Planning your next dive trip? Think outside the tropical box and go diving in Lake Ontario! A highlight of the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario offers some of the finest wreck diving around. While some may think these freshwater lakes don’t have the same appeal as a warm tropical reef, what they lack in colorful fish and corals they make up for with centuries-old maritime history, and new wrecks are still being discovered.
This summer, a chance discovery in Lake Ontario pinpointed the location of the second oldest shipwreck in the Great Lakes, the Lady Washington. During an underwater surveying mission, a team of divers found the ship, which was sunk in a storm in November of 1803. Built in Pennsylvania and owned by a Canadian based shipping company, the 53-foot long Lady Washington was a merchant cargo vessel.
The discovery of the Lady Washington has great historical significance to shipwreck enthusiasts. With the advent of two and three-masted schooners, she was the only single-masted sloop known to have sailed on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in her day. Exploring the remains of the ship will allow historians to learn new information about this type of vessel’s design and construction.
With the Lady Washington firmly in second place, which has the top spot in Lake Ontario? That would be the HMS Ontario, a British warship sunk in 1780. The cold water not only does wonders for the preservation of these ancient ships, but offers excellent visibility as well, upwards of 100 feet in many areas of the lake. In addition to numerous shipwrecks, there is drift diving and wall diving.
While there are dive sites in the lake that meet recreational diving requirements, the best spots offering the greatest visibility are much deeper, requiring advanced open water certifications. You’ll also want to wear a heavier wetsuit, or even a drysuit, to compensate for the lower water temperatures. Suit up and head north, and see for yourself why diving in Lake Ontario is an experience you’ll never forget!
