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Search Words:
Scuba Diving in Kingston, Kingston Diving, Diving shipwrecks
in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Great lakes
The city of Kingston, in the Canadian Province of Ontario, lies at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. It is a port city steeped in history and local interest. Our focus, however, while exploring this area was in the underwater treasures that lie just offshore.
Our first dives were made on the steel ferry Wolfe Islander II, scuttled in 85 feet of water about three miles off Kingston right at the mouth of the St. Lawrence river. This vessel was a ferryboat built in 1946 and designed to ply the two miles of open water between Kingston and nearby Wolfe Island. She performed these duties from 1946 until 1975, when she was replaced with a newer vessel, the Wolfe Islander III.
In 1984, the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston bought the Wolfe Islander II, which had been laying idle since her last tour of official duty in 1975. The intention was to convert the old ferry into a floating exhibit, but these plans were quickly shelved when the museum bought an even larger vessel, the newly decommissioned Coast guard vessel Alexander Henry. A local foundation called the Comet Foundation purchased the Wolfe Islander II for $1.00 from the museum and immediately made plans to scuttle her to create a Scuba diving location. This plan created some controversy in the area because the residents of Wolfe Island felt that this was not an honorable end to this vessel's life and that the scuttling showed a "complete disregard for our heritage on Wolfe Island". Nevertheless, on September 21, 1985, the Wolfe Islander II went to the bottom 3 miles east of Kingston with a flotilla of over 100 boats in attendance.
Today, the Wolfe Islander II ( Specifications ) lies intact on the bottom in 85 feet of water. During our visit to this once proud vessel, we were able to penetrate deep inside her ghostly interior, marveling at the state of preservation of the engine room, the cargo holds and the various corridors and rooms along her superstructure. She is slowly being covered by the ever-present zebra mussels, which are becoming so prevalent in these inland waters. These bivalves are removing so much silt from the waters that visibility is generally very good and we encountered 50-foot visibility near the bottom.
Our second dive was to explore the wreck of the Munson, a dredge that sank in 1890 after foundering six miles west of Kingston in Lake Ontario. She was being towed westward after completing a project in Kingston to dredge a passage deep enough for the new schooner-barge Minnedosa when she started to lean to one side. Suddenly, the Munson tipped over and sank. Although all the crew on board were saved, most of their personal belongings were lost in the accident, which was likely caused by a loose plank on the bottom of the dredge.
Today, the Munson ( Specifications ) lies in 110 feet of water. We found the Munson to be largely intact, with its crane and assorted gear mechanisms in an amazingly good state of preservation. The deep, cold and dark waters in this area have kept the Munson in good shape through the years. In addition, divers have done a commendable job of preserving the various artifacts located here and a visit to the Munson is like a journey back in time!
Our final dives in this area were to the wooden side-wheel steamer Comet, sunk in 1861 off Nine Mile Point in eastern Lake Ontario. We found this to be an impressive dive, although the rough lake conditions created by stiff winds blowing out of the south made the journey to the wreck site an adventure!
The Comet ( Specifications ) was built in Kingston in 1848 and was plagued with bad luck throughout her career. For instance, she actually sank in the St. Lawrence River after only a few trips when she struck an underwater shoal. She was raised, repaired and returned to service. However, in 1849 a steam pipe burst on board as she approached Toronto harbor, killing two people and in 1851, one of her boilers exploded, ripping a large hole in her hull and killing eight people. After this incident, her name was changed to the Mayflower, but her bad luck continued. She ran ashore near Toronto in 1853 but, thankfully, suffered no damage. She had her name changed back to the Comet in 1853, after which she promptly slammed into the side of the Cataraqui Bridge. Once this damage was repaired, the Comet was ready for her final journey. In 1861, on May 14, she left the safety of Kingston Harbor amidst storm signals and rolling squalls. The Comet collided with the Exchange, a schooner, which was trying to find safe harbor at Kingston from the storm. She sank and two crewmembers drowned in the accident.
The wreck of the Comet is an impressive one. The bow and stern have collapsed into a pile of wooden rubble, but her twin paddlewheels remain intact and rise impressively off the bottom. She lies in 90 feet of water and can be explored bow to stern in one dive. As with most shipwrecks in this area, an encrusting layer of zebra mussels obscures the fine details of the wreck but provide for improved water clarity.
Shipwreck diving in the Kingston area represents an enjoyable journey through time for experienced scuba divers. Vessels from all different eras are represented on the bottom and water conditions are generally good. It is a location we would recommend.
