Tobermory · Canada · Wreck · Freshwater
W.L. Wetmore
Steamer machinery scattered in 9 m, shallow enough to snorkel
Area photo: Laslovarga · CC BY-SA 4.0
The W.L. Wetmore was a 65.1 m bulk freighter that drove onto Russel Reef in a November 1901 storm with two barges in tow, and the December storms that followed finished breaking her up. What is left is spread across about 9 m of water — hull bottom, one recognisable side, and machinery big enough to read at a glance, in light bright enough to snorkel in.
Where it is and how deep
45.2650° N, 81.7092° WPublished position for this site.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
This is a shallow, bright dive on a hull that came apart rather than sank whole. The mooring drops you onto wreckage in about 9 m, and the boiler is the natural landmark to orient on — intact, and rising roughly 3.7 m above the wreckage, high enough to pick out from across the site. Sections of the hull bottom and one side are still clearly recognisable, and the rest is spread flat around them.
From the boiler, engine components sit through the midsection, an oak rudder and a broken propeller mark the stern end, and an anchor with its chain lies at the northwest end of the wreckage. There is no penetration to be had and no depth to manage, so the dive is really a slow survey. Bass and salmon move over the timbers, and snorkellers can follow most of the site from the surface.
The wreck
- Vessel
- W.L. Wetmore
- Type
- Bulk freighter (steamer)
- Length
- 65.1 m (214 ft)
- Built
- 1871
- Sunk
- 1901
- Cause
- Ran aground on Russel Reef in a storm while towing two barges, and broke apart
- Lies
- Heavily broken across about 9 m; hull bottom, one side and the boiler still recognisable
Built at Cleveland, Ohio in 1871, the W.L. Wetmore was an 819-ton bulk freighter, 65.1 m long. On 29 November 1901 she entered Devil's Island Channel loaded with lumber, towing the barges Brunette and James C. King. Severe weather put all three aground on Russel Reef; the crew escaped safely by lifeboat, and the Wetmore broke apart during the December storms that followed. The James C. King, lost the same night, is a dive site in its own right.
Marine life and season
- Freshwater fish
| 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 Tobermory: Public charters run May to October; the water is coldest in February and March and warmest in August.
Know before you go
- Conditions can change quickly with wind direction here, so confirm with the charter that the site is running before you plan a day around it.
- Shallow does not mean warm: carry a light, SMB, compass and cold-water exposure protection here exactly as you would on the deep sites.
Dive videos
Diving the wreck of the Wetmore (1901), Tobermory, Canada · David Gibbins on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the W.L. Wetmore wreck?+
The wreckage lies in about 9 m off Russel Island — shallow enough that snorkellers can follow most of it from the surface and that depth is no constraint on a dive.
What is there to see on the Wetmore?+
An intact boiler rising roughly 3.7 m off the bottom, engine components through the midsection, an oak rudder and broken propeller at the stern, and an anchor and chain at the northwest end.
Sources
- W.L. Wetmore dive site — Dive Life Tobermory
- Tobermory Dive Sites — Dive Life Tobermory
- Fathom Five National Marine Park — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
- Freshwater diving: lakes, springs and quarriesFreshwater · 15 min read
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