North America · United States
Alger Underwater Preserve & Munising
Great Lakes shipwrecks within recreational limits off Pictured Rocks
The Alger Underwater Preserve covers the Lake Superior shore from just west of Munising to Au Sable Point, including the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Several major shipwrecks lie there within recreational limits, among them the 1880 steam barge Smith Moore, the upright schooner Bermuda and the steel freighter Kiowa. Dives run from 4 m (12 ft) on the Bermuda’s deck to 32 m (105 ft) on the Smith Moore.
About diving in Alger Underwater Preserve & Munising
Diving here is boat diving out of Munising, which has one charter operator, with an air fill station. Each trip visits two different wrecks, on a heated boat with an indoor cabin that carries six or twelve divers, with oxygen and a chase zodiac on the larger one. Inland dive shops run weekend trips up to Munising for their own groups. Heavy winds limit which wrecks can be visited and can cancel a charter, but the Bermuda, inside the bay, is often accessible when the weather cancels the sites farther out.
The major wrecks are buoyed, and most lie in sheltered water. The Bermuda has three large hatches open to its cargo hold, and the Manhattan shows its hull framing and an enormous rudder with the depth markings still visible. The Kiowa’s stern lies on its port side, exposing the steering quadrant, and on the Smith Moore open deck hatches give access to the interior. Visibility runs from 8 to 15 m (25 to 50 ft or more), depending on the weather and the time of year.
The preserve suits certified wreck divers comfortable in a drysuit, which Lake Superior, the coldest of the Great Lakes, all but demands. Its wrecks offer dives for novices and advanced divers alike: the Smith Moore asks for intermediate to advanced skills, and the Selvick’s crew quarters, with only one way in and out, are for experienced divers. The Munising charter gives no lessons and has no nitrox, so nitrox divers bring their own. The preserve is one of Michigan’s 12 designated shipwreck preserves.
Best time to dive Alger Underwater Preserve & Munising
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
The lake averages about 1 °C (34 °F) in February. The diving season opens in mid-May, and charters need booking in advance. June to September are the full months of diving, with the surface at its warmest in August, around 17 °C (63 °F), while the bottom on the deeper wrecks stays around 4 °C (40 °F). The season closes in early October.
Dive types & marine life
The fish life is freshwater: schools of rock bass and other game fish are common on the Bermuda, and game fish gather around the machinery of the Smith Moore.
- Wreck
- Freshwater
- Freshwater fish
Best dive sites in Alger Underwater Preserve & Munising
- 1
Smith Moore
The preserve's best-known wreck, an 1880 steam barge at 21 to 32 m (70 to 105 ft) with machinery and game fish.
- 2
Bermuda
A 40 m (130 ft) wooden schooner sitting upright, its top deck just 4 m (12 ft) down.
- 3
Kiowa
A 77 m (251 ft) steel bulk freighter driven ashore by a gale in November 1929.
- 4
Steven M. Selvick
A tug sunk on purpose for sport divers in 1996.
- 5
Manhattan
A 77 m (252 ft) wooden steamer that sought refuge from a Lake Superior storm in October 1903.
- 6
Superior
Side-wheel passenger and freight steamer that lost its rudder in heavy seas in 1856.
Site guides
Wreck
Upright 1870 schooner with open cargo hatches and schools of rock bass
Wreck
A boiler and a bath tub among scattered steamer machinery
Wreck
A gale-wrecked steel freighter from 1929 in shallow water
Wreck
A giant rudder with its depth markings still legible
Steam-barge machinery off Grand Island, with game fish around it
Three boilers from an 1856 side-wheeler below Spray Falls
How to get to Alger Underwater Preserve & Munising
Munising is a drive of six and a half hours from Detroit and seven hours from Chicago. Sawyer International Airport, south of Marquette, is reached on M-94 through Chatham. The charter boats leave from Munising.
Dive videos
Munising SCUBA Diving · David Sommers on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is a drysuit needed to dive the Alger Underwater Preserve?+
Yes, in practice. Lake Superior is the coldest of the Great Lakes, and even when the surface reaches the low 60s °F (about 16 °C) in summer, the bottom on the deeper wrecks stays around 4 °C (40 °F).
When is the dive season in Munising?+
Charters run from mid-May to early October, and booking in advance is necessary. Heavy wind can limit which wrecks are reachable or cancel a trip.
How do divers get to Munising?+
By road: about six and a half hours from Detroit or seven from Chicago. Sawyer International Airport, south of Marquette, is reached on M-94 through Chatham.
Can divers learn to dive in Munising?+
No. The Munising charter does not teach scuba, so divers arrive already certified to Open Water level.
Which is the best-known wreck in the Alger Underwater Preserve?+
The Smith Moore, an 1880 wooden steam barge lying at 21 to 32 m (70 to 105 ft), with its deck at 24 m (80 ft). It suits intermediate to advanced divers.
Sources
- Alger Underwater Preserve — Michigan Underwater Preserves Council
- SCUBA Diving - Shipwreck Tours — Shipwreck Tours
- Divers Inc trips — Divers Incorporated
- Dive Shipwrecks at the Alger Underwater Preserve — Munising Visitors Bureau
- Alger Underwater Preserve — Divers Alert Network
- Michigan Drive and Dive: The Wrecks of Munising — Scuba Diving
- Munising Average Sea Temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
- Munising, Michigan — Wikipedia
- Alger Underwater Preserve — Wikipedia
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