Scuba Diving in Michigan, United States

33 mapped sites

Destination guide

Scuba diving in Michigan, United States

Michigan, United States has 33 public dive sites on PickADive. Use the list below to compare mapped sites by depth, access, difficulty, ratings, and reviews before opening a site page.

Open map view Check condition context

Public sites: 33; Indexed destination pages
Reviews: 0; Catalog review count
Rating: Building; Reviews are still growing
Common access: Boat; 29 dive sites

Seasonal patterns

Best months, historically in Michigan, United States

Typical conditions by month across dive sites in Michigan, United States— historical patterns, not a forecast.

Jan53%
Feb44%
Mar51%
Apr51%
May73%
Jun73%
Jul88%
Aug81%
Sep88%
Oct54%
Nov37%
Dec45%

From 33 sites’ typical conditions · historical typicals, not a forecast

Best time to dive Michigan, United States: full month-by-month data →

Best dive sites in Michigan, United States

Showing 1–24 of 33

A. R. Colborn and Crane (wreck)

Michigan · 10.7–13.7 m

The A.R. Colborn was a wooden steam barge built in 1882 and abandoned at Port Huron on April 28, 1922; her remains lie alongside a sunken crane in 35-45 ft of water in the swift St. Clair River just south of the Blue Water Bridge. The pair make a popular high-speed drift dive for experienced local divers, flown over by the strong current that keeps the river exceptionally clear. The site sits among a cluster of river wrecks (M.E. Tremble, Ben Hur, lightship LV-55/James Beard) dived from the Port Huron seawall.

AdvancedShore entry

Bermuda Wreck (Murray Bay, Alger Underwater Preserve)

Michigan · 3.7–9.1 m

The Bermuda is an intact wooden schooner that sank in 1870 and now rests upright in sheltered Murray Bay on the southeast side of Grand Island near Munising, within Michigan's Alger Underwater Preserve. Her deck sits about 12 ft below the surface with the bottom around 30 ft, making her one of the best shallow intact schooner dives on the Great Lakes. The protected bay location means the site is often diveable when Lake Superior weather cancels offshore trips, and it is popular with both new divers and snorkelers.

Boat entry

Cedarville (wreck)

Michigan · 10.7–32 m

The Cedarville was a 588-ft self-unloading limestone carrier that sank on May 7, 1965 after colliding in dense fog with the Norwegian freighter Topdalsfjord in the Straits of Mackinac, killing ten of her crew — one of the largest vessels ever lost on the Great Lakes. She lies broken nearly in two on her starboard side, rolled past vertical, in about 105 ft of water east of the Mackinac Bridge, with the shallowest parts of the hull reachable around 35-40 ft and the pilothouse and cabins near 75 ft. Now the marquee dive of the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, she is buoyed each season but demands respect for her size, orientation, current, and variable visibility.

AdvancedBoat entry

Chester A. Congdon Wreck

Michigan · 6.1–61 m

The Chester A. Congdon was a 532-ft steel bulk freighter that ran onto Congdon Shoal at Canoe Rocks in fog in November 1918 and broke apart, becoming one of Lake Superior's first million-dollar losses. The bow section with its intact pilothouse sits upright in roughly 70-110 ft on the south side of the reef, while the intact stern lies on the north side, with wreckage running from near-surface shoal depths down past recreational limits. It is one of the signature dives of Isle Royale National Park, marked by an NPS mooring buoy.

AdvancedBoat entry

Eber Ward Wreck (Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve)

Michigan · Up to 44.2 m

The Eber Ward was a 213-ft wooden steamer built in 1888 that was holed by ice and sank in April 1909 about five miles west of where the Mackinac Bridge now stands. She sits upright and intact in roughly 145 ft of Lake Michigan with her cabin and wheel in place, the fatal ice gash visible in the bow, and her yawl boat flattened off the stern. Depth puts this dive at the edge of recreational limits, and it is one of the signature advanced/technical dives of the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, with two seasonal moorings.