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Wreck Specifications
| Vessel Name Rig Dimensions Launched Date Lost Cause of Loss Cargo Lives Lost General location Depth Access Diver Skill Level Diving Hazards Coordinates |
Wolfe
Islander II Steel Ferry 144' 3" x 43' 1" x 8' Thursday, March 21, 1946 Saturday, September 21, 1985 Scuttled None None About 3 miles off Kingston, Ontario 40' - 85' Boat| Intermediate to Advanced Depth, Hypothermia, Penetration, Silting Lat/Lon: N44.13.5580 / W76.24.9860 Loran: 15639.2 / 60051.06 |
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| Vessel Name Rig Dimensions Launched Date Lost Cause of Loss Cargo Lives Lost General location Depth Access Diver Skill Level Diving Hazards Coordinates |
Munson Dredge -- -- Wednesday, April 30, 1890 Foundered None None ( from crew of 3 ) 6 miles West of Kingston, Ontario 49' - 110' Boat Advanced Depth, Hypothermia, Darkness Lat/Lon: N44.12.5690 / W76.36.4960 Loran: 15701.4 / 60016.0 |
| Vessel Name Rig Dimensions Launched Date Lost Cause of Loss Cargo Lives Lost General location Depth Access Diver Skill Level Diving Hazards Coordinates |
Comet Wooden Sidewheel Steamer 174' 8 " x 23' 5" ( 45' with side wheels ) x 10' June, 1848 - Portsmounth ( Kingston, Ontario ) Wednesday, May 21, 1861 Collision with the schooner, Exchange Farm Implements 2 ( from about 24 on board ) Off Nine Mile Point Eastern Lake Ontario 65' - 90' Boat Intermediate to Advanced Depth, Hypothermia, Penetration, Silting Lat/Lon: N44.08.3500 / W76.35.0700 Loran: 15732.7 / 60036.2 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the weather like?
Kingston Weather
Kingston Marine Weather
How cold is the water and will I need a dry
suit and special equipment?
The waters beneath the Great lakes are literally
home to thousands of shipwrecks. Due to cold
temperatures, fresh water and the absence of
wood worms, these vessels do not suffer the same
rate of decay as wrecks in a salt-water
environment. This cold water preservation seems
to hold these wrecks in a virtual time capsule
which allows divers the opportunity to visit
these precious underwater gems for years to
come.
About 30% of the sport divers in the Northwest use dry suits, especially when diving in the winter months. Toward late summer though, the surface layer will be warmer and there'll be a decent thermocline somewhere between 20 and 60 feet. It's not uncommon for the water column below this thermocline to drop below the 50 degrees, and have 70 degree temperatures closer to the surface.
Nubies to cold-water diving are in luck, because they don't have to run out and purchase any specialized equipment to dive in the Great lakes, but if they're going to dive in this area during the winter we would highly recommend using environmentally sealed first-stages. Since the majority of free flows are due to the first stage freezing, and not the second stage, some regulators have been designed to resist the effect of jammed valves caused by the cold. Apeks TX100 (which is what we use), Aqua-lung Titan D and Cousteau Supra D, Dacor 360XP AER Pacer, Ocean Reef Polar Enterprise and Oceanic Delta II Sub Zero are all examples of regulators with this special cold water feature.
Optional anti-freeze kits are also available for most regulators and are highly recommended if divers decide that they cannot afford to purchase an environmentally sealed regulator. These kits provide a layer of non-freezable oil around the regulator's working parts (the piston or diaphragm) which prevents ice from forming and inhibiting the normal operation of this equipment. Failure to protect these parts during cold conditions ( recommended during the winter season ) may allow free-flowing to occur which would signal the end of the dive. Some divers choose not to use environmentally sealed first-stages or cold water kits and follow strict cold weather and water protocols so that they avoid freezing problems.
In
most cases, the average diver will be fine
wearing a well fitted full 1/4" or 7mm Farmer
John style wetsuit with a hood and gloves during
the summer months. Divers with a lower tolerance
for cold may wish to purchase a dry suit which
comes in a variety of styles and can range in
price from $800 and up. Dry suits basically trap
air between the body and special undergarments
worn under a waterproof outer shell. This heated
air, thus provides insulation from the cold. We
also recommend that divers take a dry suit class
to learn how to use it safely. If used
incorrectly, these suits can easily cause serve
injuries and even death! In fact,
PADI offers a Dry Suit Specialty Course that
will provide students with the necessary
knowledge and techniques to dive safely and go
over the basic problems of buoyancy control.
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Who did we dive with? |
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Other Dive Operators:
Big
Jim's Dive Charters, Kingston Ontario
DIVERCITY Dive
Charters, Kingston, Ontario
Northern Tech Diver, Kingston Ontario
Where can I stay?
Below are only a few choices where you can find
lodgings
Ambassador Hotel
Executive Motel, The
Holiday Inn - Kingston Waterfront
Howard Johnson Confederation Place Hotel
Kingston - Ann Option for Bed and Breakfast
Kingston - Hotel Belvedere
Kingston - Painted Lady Inn
Painted Lady Inn
Peachtree Inn
Rosemount Inn, The
Secret Garden, The
Stone's Throw, A
How do I get there?
Kingston Maps - All that Kingston has to offer is
easily accessible, whether by car, bus, on foot or
tour trolley and the streets are safe and inviting.
Kingston Dive Map
Kingston Street Locator Guide
Kingston in relation to Ontario, Quebec & New York
Kingston and a 200km/120mi radius around it!
Links
What's on Kingston - Guide for tourists and
residents features sections on accommodations,
business, classifieds, entertainment, shopping
and real estate.
Wreck Diving, Kingston Ontario Canada
Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston,
Canada
Available Books, Music & Videos
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Any questions not addressed in the above pages or in this website, should be
forwarded by email to Technical Support.
- http://www.ecophotoexplorers.com/contacts.asp?subject=Technical Support#form
