By Rick Stratton
with inputs from Guest Writer Kevin Magee

Lake Erie is the smallest and shallowest of the five Great Lakes in North America. It's a diver's lake since every part of its bottom is accessible to scuba, unlike the other four lakes where depths can plunge downward 1,300 feet. In the 19th century Lake Erie served as a main transportation artery for America's westward expansion. Coal, building materials and food were moved across its waters and, at times, at a high cost. Lake Erie's bottom is littered with an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 shipwrecks ranging from old wooden schooners to modern steel freighters, and these are just the ones we know about. According to local dive legends as well as old records, there may be many, many more just waiting to be discovered. Ships met their fates in collisions, storms, fires, and other accidents in the early rough-and-tumble days of America. Despite the haunted history, those shipwrecks are a diver's gain. The cold fresh water of the Great Lakes ensures that shipwrecks are kept in a remarkable state of preservation; the wood does not rot, the metal only mildly corrodes, and even grain shipments are preserved in some of the ships' cargo holds. Lake Erie is a virtual playground for divers of all skill levels.

There are a lot of dive industry professionals who support the diving in Lake Erie. One of these is Captain Jim Herbert and his charter service, Osprey Charters. Herbert and his crew offer up the boat Southwind to hundreds of divers each year. The Southwind is a converted 50-ft twin diesel aluminum crew boat that was originally a working vessel from the Gulf of Mexico oil fields. On Lake Erie it is widely considered one of the finest dive boats on the water. Captain Herbert has a lot of favorite dive sites in Lake Erie but he says the Whelan is the boat everyone wants to dive these days. "the Whelan is a young shipwreck in terms of discovery," Herbert says. "Named the George J. Whelan, it's a 220 ft long by 40 ft wide steel ship. We discovered the shipwreck on October 12, 2005, with the assistance of side scan sonar expert Garry Kozak of Klein Associates. It was an amazing find." The Whelan was found after searching 32 square miles in a single day using a Klein System 3000.  It was an amazing day," Herbert says. "When the ship was found, Garry turned and said matter-of-factly, gentlemen, you have your wreck." Built in 1910 by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company for the lumber trade, it is one of the few steel ships built to haul lumber. It's original name was the  Irwin Fisher.  After service in World War I under the French with the name Port De Caen, the Whelan returned to the Great Lakes and U.S. registry in 1929.  In 1930 it was newly converted to a sandsucker and finally named the George J. Whelan. On July 29, 1930, the Whelan, with 21 people aboard, fell to a sudden summer squall. In the middle of the night its load shifted in the storm, causing a dangerous list to port. There were only six survivors. Eighty years later the Whelan can still be seen in its final awkward position, 135 feet below the surface of Lake Erie.

Matt Mandziuk, owner of Dan's Dive Shop in St. Catherine's, Ontario has been in business for over 36 years. His shop is one of the oldest PADI shops in Canada and he too sees a lot of folks wanting to dive the Whelan. "It is an amazing wreck and we get divers all the time who come to the area just to dive the Whelan, although there are many other wrecks to dive as well," Mandziuk says.

Steve Chandler of Dive in Water Sports in Port Huron has been in business for 17 years and diving for 24. He says that wreck diving is the biggest draw to Lake Erie.

"Wreck dives drawn them in," says Chandler. "Some folks will tell you that the vis is bad but I think just the opposite. Because the vis is lower in Lake Erie a diver has to pay attention to the dive. The limited vis requires more attention to detail to be taken. When a diver first comes down they discover that they are on top of the wrecks before they even realize they are there. You have to pay attention to detail a lot more in order to get the full picture. Divers tend to move slower on the wreck and pay more attention to what is there."

Sam Leo of J & S Dive Shop in Erie, PA agrees and adds that there are so many ships you never know when you will happen upon one that hasn't yet been discovered. In the over 50 years that Leo has been in business he has seen a lot of improvement in diving and dive technology. "There are some dive sites that are not public," Leo says, "and you have to get permission to dive them. Depending on time of the year, if there are a lot of boats on the lake, you have to be careful, so a lot of locals opt for the private sites. But, if the weather is cold the boats stop coming in and divers have the lake to themselves." Leo adds that many years ago there were a lot of chemicals in Lake Erie and the vis was bad but now, thanks to Zebra mussels and the regulations from government, it's a lot better. "We like Erie Bay," Leo says. "in terms of diving it is a great place for divers of all skill levels. There are a lot of sites to dive, however; the wreck diving is incredible."

