North America · United States
Isle Royale
Intact Lake Superior steamers and freighters inside a national park
Isle Royale is a national park island in Lake Superior, and its ten major shipwrecks span seventy years of Great Lakes shipping, from wooden side-paddle steamers to steel freighters. Cold, fresh water has kept them largely intact. Divers live aboard a charter from Grand Portage and work the wrecks at 1 to 30 m (2 to 100 ft), with the deeper engines and sterns well below that. The SS America, its midship and stern intact at the mouth of Washington Harbor, is a popular dive.
About diving in Isle Royale
There are no facilities for filling cylinders on Isle Royale, and the dive charter is a liveaboard: divers eat and sleep aboard and stay in the park for the whole cruise. During the day the boat moors over one or more shipwrecks, subject to weather and park rules, and in the evening it anchors in a secluded bay or docks at a lakeside campground. Every diver registers for a permit at the Rock Harbor, Windigo or Houghton visitor center before diving and returns it after the trip. The America is closed to diving between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. eastern time so ferry passengers can view it.
The park holds the National Park Service’s most intact collection of shipwrecks. Harsh weather, dramatic underwater topography and cold fresh water have left them well preserved, and several lie off the western tip of the island. Some are broken up and scattered across the bottom, while others remain more intact. Portions of some wrecks sit shallower than 18 m (60 ft), while many are far deeper. Visibility is seldom less than 8 m (25 ft) and often exceeds 15 m (50 ft). The interior lakes and the Passage Island small boat cove are closed to diving.
This is diving for experienced, cold-water wreck divers. Advanced certification is recommended, and the charter asks for enough experience for the profiles each diver plans; nitrox and trimix are arranged before the trip, and nitrox needs its own certification. A full wetsuit is the minimum and a drysuit is recommended. The island is remote: the closest recompression chambers are in Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
Best time to dive Isle Royale
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Off-season | Off-season |
Isle Royale is the only American national park that closes entirely in winter, from November 1 through April 15, so there is no diving from November to mid-April. The passenger ferry from Grand Portage runs from May to October, and dive charter trips run in summer. Lake Superior is cold: the surface rarely exceeds 13 °C (55 °F), and below 15 m (50 ft) the water stays at 1 to 3 °C (34 to 37 °F). The lake’s changeable weather can shape any trip.
Dive types & marine life
- Wreck
- Freshwater
Best dive sites in Isle Royale
- 1
SS America
Intact midship and stern with engine room, galley and cabins, from 1 to 24 m (2 to 80 ft).
- 2
SS Chester A. Congdon
Pilot house and bow on the reef's south side at 21 to 34 m (70 to 110 ft), intact stern on the north.
- 3
SS Emperor
Basically intact wreck whose bow, the most damaged part, runs from 8 to 30 m (25 to 100 ft).
- 4
SS George M. Cox
Twisted steel plating, exposed machinery and the propeller, scattered at 12 to 30 m (40 to 100 ft).
- 5
SS Monarch
Heavily built wooden wreck lying in large scattered sections at 6 to 21 m (20 to 70 ft).
- 6
SS Glenlyon
Wreck scattered over the reef with a few large intact sections, at 3 to 15 m (10 to 50 ft).
- 7
SS Henry Chisholm
Large intact steam engine with drive shaft and propeller, at 35 to 47 m (115 to 155 ft).
- 8
SS Kamloops
Intact and undisturbed wreck lying at extreme depth.
Site guides
The stern remains of Lake Superior's deadliest shipwreck
Wreck
Intact engine room, galley and cabins inside a Lake Superior steamer
An upright bow and pilot house on one side of a reef, the stern on the other
Wreck
Twisted steel plating, machinery and the propeller strewn across the bottom
Wreck
A large intact steam engine with its drive shaft and propeller
How to get to Isle Royale
Duluth International Airport is about 3½ hours from Grand Portage by Highway 61. The dive liveaboard leaves from Grand Portage, Minnesota, and the crossing to the island takes about two and a half hours.
Photos from Isle Royale
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain
Dive videos
isle royale shipwrecks · Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Rescues on YouTube
Scuba Diving Isle Royale 2023 · Curtis Lahr on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification do the Isle Royale wrecks need?+
Every diver must be certified, and advanced certification is recommended along with experience for the planned profiles. Nitrox and trimix are arranged before the trip, and nitrox needs its own certification.
Do divers need a permit at Isle Royale?+
Yes. Each diver registers at the Rock Harbor, Windigo or Houghton visitor center before diving and returns the completed permit after the trip.
How do divers get to Isle Royale?+
On a liveaboard from Grand Portage, Minnesota, about two and a half hours across the lake. There are no cylinder fills on the island, so divers eat and sleep aboard for the whole trip. Duluth International Airport is about 3½ hours from Grand Portage.
When can divers visit Isle Royale?+
The park closes entirely from November 1 through April 15 because of extreme weather. Dive charters run in summer.
Is a drysuit needed at Isle Royale?+
A full wetsuit is necessary and a drysuit is recommended. The surface rarely exceeds 13 °C (55 °F), and below 15 m (50 ft) the water is 1 to 3 °C (34 to 37 °F).
Sources
- Scuba Diving - Isle Royale National Park — National Park Service
- Diving Info - Isle Royale Charters — Isle Royale Charters
- Isle Royale Charters — Isle Royale Charters
- Isle Royale National Park — Wikipedia
- Isle Royale National Park — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- One spotted olive-brown trout with orange-edged fins rests just above a gravel bottom in shallow clear water. by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
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