There are thousands of dive sites and shipwrecks accessible throughout the Niagara Region and surrounding areas. Here is a collection of various dive sites that are not just in our Niagara area Scuba Diving Community, but also most of Southern Ontario's better known scuba diving destinations.

Niagara River
Many different Drift Dive sites are located in the Mighty upper Niagara River, including favourites such as: Frenchman's Creek, The Trainbridge, Thompson's Hole and for the thrill seeks a dive through the Peace Bridge, one of the Fastest dive in the area! In the Lower River Navy Hall makes for a nice drift with a little more depth 65ft max. A popular area for our Weekly Wednesday Night Dives througout the season.

Lake Erie: Port Colborne Area Shipwrecks
The Port Colborne Area of Lake Erie is home to dozens of local known shipwrecks offering more diversity than anything else in our area. There are over 20 Quality Shipwrecks that we take our customers out diving to on a regular basis aboard our dive vessel the Mud Puppy. There are wrecks ranging in 15-130' of depth for divers of all skill levels. Shipwreck Drawings courtesy of Douglas King Sr. Our local Erie Eastern basin shipwrecks are some of the best wooden schooners and freighters you'll find in Ontario, give it a try, it's as good as anything you'll dive in Kingston and better than Tobermory or Brockville.

The Raleigh A 235' Steamer sitting on the bottom in 25-30', located 2 miles off Sherkston Beach in Port Colborne, Ontario sank November 30th, 1911.The Wrecks main features include: boilers, anchor chain, prop, engine room, anchor are still there, as are the broken remains of the ships hull. Open Water site with lots to see and do. There are also hundreds of fish found on the wreck. This has been a favourite site for even the most experienced diver.

The Tonawanda A GREAT shipwreck for the newer diver, it has all the features that need to make a good fun wreck dive. The Tonawanda was a 200' long wooden steamer that faltered in a storm like so many of that era did, sinking 10//18/1870. The wreck lays in 45' and still has one hogging arch for the eyes to see, a perfectly preserved view of the propeller, block and engine. The bow is heavily damaged, the stern is in good shape. A Great Open Water site and has been one of the most popular dive sites for our Mud Puppy.

The Finch A 105' long wooden tow barge built in Quebec City in 1871, the boat was undertow when it began to take on water in a heavy storm. The wreck sank off Windmill Point around Rideway Ontario / Crystal Beach area, where it took permanent residence in 45' of water. The wreck is broken up in spots, however, the ships capstan and stove, rudder are still there. The wreck features much wreckage and is a great dive site with lots of fish life and great for navigation. Divers should be aware that this area features heavy boat traffic.

C.B. Benson A premium shipwreck that was found in 1997 6 miles south of Port Colborne.The Benson is a 136' long 3 masted wooden barquentine schooner built for international trading between Canada and Europe. She sank 10/14/1893 laying upright on the bottom in excellent shape in a max depth of 78'. Divers can see the ships wheel, lifeboat davits, dead-eyes, 2 masts broken at 1/2 mast, bow cabin area, cargo holds and more. A perfect site for the Advanced diver.

The Brunswick A beautiful 4 masted iron steamer, this is the famed ship that collided with the Carlingford on 11/12/1881. The wreck is located approximately 20.5 NM's from Pt. Colborne. The bow and stern are fairly intact, however, midship is silty in spots, the ship features the engine, boiler, capstan, windless and both bow anchors, the impact hole on the starboard side is also visible. Depth ranges from 85-110' and is an advanced dive site.

The Carlingford Perhaps the premier schooner in recreational limits in Lake Erie. The Carlingford is one of the Largest Schooners at over 154'in length. The wreck is located 16.5NM's from Pt. Colborne laying in 95' and was hit on the port side bow by the steamship Brunswick. The ship sank with the only damage being the impact point. Today, the wreck lays upright on the bottom and offers a great opportunity for divers to explore the wreck from bow to stern, with the stern deck fallen, the certified, experienced and equipped diver can traverse through the interior of the wreck with many exit points from stern to bow. This ship is an Advanced site and penetrations should only be performed by divers with training and equipment consistant with overhead environment diving. Divers who wish to swim externally around the wreck will be impressed and want to return again and again to this marvelous ship.

