Located at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, Fathom Five, Canada’s first national marine park, consists of 20 islands to the north and east of the Bruce Peninsula, and covers 130 square kilometers in roughly a triangular shaped area. The marine park covers the twenty islands, 22 shipwrecks and several lighthouses.
Fathom Five Marine Park is considered one of the best North American Dive destinations for several great reasons: The Park’s 22 historical shipwrecks are perhaps the biggest draw for scuba divers to this region. These wrecks comprising of mostly schooners, barges and steamers, are amongst the oldest and best-preserved wrecks in Canada, many dating back to the mid-1800s providing a broad historical view of trading on the Great Lakes in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In addition to being able to explore the numerous shipwrecks at the park, scuba divers can also marvel at the natural underwater rock formations, submerged geological formations such as cliffs, caves, overhangs etc., which are formed in the soft limestone rocks. This region also is home to a “submerged waterfall” which lies between Manitoulin Island and the Bruce Peninsula which around 5000-10,000 years ago was a waterfall that drained the water from Lake Huron into the Georgian Bay with a drop of 40 meters (132 feet) and possibly carried more water down it than the Niagara Falls does today.
Some of the more popular wrecks at Fathom Five are that of the W.L. Wetmore (a 214 feet steamer sunk in 1901) accessible by divers of all experience levels and snorkelers (depth 28ft or 8.5m). The wreck of the Arabia a 131 foot barque which sunk in 1884 is a spectacular dive, recommended for more advanced divers (depth 110’ or 33m). Some of the popular geological feature dive sites include “ the Caves” with a submerged grotto entrance 6 metres (20 feet) located east of Tobermory and allows divers and snorkelers alike to explore the hidden passageways of these limestone caves. And “ Dunks Point” which comprises of interesting geological formations like overhangs, walls and even a small cave to explore.
The waters of the Fathom Five Marine Park are crystal clear offering scuba divers fantastic visibility so much that the park offers glass bottom boat trips, and snorkeling at many of the underwater shipwrecks and attractions, so one doesn’t need to be a scuba diver to experience this regions underwater treasures. Water temperature is around 60°F (15.5 C) with thermoclines constantly reducing the temperature the deeper you go, so a thick wetsuit (7mm) with a hood, gloves and boots is highly recommended or a dry suit is also preferable.
Most diving at Fathom Five consist of open water sites that require the services of a boat charter, however there are a few than can be accessed as shore dives from Tobermory. All divers are required to register themselves at the Park’s Registration Center and obtain a scuba diving permit. Most of the wrecks in the area are in deep waters and are recommended for more advanced divers, however there are several sites that are divable by intermediate and beginners as well.
