Presque Isle Trip Report 2011

Wow, what a busy summer this has been so far. I can't believe I haven't posted anything here in almost two months. I've done lots of dives around the Great Lakes and haven't had time to do proper reports about them. Most recently, I led a group to Presque Isle, MI to dive the wrecks in that particular area of Lake Huron.

Lake Huron near Rogers City south to Presque Isle and Alpena, MI boasts some of the best shipwrecks in all the Great Lakes. This was the third year in a row I've run trips up to that area and every year we have an awesome time. The area is known for wrecks like the Cornelia B. Windiate and the Florida . This year, we wanted to get on some of the wrecks we had not visited in prior trips.

Perhaps my favorite wreck this trip was the Norman. Presque Isle is known for its sunken fleet of intact wooden schooners, so diving a nearly 300' steel steamer was kind of a nice change. We did two dives on the Norman since she is so big, and there's still plenty I'd like to go back and explore. The Norman was a victim of a collision which nearly cut her in half. She lies upright on the bottom with a list to port. The remains of the pilot house lie on the bottom next to her. You can easily see the large double wheel in the debris. The bow area offers opportunities for penetration. Since she was running empty at the time of her loss, it's easy to swim through her double-decker cargo holds. The boiler room and engine room can both be penetrated, but the engine has some tight spots, so this an area only for those properly trained, equipped and experienced. The debris field next to the wreck is interesting to swim through. The ship's yawl boat sits on the bottom next to the wreck. You can see various items ranging from the ship's smokestack to ventilators (dorades) to plates.

The other two wrecks we dove were wooden schooners: the Defiance and the Kyle Spangler. I've written about the Spangler in previous trip reports, so I'll tell you a bit about the Defiance. The Defiance was yet another victim of collision. Most of the wrecks in this area sunk due to collision. In the 19th century, shipping lanes on the Great Lakes were ill-defined and the lanes for upbound and downbound traffic converged near Thunder Bay. Combine the close proximity of northbound and southbound traffic with poor visibility like fog or the dark of night, and it's easy to see why so many ships ran into each other in this particular stretch of the lake.

So in October 1854, the Defiance and John J. Audubon found themselves in exactly this situation. The Defiance was southbound while the Audubon was northbound. Around 1 a.m., the two ships collided in fog and darkness. Both ships sank, however both crews were able to escape in lifeboats. The wrecks now sit a few miles apart on the bottom of Lake Huron.

The Defiance sits upright on the bottom with both of her masts still standing. The cross trees (Great Lakes equivalent of a crow's nest) stand at about 110' of depth, while the main deck is at about 180'. It was quite a breathtaking sight on our descent to reach the top of the mast and see the entire ship below us. It made me think about those sailors that stood aloft in the course of their duties. I can't imagine standing 70' above the deck, swaying back and forth like a pendulum. The wreck is small, as most Great Lakes schooners are, only about 110' long. There is very little damage to the bow area and the rest of the ship is intact. Swimming along the deck you'll see the capstan, the centerboard winch, various booms and rigging. One of the most interesting features in my opinion is the absence of a wheel. Some schooners were not steered by wheels, but by tillers. And so, at the stern of the Defiance, one finds a very large tiller.

We didn't dive the Audubon on this trip, but I have in the past and will again in the future. There are a few interesting trivia notes about the Audubon. First, it was one of the few brigs to sail the Great Lakes. Most vessels on the Great Lakes were rigged fore and aft, meaning that the sails ran down the centerline of the ship like a modern day sailboat. The Audubon however, was square-rigged, with the sails perpendicular to the ship's centerline (think 18th century pirate ship). Also, the Audubon was in her first year of service at the time of her loss.

Presque Isle 2011 couldn't have gone better. We executed four dives, saw some new wrecks, enjoyed calm seas and found the best ribs in northern Michigan! Thanks to Greg Such (www.shipwreckadventures.com) for providing top notch charter service once again this year. For more information about these and other wrecks in the area, including 3D animations of each wreck site, go to this website.

Cross One Off the Bucket List

The story of the Daniel J. Morrell has intrigued me since I first read about it as a young teenager. She was a classic Great Lakes freighter just shy of 600 feet in length. By November of 1966, she was 60 years old. She was upbound on Lake Huron fighting the kind of November storm that the Great Lakes are known for. Just off the "thumb" of Michigan, she broke in half. The stern section, still under power, pushed the severed bow section aside and steamed another 5 miles before finally sinking. Of the 29 crewmen, only one survived.

Neither section of the Morrell wreckage is easy to get to. Both sections lie rather far from shore so near perfect weather is required to make the journey. Aside from weather, finding a charter boat is no easy task either. There aren't many charter boats in the area, so to coordinate boat availability with the weather and personal schedules makes it difficult to dive the Morrell. I have however made it out to the bow section several times. I've always wanted to dive the stern section, but was never able to pull it off. That is, until Friday.

