walking beam, and even the very large steam piston along with another large school of Cisco. With two great days of exploring Lake Michigan we returned to home.

Trip two, August 15-18 focused on the deeper wrecks of Door County Wisconsin and some more fishing. Leaving from Gill's Rock on the northern most point we headed north, 21 miles out into Michigan waters off St. Martin Island to dive the shipwreck E. R. Williams (scroll down to the Williams). The Williams is a mysterious shipwreck that is still spoken of in whispers by Lake Michigan divers. An ore careering schooner, the Williams was discovered a in the 1990's and has been kept secret in the years since. Our dive reveled the schooner's superstructure is mostly intact. The main mast has fallen to the port side with it's crow's nest hanging 20 feet off the bottom with wooden pulleys still present. The stern is missing and the main cargo hull, while still full of iron ore, has become silted in. On the starboard side, from the amidships forward a fishing net is tangled. Coming around to the port bow we found the ships, fish hook like, anchor still stored. Overall the shipwreck looks as though it sank only a few decades ago, a dive that looks right out of a Hollywood movie set.

After some fishing and a long surface interval, we moved to the Roen. A tug and barge shipwreck with half a mile between the two that were owned by the Great Lakes salvage company John Roen. Today the Roen tug, Buddy, is unmarked however the barge, Derrick Barge No. 53, is marked with a jug in 110 feet also near St. Martin Island. The pair sunk after a collision in which the barge struck the tug under tow and the barge lies upside down, supported at a 45 degree angle by it's derrick legs. The boom of the steam powered crane lies toppled, but alongside of the barge. Do to this being our first dive on the wreck, we avoided the many compartments that can be penetrated. Using dive lights we were able to see inside and noticed of particular interest what appears to be the boiler in a deck room on the bow; definably worth another dive to check out. Overall there was a lot to see with all the steam lines, deck winches, and the crane. After surfacing we fished our way back to Gill's Rock for the night.

On our second day Death's Door kicked up and kept everyone landlocked. Using this time to check out the accommodations and restaurants we toured the peninsula. We found several land based activities, sand beaches, and a campground that was suited to all the club members needs at an affordable price. It is close to the marines, dive sites, nearby hotels, and restaurants. Many little communities dot Door County with numerous shops for the bargain hunter. With Sunday, the seas calmed down enough to get a little morning fishing in before we left for Minnesota.

After two trips, Door County seams to have something for everyone and would be an exciting new dive trip to add to our season. If your interested, let Corey or Denny know, or just stop by the next club meeting, as we will try to put another trip together soon.