Other Lake Erie Wrecks we charters out to:
The OW Cheney: is an old wooden tug that sank in 1903. It rests in 47' max depth. The debris field is scattered, although with good navigation skills you will be able to find the boilers and propeller. Open Water site

Dupuis No. 10: a steel work barge built in Michigan by the Nicholson Terminal & Dock Company, sank in a storm in 1977 3.5NM's SW of Port Colborne. The wreck 143' long and is not moored, but rests in a max depth of 65'. The wreck offers a great training site for peak performance buoyancy, wreck diving and more. There are some tight passages to shine a light into, certified wreck divers can attempt some complex penetrations, however, the wreck has a lot of silt inside. This is an intermediate-advanced dive site.

The Steamship Niagara is located 18.5 NM's from Port Colborne, this 200' long wooden propeller driven steamship lays in 90' of water with the stern broken inward on the port side and starboard side broken outward. The ship's sinking claimed the lives of all 16 crew as it was carrying wood and shingles. This is a great intermediate to advanced Dive site.

George C. Finney, a 136' long 3 masted wooden schooner offers a great dive feauring the windlass, winch, cargo holds and ships wheel, bilge pump and anchor. The wreck faltered in one of the Largest Gale Storms in Lake Erie History, as a wave crashed over the ship drowning the ship and it's entire crew. This Advanced dive site rests in 100' max depth.

The Stone Wreck: another premium wreck located 12.5NM's out of Port Colborne, the Stone Wreck is a 104' long 2 masted schooner that rests in 90' of water. The wreck was once thought to be the J.G. McGrath due to the stone cargo that fills her cargo holds. Ships machinery, dead-eyes and other features are still on the wreck. This is an Advanced Site that reminds many of the guests of Lake Ontario's Tiller Wreck, as the 2 are similar. The wreck features a beautiful windlass, anchor chain, cargo holds, rudder and more.

The Acme (Propeller): lays in 130' of water, 20NM's out of Port Colborne and is a propeller driven wooden steamer that offers 2 fully intact hogging arches, the wreck is deep and big at 190' long, so air conservation, redundant equipment and proper breathing gas selection is very important. Key points include the ship's steam engine, windlass and many other items. The ship is covered with silt so proper fin technique and buoyancy is extremely important.

Tiller Wreck: Lake Ontario
An unknown 2 masted wooden schooner sitting on a 45 degree angle on the starboard side 6 km's off Port Dalhousie in 113ffw. This wreck is perfect for Advanced Level Divers and is an Ideal Nitrox Dive for more bottom time. The wreck was named by Len Rooney on our 1st trip out because it used a tiller which moved the rudder back and forth instead of a stearing wheel. Visibility is usually 35-65feet or better with average temperature of 40 degrees at depth. A Drysuit is Highly recommended to make this a more enjoyable dive. The Wreck is largely in tact with the cargo holds to peer into with a light, 1/2 of the bowsprit remains as well as the masts which are collapsed and sitting on the bottom horizonally out from the wreck.

Sherkston Quarry: Port Colborne, Ontario
Sherkston Quarry is home to many great attractions, they offer summer homes, camping, golfing, waterpark, mini-golf, a summer time community with stores, restraunts and of course a great dive site. Sherkston quarry became a dive site in 1917 when the water pumps quit working one night after the workers went home. The next morning the workers showed up at work and knew they were out of a job.

Sherkston is a great place to dive when conditions are right. There is quite a bit to see, lots of fish, walls, train engines, rocks, pump house and a great atmosphere. A maximum depth of 40ft. Visibility ranges from 0-65 feet. The best time to dive Sherkston is between October-June. Once the Black algea arrives it's a navigation and visibility challenged dive. Sherkston remains the home of many of our store sponsored events due to the size of the divers area both above and below the surface.

Admission is only $8.00/diver, a waiver and proof of certification are needed so bring your C-card and divers lookbook. Camping in tents and trailers is also available to divers who are coming to dive for the weekend.

Windmill Point Park: Ridgeway, Ontario
Located in the town of Ridgeway, Windmill is a great training site for dive classes of all levels. Windmill is spring fed quarry which is restocked with new fish each and every year. It's a friendly place to dive and a great place to camp either with a tent or trailer. The site offers open water dive students the abililty to stay off the bottom while doing stationary skills by kneeling on one of the several underwater dive platforms. Windmill is also a great place to start a Night Diver Specialty.

Points of interest include the wall around the quarry, a motor boat, sailboat with a fake skeleton, a pickup truck cab, toilet, bath tub, drop off and platforms.

