Isle Royale Maps

[john j]

You really should go to Munising at least. It's a really fun place. There are 4 nice wrecks there in the 25-100 ft depth range. One of the wrecks, the Bermuda, is in 30ft of water but is a surprisingly good dive. It is in a sheltered bay so you can go there pretty much regardless of the weather. None of the wrecks here are in shipping lanes and all the major wrecks are within less than a mile of land. There's also the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore which is fun to crusie along with your boat. There are also some neat sea caves. With a boat behind you, you're probably looking at a 9-10 hour drive from the twin cities including stops. I can get you exact mileage if you want becasue I keep a log of mileage when I go on these trips.

Copper harbor has about 6 nice wrecks, with 2 of them (Mesquite and Langham) being quite nice. They are both in the same general area and are at a depth of about 100-115ft. None of the Copper Harbor wrecks are in shipping lanes and all are within about 2 miles of shore, however the Mesquite and Langham for example are quite a long way from the nearest safe harbor. If the waves kick up you can be in trouble because you might have to go 10-15 miles to find shelter. Wind and fog are problems around Copper Harbor but if you plan for a few days, you should have some nice conditions at least sometimes. There's always hiking and lots of nice pebble beaches to visit when the weather is bad. Copper Harbor is about the same distance as Munising from the twin cities. The only complaint I have about Copper Harbor is that the weather can be tricky. I've only had 1 trip to Copper Harbor though in 12 years that was a complete bust due to the weather where we didn't even launch the boat. Best time to go there is Mid July thorugh early August. If you go too early or too late the weather can be a real problem. The scenery though is incredible.

I've been taking trailerable boats to places around Superior for about 12 years now and I'd be happy to help any way I can. If you are interested in further info, I have coordinates, suggestions on where to launch and slip the boat and things to see, etc. There used to be a fair number of people with trailered boats going to these places and diving but over the last few years I have really seen a decline, which is too bad becasue I met some nice people and learned a lot from them. It would be nice to meet some new people with the same interests as me.

I'll be at Isle Royale June 28-July 5th this year with my boat "Deep Quest" so if you see us, stop over and say hi.