Another favorite shipwreck dive that locals enjoy is the Dundee. Discovery Dive Charters out of Cleveland, Ohio, has been taking divers out on the lake for over 20 years a lot of them to the Dundee. Charter owner Vitas Kijauskas raves about The Dundee. "She's a 215 ft schooner and can dive a lot of people at one time," Kijauskas says. "Divers can do a 200 ft penetration on the Dundee. The masts are broken but one still partially remains. It's a beautiful schooner. She sank 1900 and was built in 1893. She only had 7 years of service before being broken up in storm but she gets a lot of service now." Kijauskas has a unique perspective on the local dive sites because his business works with the state parks department and is located inside Wildwood State Park. "We generally dive the central basin which means dives at between 30-85 ft." Kijauskas says. "People who don't dive here regularly don't realize just how much there is to see."

As wreck dives go local dive shop owner Linda Huston says that, for her money, The Philip D. Armour is the wreck to explore. "I like taking divers out to the D. Armour," says Huston. "The vis is good and it's nice and warm. There are tons of fish and it's only 30 ft at its deepest. It's a great place for beginning divers." The D. Armour is located just off shore from Erie, PA.

For most the local dive shops in the Buffalo area there are great shallow wreck dives. Discover Diving co-owner Daryl Edmiston says that he and brother Dallas started their shop over 16 years ago and they have a lot of call for the shallower wrecks just off Buffalo. "The US 104, Barge 43, the Alabama and the Richardson are just a few of the local wrecks people enjoy diving here," says Edmiston. "Diving Lake Erie is so much fun because the cold water preserves the wrecks so well." Edmiston admits that he is into Lake Erie diving for another reason as well; he likes the stories. "I love reading all the history on ships like the Richardson, the Acme Tug, the Finch and the Tonawanda, all located right here near Buffalo, and then diving them to actually see the ships and boats themselves. It's interesting to connect the history with the actual vessel."

Professional Scuba owner David Johns says while diving the actual lake is an adventure, don't rule out the Niagara River for great diving. In his 22 years in business and 30 years of diving, Johns sees a lot in the diving the river has to offer. "There are a lot fish, old clay pipes, glass and weapons from the turn of the century," Johns says. "Law enforcement used to throw all the weapons they discovered in the water, thinking that it was a great place to get rid of them. The river used to be a dumping grounds." Johns adds that there are shore access points to the river all over the place along Grand Island. "Divers have to remember though that this is one of the fastest rivers in North America," Johns also adds, "There is a wide mix of currents and especially near the Peace Bridge divers have to be careful of the intakes. You have to know where the hazards are."

There are also some other underwater environments to explore such as an old water intake plant off of Erie, PA. According to John Norris of Aqua Specialist in Cleveland, Ohio there are still a lot of artifacts to see in and around the old intake plant. "There are old rail tracks, machinery and other things to see and it's only in 40 ft. of water," Norris says. "There are a number of intakes that are inactive to explore as well."

Finally, not to be outdone by the US side, Canadian waters offer a number of shipwrecks to explore as well in the Lake Erie area. Marleen Smith of Travel Sports in London, Ontario has been diving the local waters for over 25 years and she invited all divers to come over to the Canadian side of the lake to do some exploring as well. "Near Port Colborne we have the Cisco and the Benson," Smith says. "The Benson was built in 1873 at Port Clinton to prove that bulk trade between the Great Lakes and Europe could be profitable. She was built with heavier timbers and designed for ocean passage. On October 14th, 1893 she sank in a huge storm. Today the C.B. Benson sits upright in 85 feet of water. This is a well preserved wreck and is 136' in length. The ship's wheel is intact, just forward of her lifeboat davits, dead eyes, fife rails and belaying pins, booms and bilge pumps are all intact on this pristine barkentine. Vis on the Benson is extraordinary."

Lake Erie stands up to its name offering an eerie look into some of history's most famous and infamous shipwrecks. From the Edmund Fitzgerald off Whitefish Bay (this is in Lake Superior, not Erie. Note: there is a schooner named Edmond Fitzgerald sunk in Lake Erie but it is not the Fitz that Gordon Lightfoot's song made famous.) to the lonely Acme tug off of Buffalo, the souls of ships past as well as their crews haunt the waters of the great lake calling the names of the divers who seek their stories. If you have a diver's Bucket List, Lake Erie should have its own section; hundreds of shipwrecks await. ■

Special thanks to Michael and Georgann Wachter the authors of The Lake Erie Dive Guide Series, for reviewing this article for accuracy. For more information on their books you may find them online at www.eriewrecks.com.