Welland Scuba Park (formerly known as the Old Welland Canal):

The Old Welland Canal has been a free alternative for divers wishing to get a quick, easy, shallow dive in with nothing really to see....Until now. The great thing about the Old Canal now is the addition of a training platform created by our very own Divemaster Norm Pelletier, as well as lines run throughout the platform area over to the cars, as laid by Divemaster Jean Pelletier, as well as Joe, John and Serge.

On May 23rd, 2009 the city of Welland in co-operation with our local diving community sank a small steel boat in the canal as well.

Our favourite spot in the Canal has been the Welland Swing Bridge. Plenty of dock pillars and fish, as well as generally better visibility.

A great night diving spot too.

Visibility is usually 25-35', water temperature is the same top to bottom most of the year, there is plenty of fish life and there will be much more happening at the canal over the next little while, so keep checking our site for more details.

Fathom Five National Marine Park: Tobermory, Ontario
Fathom Five is Canada’s first national marine park. The park protects 20 islands at the mouth of Georgian Bay, and a main ecosystem that extends from the surface water down 200 meters. Twenty-two shipwrecks are found in the park’s waters. If you don’t dive or snorkel, you can see shipwrecks from glass-bottom boats or visit Flowerpot Island where you can camp, see the island’s namesake rock columns, visit a lighthouse and explore a cave. On the mainland you can explore the wonders of Bruce Peninsula National Park. Join us on a trip to Canada's Dive Capital.

We deal with: Teak Bay Marine, G&S Watersports, Diver's Den

Brockville
Canada's Carribean, Brockville is located on the St. Lawrence Sea Way and home to the warmest and clearest water Canadian Diving has to offer. The temperatures in the summer time months range from 68-75 degrees top and bottom. The wrecks are enjoyable and visibility is 100 feet or better most times. Currents keep the water circulating making the presence of a thermocline non existant. For information on dive charters and air/nitrox fills, check Helen's site Dive Brockville or our friend Wayne Green at Thousand Island Pleasure Diving.

Divers looking for a more customized dive experience can enjoy liveaboard diving from our friends at Alp Maritime Expeditions who will take you up and down the St. Lawrence Seaway for diving on the US and Canadian Wrecks. Operation is based of of Clayton, NY, so proper ID is required.

The Duck Islands / Picton
Located just outside of the town of Picton the Duck Islands offer some of the best wooden shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. With visibility and temperatures being the same as Kingston, the diving is also very similar. Diving in Duck's allows the diver to have access to the wrecks not normally visited from the Kingston charter opperators and also gives divers the opportunity to dive the Kingston Wrecks while enjoying the benefits of staying at a self contained dive facility offering accomodations, air station and dive charter boats instead of renting hotels, driving to a dive store or marina spending more time, money and gas.

Divers who wish to join us on our annual trip to the Duck Islands should book soon. If you want to go up for some good shore diving and try and get on a walk-on dive charter, check out Duck's Dive

Kingston
Home to some of the most pristine, beautiful and intact shipwrecks in the World, Kingston, Ontario offers great wrecks both wooden and metal. Home to over 20 popular wrecks this area has become one of our favourite places to dive. Visibility ranges from 30-100 feet with temperatures 20 degrees higher than Tobermory. You can also hit the Kingston wrecks with George and Susan from Ducks Dive. For dive charters we use Big Jim or Brian Taylor

Rockport, Ontario
Dive the crystal clear waters of Rockport, Ontario with great wreck and shore diving in the St. Lawrence Sea-Way. Rockport offers an incredible assortment of walls, most noteably the Rockport Wall, located right downtown Rockport, as well as the C93 wall near the Hill Island Bridge to the US. Charters are available through Thousand Island Pleasure Diving and many other operators.

Divers can pick their depths from 20-260' so common sense and proper breathing gas selection must be adhered too. Rockport Dive Centre is right on the River Bank for air fills as well. There is also the wreck of the Kinghorn which is a local favourite for shore and boat diving.

Lake Superior & Lake Michigan Diving
Nordic Diver Shipwreck Exploration runs divers out to the great wrecks in these wonderful wreck diving havens with his boats the Molly V and the Nordic Diver. Nordic Diver caters to the Recreational Advanced and Technical Diver offering a lot of Mixed Gas Trimix Charters and Exploration on NEW Wrecks, actively exploring these areas with the use of a Sidescan Sonar. Nordic Diver is also experienced in CCR Rebreathers, offering a rebreather friendly environment for CCR Divers.

We also do incredible dive trips to The Northwind and Empress of Ireland