The Marsh was built in Michigan City in 1882 and was a lumber carrier until 1914, when it was sold to a man from Belleville, Ont., who used it to transport coal. From bow to stern, the Marsh is about 40 metres and lies nearly fully intact. While diving this wreck (which has been explored by Jacques Cousteau), you can find deadeyes, tools, pottery and even a stove. 

Diving this wreck was definitely a surreal experience. I had not dived in Lake Ontario since May 2015 and this first dive was a bit of an adjustment — getting acclimatized to the cold water as I found my bearings below the surface. The descent took several minutes as I clung to the mooring line connecting the buoy on the surface to the ship dozens of feet below. Guillaume Courcy, co-owner of Neptune & Salacia Diving, described the water as “pea soup” — it felt “thick” and was green as the result of an algal bloom. It wasn’t until we reached a depth of about 15 metres that the water cleared up, just barely. 

The ship came into view, and I released my grip from the mooring line to follow Courcy around the vessel. The visibility was weak and the water was darker than I expected but the experience of exploring this shipwreck only made me want to see more. We made several trips around the boat using underwater flashlights, observing goby (a bottom-dwelling fish) and even an endangered American eel. The bottom time for this dive was 32 minutes.

Dive two: The Eureka

Resting at a depth of about 35 metres, the Eureka is a double-masted schooner that sank on Nov. 1, 1883. The vessel was coming from New York with a load of coal and was carrying a crew of six. The ship was caught by the high winds and began taking on water in the middle of the night. Thankfully, the crew was able to remove the lifeboat and make their way off of the quickly sinking ship. They drifted for eight hours, bailing frantically, before landing ashore and seeking refuge in a farmer’s home. According to Pat Cayne of Pat’s Dive Charters, the captain lost a new jacket with $30 in the pocket during the sinking — a hefty amount of cash at the time.

Diving this wreck was deep, dark, cold and incredible. I have experienced diving at depths of more than 30 metres in the past but never at this temperature (10 degrees Celsius at the bottom). I was warned about the cold front that would hit during the descent but was surprised by just how cold it was. As the ship came into sight, so did the frigid water. For this dive specifically, I was provided with another layer for my wetsuit, something that I was very thankful for. 

On this dive, I was able to see the anchor, the ship’s wheel, some crew cabins and even the crow’s nest. On the stern of the Eureka, a brass porthole can also be seen alongside a space where another used to be. 

Because of the temperature and depth of this dive, our bottom time was only about 10 minutes compared to our other dives, which would be closer to 40. 

Dive three: The Comet

A beautiful side-wheel steamer, the Comet was built in Kingston in 1848 and sank on May 14, 1861, after colliding with another ship. The most notable features of this wreck are the twin paddle wheelers on either side of the vessel that remain fully intact. The Comet is about 53 metres long and lies about 25 metres below the surface. Although much of the ship has collapsed, the intact wheels on either side create an almost other-worldly effect.