We are in our home state of Michigan for this edition of Dive Travel. Many have asked us to dive and explore a few of the thousands of shipwrecks in the northern part of our Great Lakes. On this show we visit eight wrecks, two in Lake Michigan: the Eber Ward, a cargo ship that was hauling corn sunk in1909. The Ward piled into an ice pack on the first run of the season; and the Sandusky, sunk in 1856 during the civil war. The Sandusky is a 110' (33.5 meters) sailing vessel had two masts and a square stern and sits upright in 90' (27.4 meters) of water. We visit two in Lake Huron: the Cedarville, at 588' (179.2 meter) in length the third largest shipwreck in the Great Lakes, sunk in 1965. The Cedarville sank due to a collision with a Norwegian vessel and now sit in about 110' (33.5 meters)of water with the hull within 35' (10.7 meters) of the surface; and the William Barnnam one of the most popular shipwrecks sank in a storm in 1894 and now lies in about 70' (21,3 meters) of water.
In Lake Superior, just off Munising, we visit four: the Steven M. Selvick, a 71'(21.6 meter) city class tugboat intentionally sunk off Trout Point in May of 1996 for the Alger Underwater Preserve. She is totally intact in 60' (18.3 meters) of water and rises to within 30' (9.1 meters) of the surface; the HermanH. Hettler, a 200' (61 meters) three-masted steam barge driven ashore at Trout Point, November 23, 1926, later dynamited. The Hettler lies in 10' to 40' (3 to 12.1 meters) of water, broken and scattered; the Smith Moore, a 226' (69 meters)wooden hulled steamer that sunk by collision with steamer James Pickands in the East Channel, July 13, 1889. The remains of the Smith Moore are in 90' to 110' (27.4 to 33.5 meters) of water and are largely intact although her upper works were blown off in sinking; and the Bermuda, a 145' (44.2 meters) schooner that sunk in Murray Bay, October, 1870. The wreck is intact in 12' to 30' (3.7 to 9.1 meters) of water in remarkable condition for a shallow wreck.
The Lower Peninsula is connected to the upper peninsula of Michigan by way of the mighty Mackinac Bridge, built in 1957 as the world's longest suspension bridge at five miles long. Today it still holds the title as the third longest in the world. Topside we tour Mackinaw City, St Ignace, and Mackinac Island, an island locked "Somewhere in Time" where the movie was filmed.
We take an exciting, open air bi-plane flight over the Mackinac Bridge and SaultSte. Marie and the world famous Soo Locks. We will also tour some of the areas historic light houses, Tahquamenon Falls, then visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point on Lake Superior. We culminate our visit in Munising where we dive at the Alger Underwater Diving Preserve and take a breathtaking sunset cruise along the famous Pictured Rocks National Shoreline. So, sit back and enjoy the adventure!