Early last week I saw a Facebook post by charter captain Greg Such that he and his passengers had just finished a great dive on the stern of the Morrell. I posted something to the effect that I've wanted to dive the stern for years and I wished that I had known he was going to be in the neighborhood. I asked him to let me know the next time he was running charters around the Morrell and maybe I could join him. He replied, "How about Friday?" That was all the motivation I needed. I began the process of readjusting work and personal schedules to free up my Friday. I called my buddy, Marshall Allan, and he started rearranging his schedule.

Friday morning we met Greg, Tyler and Mike in Port Austin, MI. There was not a hint of breeze and the lake was flat. We loaded up and headed out. The weather was perfect, with sunny blue skies and flat water. By 8:30 am Marshall and I were on our way down the mooring line.

We arrived on the stern at about 175'. The image of the stern coming into view is indescribable. The wreck is quite intact; even the funnel is still standing. We dropped into the engine room through the skylight. Everything is there, still in place just as she went down. Everywhere I turn is a different, yet remarkable reminder of the ship and her fate. Machinery, tools, even the light bulbs are still intact in their fixtures.

Back outside, we swim past the auxiliary helm and drop down to deck level. We swim around the aft deck house and peek into open doors. We can see into the galley. We see a sink and toilet in what was obviously crew accommodations.

The open doors invite us in for further exploration, but our time is gone. Time to begin the long ascent. The 37 degree (F) water hadn't bothered me during the dive. But as we stopped at 100' for our first decompression stop a little chill ran through me. "Damn," I thought to myself, "Another 50 minutes of deco and it's not going to get any warmer." Actually I was wrong. By the time we got to the surface, the temperature had risen to 38 degrees!

Back on the boat, we lounged in the sunshine and warmed up. What a great day. Great weather, great company and a great (and safe) dive. As I suspected, this first dive of the stern of the Morrell only whets my appetite for more. On the drive back home, Marshall and I started figuring out how we can get back out for more dives.

After I got home, I checked "The Great Lakes Diving Guide" by Cris Kohl to see if he mentions any interesting historical nuggets I may have missed. He only devotes two sentences to the Morrell stern, one of which reads: "It (the stern) lies slightly deeper than the bow, but not quite as interesting." Cris, you're a great guy and a fountain of Great Lakes lore, but I couldn't disagree with you more on this point!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I recently read a post on The Deco Stop from someone looking for a technical diving instructor. One of the answers struck me as particularly astute. In part, it said:

"Who do you intend to dive with?

Find a community of divers. Some should be ahead of you. Find out who they recommend. Then work into that community.

It worries me when people just decide to become a tech diver on their own. Who will they dive with? Who will they work with to develop skills before moving onto the next class? or do they just intend to move from class to class until, 12-20 dives later, they're "full trimix" certified and about to do their first dive with a non-instructor to depth?" (Andrew Ainslie). The full thread can be viewed here.

I think Andrew makes a good point. A sense of community and mentorship has traditionally been an important part of diving. Thinking back over my own diving career, I realize just how important being part of an active dive community is. When I was coming up through the ranks, so to speak, I was very fortunate to be in a group of divers that, even though they were far more experienced than me, were willing to dive with me and share their wisdom. Through the years, the more experienced guys in the group dropped out of diving and as my competency grew, I moved up the chain until I was one of the more experienced in the group.

While there are certainly still many groups of divers who enjoy diving together and learning from each other, there are a large number of divers who do not belong to a dive community. To these folks, I'd say don't rush through classes one after the other. Take a course, gain experience at that level, and then move on. Find a group of like-minded divers and get out there and dive.

One of my goals as a dive instructor is to grow the technical diving community. In addition to teaching courses, I try to offer diving opportunities that people can participate in without signing up for a course. I try to publicize my dives, whether they be at a local quarry or out on a charter boat, to try to encourage people to keep diving.

So take time to enjoy the present. If you've just taken Adv. Nitrox/Deco Procedures, don't rush right into Trimix Diver so you can "get to 200'." Enjoy the wrecks around 150'. Get used to decompression diving. Build your skills. Have fun. When you're ready, move on. In the long run, you'll have more fun and be a more competent diver.

2011 Course Schedule

Christmas is over. 2010 has come and gone and 2011 is under way. For me, winter means time to relax from the previous hectic summer and start planning the next busy dive season. My course schedule (as it stands so far), is posted on my website.

Please bear in mind that schedules are always a work in progress. So, if you're interested in a course but can't make the dates I have on the calendar, drop me a note and we'll work out a schedule to fit your needs. Likewise, if you don't see a course listed that you're interested in, let me know. I don't have dates set for every class I teach, so feel free to contact me regarding other classes.

Stay warm and enjoy the winter, only 69 days until spring!