Rimouski & the Empress of Ireland · Canada · Wreck · Drift
Empress of Ireland
A protected 1914 liner in 40 m of cold, fast-moving St. Lawrence water
Photo: HefePine23 · CC BY-SA 2.0
The wreck of the Empress of Ireland lies in 40 m of water in the St. Lawrence off Rimouski, a protected liner reached by boat and tied in to one of three private mooring buoys. Cold water, currents of more than 2 knots and visibility under 5 m make it a dive for advanced divers, and the deepest point of the wreck reaches 42.7 m.
Also known as RMS Empress of Ireland.
Where it is and how deep
48.6250° N, 68.4083° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Empress is a boat dive, and the paperwork comes first: every diver registers with the Société des récifs artificiels de l'Estuaire du Québec (RAEQ) before the boat heads to the wreck. Over the site, the boat ties in to one of the three private mooring buoys, which is mandatory. The buoys come out in October, and the water is at its warmest in July, at around 13 °C.
The wreck lies in 40 m of water, and its deepest point reaches 42.7 m. Current over the site can run at more than 2 knots, which makes this a drift dive as much as a wreck dive, and visibility is often under 5 m. Taking or moving any object, or any action that could alter the wreck, is forbidden: the Empress is a classed cultural property of Quebec, so divers look and leave everything where it lies.
The wreck
- Vessel
- RMS Empress of Ireland
- Type
- Ocean liner
- Sunk
- 1914
- Cause
- Collision in thick fog with the Norwegian collier Storstad
- Lies
- In 40 m of water in the St. Lawrence, deepest point 42.7 m
The Empress of Ireland was a British-built ocean liner that sank near the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River on 29 May 1914, after a collision in thick fog with the Norwegian collier Storstad. The wreck was classed as a historic and archaeological property on 15 April 1999. Since then, taking or moving any object from it, or any action that could alter it, has been forbidden.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Rimouski & the Empress of Ireland: The Empress mooring buoys come out in October; the water bottoms out near -1 °C in February and peaks around 13 °C in July.
Know before you go
- Currents over the wreck can exceed 2 knots, so the dive is for advanced divers.
- Visibility is often under 5 m, which makes orientation on the wreck at 40 m harder.
- The water is cold, reaching only about 13 °C at its July peak, so thermal protection matters on every dive.
Photos from Empress of Ireland
Dennis G. Jarvis · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
2021 Expedition Empress of Ireland · PTO Exploration on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Empress of Ireland wreck?+
The wreck lies in 40 m of water, and its deepest point reaches 42.7 m. With strong currents and visibility often under 5 m, it is a dive for advanced divers.
What is needed to dive the Empress of Ireland?+
Divers register with the Société des récifs artificiels de l'Estuaire du Québec (RAEQ) before heading to the wreck, and boats must tie in to one of the three private mooring buoys over the site.
When can the Empress of Ireland be dived?+
The mooring buoys over the wreck are removed in October, which ends the season. The water is warmest in July, at around 13 °C.
Sources
- RMS Empress of Ireland — Wikipedia
- Empress of Ireland (French) — Wikipédia
- Empress of Ireland dive site — Wannadive.net
Photo credits
- Colourised photo of a black-hulled ocean liner with two buff funnels trailing smoke, under way at sea by HefePine23, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Base of a white lighthouse with two dark sculpted figures in front against a blue sky by Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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