ExpertBoat entry

F. T. Barney Wreck

Michigan · 43–49 m

The F. T. Barney is a 126-ft two-masted wooden schooner built in 1856 that sank in under two minutes after a midnight collision with the schooner T.J. Bronson on October 23, 1868, settling gently in 160 ft of Lake Huron off Rogers City. Rediscovered in 1987, she is one of the Great Lakes' most intact schooners, with an erect mainmast, intact stern cabin, and a cargo hold still full of coal — the first Lake Huron shipwreck listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The depth makes her a prized technical dive.

ExpertBoat entry

Francisco Morazan Wreck (Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve)

Michigan · 0–4.6 m

The Francisco Morazan is a 246-ft steel package freighter that ran aground in a November 1960 snowstorm about 300 yards off the south shore of South Manitou Island, partly atop the older wreck of the Walter L. Frost. Part of the superstructure still breaks the surface, making it the most visible wreck in the Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve, snorkelable and divable in roughly 0-15 ft of water within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Strong swimmers reach it from the island beach; most visitors come by kayak or boat, and the collapsing steel demands care.

Shore + boat

Glenlyon

Michigan · 4.6–18.3 m

The Glenlyon was a 328-ft steel package/bulk freighter built in 1893 that ran aground on a shoal off Menagerie Island while seeking shelter in Isle Royale's Siskiwit Bay on November 1, 1924, carrying 143,000 bushels of wheat. The wreck is broken and scattered across the reef in 15-60 ft of water, with the bow on the bay side of the shoal and the stern on the lake side, but the pieces lie close to their original positions and large sections — including the engine room with triple-expansion engine, drive shaft, propeller, and boilers — remain intact. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of the ten major wrecks protected within Isle Royale National Park.

IntermediateBoat entry

Grecian Wreck (Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary)

Michigan · 22.9–30.5 m

The Grecian, a 296-ft steel bulk freighter launched in 1891, sank in 1906 while under tow after a collision and now lies in roughly 100 ft of water in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary off Alpena. The deck is reached around 75 ft, and divers can explore the triple-expansion engine, boiler, decks and cargo holds; the collapsing midships section can be disorienting. NOAA typically places mooring buoys on both bow and stern in season.

AdvancedBoat entry

Gull Lake - Ross Township Park Scuba Park

Michigan · 0–33.5 m

Ross Township Park on the east shore of Gull Lake near Hickory Corners is southwest Michigan's most developed inland shore-diving site, with an extensive sunken attraction park placed for divers. Submerged features include training platforms, a car frame, ~40 ft of railroad track, several boats including a large wooden sailboat and an ice boat, a motorcycle, a phone booth, an ice shanty and an underwater climbing wall, mostly in 10-60 ft. The spring-fed lake reaches over 100 ft deep with visibility commonly 20-30 ft, and the park is heavily used for open-water training.

AdvancedShore entry

Hennepin Wreck

Michigan · Up to 70 m

The Hennepin, built 1888 and converted in 1902 into the world's first self-unloading bulk carrier, foundered on August 18, 1927 about 15-20 miles off South Haven; her entire conveyor and A-frame unloading system is still in place. Located by Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates in 2006, she sits upright in about 230 ft of Lake Michigan within the Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve. This is a serious trimix technical dive — cold, dark, and far offshore — but historically one of the most important wrecks in the Great Lakes.

ExpertBoat entry

Higgins Lake (Northwest Shore / State Park Area)

Michigan · 0–16.8 m

Higgins Lake in Roscommon County is regularly cited as one of Michigan's clearest inland lakes and a popular freshwater shore dive, with the most-dived area off the northwest shore near the boat launch by North Higgins Lake State Park. Divers cross a long shallow sand flat to a drop-off and find several small sunken boats in roughly 40-55 ft of water, with abundant panfish and usually very good visibility. It is a long surface walk/swim, and the nearest air fills are about an hour away, so divers bring filled tanks.

Shore entry

Kyle Spangler Wreck

Michigan · 26–56 m

shipwreck in Lake Huron, United States

IntermediateBoat entry

Mary Alice B Wreck (Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve)

Michigan · 25.9–29 m

The Mary Alice B is a 62-ft steel tug built in 1931 for the Army Corps of Engineers (originally named Quintus) that foundered off Port Sanilac in September 1975 and was located in 1992. She sits upright and remarkably intact in about 92-95 ft of Lake Huron within the Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve. The pilothouse, with the wheel still in place, offers a swim-through for trained divers, though silt is easily disturbed inside.

AdvancedBoat entry

Monohansett Wreck (Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary)

Michigan · 3–5.5 m

The Monohansett was a wooden bulk freighter that caught fire and sank in the lee of Thunder Bay Island in November 1907 while sheltering from a Lake Huron storm. The wreckage lies broken into three large sections in only about 18 ft of clear water roughly 500 ft west of the Thunder Bay Island lighthouse, with the boiler reaching to within 10 ft of the surface and the propeller upright on the limestone bottom. Its shallow depth makes it popular with divers, snorkelers, paddlers and the local glass-bottom boat.

Boat entry

Montana Wreck (Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary)

Michigan · 11–20.1 m

The Montana was a 236-ft wooden steam package freighter that burned to the waterline and sank in Thunder Bay, Lake Huron in 1914. She rests in about 63-66 ft of water within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary near Alpena, with an intact power train: a massive boiler, a three-story steam engine rising roughly 30 ft off the bottom, drive shaft and propeller. NOAA maintains seasonal bow and stern mooring buoys, and the wreck attracts game fish, making it a favorite for photographers.

IntermediateBoat entry

Nordmeer Wreck (Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary)

Michigan · Up to 12.2 m

The Nordmeer was a 471-ft German steel freighter that ran onto Thunder Bay Shoal in November 1966 after turning the wrong side of the marker buoy. Once partially above water, the wreck has collapsed and now lies fully submerged in about 40 ft of Lake Huron roughly seven miles north of Thunder Bay Island, with the large diesel engine and big steel hull sections to explore. It is one of the most visited dive sites in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and suits newer wreck divers in calm conditions.

IntermediateBoat entry

Norman Wreck

Michigan · 52–64 m

The Norman, an 1890 Globe Iron Works steel steamer and one of the first propeller-driven steel lakers, sank in a 1895 collision and lies 10.5 miles east-southeast of Presque Isle in Lake Huron. She sits broken in two with a 45-degree port list in 170-210 ft of water, her double-wheeled wheelhouse lying alongside and a yawl boat and massive collision hole on display. Cold water has preserved her superbly, making her one of the marquee technical dives of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary's deep Presque Isle group.

ExpertBoat entry

Panther (wreck)

Michigan · 27.4–33.5 m

The Panther was a 249-ft wooden bulk freighter (built 1890 by James Davidson, West Bay City) that sank on June 26, 1916 after being rammed in dense fog by the steamer James J. Hill about four miles southeast of Whitefish Point; the Hill kept her bow in the hole until the Panther's crew climbed aboard, and no lives were lost. Located in 1975, the wreck sits upright and largely intact in 90-110 ft, with two anchors at the bow, grain cargo, and tools visible in the stern. It lies within the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve, one of the last places in the Great Lakes where wrecks remain free of zebra-mussel encrustation.

AdvancedBoat entry

Regina Wreck (Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve)

Michigan · 7.6–24.4 m

The Regina is a 250-ft steel package freighter lost with all hands in the Great Storm of November 1913 and not located until 1986. She lies upside down off Port Sanilac in the Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve in about 80 ft of Lake Huron, with the hull bottom reached at roughly 25 ft. A 56-ft opening in the hull allows qualified wreck divers into the hold, and scattered cargo still litters the lake floor around her.

IntermediateBoat entry

Sandusky Wreck (Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve)

Michigan · 21.3–25.6 m

The Sandusky is an 1848 two-masted brig, the oldest known dived shipwreck in the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, lost with all hands in a September 1856 gale while carrying grain from Chicago to Buffalo. Her hull sits intact in about 85 ft of Lake Michigan five miles west of the Mackinac Bridge, slightly heeled to port, with deck depths around 70 ft. A replica scroll figurehead adorns the bow below the intact jib-boom, and the windlass, bilge pumps and centerboard winch remain in place; a seasonal mooring buoy marks the site.

IntermediateBoat entry

Smith Moore Wreck (Alger Underwater Preserve)

Michigan · 21.3–32 m

The Smith Moore was a 230-ft wooden steam barge that sank in 1889 in the East Channel between Grand Island and the mainland after a collision, and is the deepest and best-known wreck in the Alger Underwater Preserve near Munising. She sits upright and largely intact in 70-105 ft of water with the deck reached around 80 ft. Divers find her boiler, engine, deck winch and broken mast, and open hatches allow trained divers a look into the holds.

AdvancedBoat entry

Sport Wreck (Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve)

Michigan · 7.6–13.7 m

The Sport, launched in 1873, was the first steel-hulled tug on the Great Lakes and sank in a December 1920 gale off Lexington; the crew washed ashore alive. Rediscovered in 1987, she rests upright with a slight starboard list in about 45 ft of water roughly three miles off Lexington in the Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve, rising about 20 ft off the bottom with tools and relics scattered around the site. In 1992 she became the first Michigan shipwreck to receive its own Michigan Historical Marker, and her shallow depth makes her a favorite first Great Lakes wreck dive.

Boat entry

SS Algoma Wreck

Michigan · 4.6–30.5 m

The Algoma was a steel passenger steamer that broke apart on the rocks of Isle Royale's southeast shore in a November 1885 storm, killing around 46 people — the worst loss of life in Lake Superior history. The ship broke in half during salvage-era storms and today only scattered stern wreckage, plating, and machinery remain, spread down the rocky slope near Mott Island. It is the shallowest and most broken of Isle Royale's major wrecks, divable at moderate depths but in a very exposed location.

IntermediateBoat entry

Plan a dive in Michigan, United States

Compare nearby sites

Michigan has 33 public dive sites in the PickADive catalog. Start with the map when coastline, nearby alternatives, and travel distance matter.

Explore sites on the map

Match depth and difficulty

Current public data shows 11 advanced and 11 intermediate dive sites. Listed depths range from about 0m to 79m where available. Boat is the most common listed access type. Use those signals as a starting point, then confirm the plan against training, equipment, and current local guidance.

Check conditions close to the dive

PickADive can help with research and comparison, but it does not certify that a dive is safe today. Weather, current, visibility, entry, boat traffic, and local rules can change quickly.

How condition context works

Common questions about diving in Michigan, United States

What are the best dive sites in Michigan, United States?

Use the ranked list on this page to compare 33 public dive sites in Michigan. PickADive highlights ratings, reviews, depth, access type, difficulty, and mapped location so you can move from destination research to a specific site page. 3 dive sites are recorded with shore access and 29 with boat access.

Are there advanced dives in Michigan?

Yes. PickADive currently marks 17 dive sites in Michigan as advanced or expert level. That includes 6 marked expert. Listed depths in the catalog reach about 79m at the deepest sites, and 29 dive sites are recorded as boat access. These dives deserve extra attention to depth, access, current, visibility, and local guidance.

What depths can I expect in Michigan?

Listed PickADive depth data for Michigan ranges from about 0m to 79m. Both shallow shore entries and deeper boat sites appear in the catalog: 3 dive sites are recorded with shore access and 29 with boat access. Use that as a research starting point, then verify current conditions and site-specific guidance.

Can I see Michigan dive sites on a map?

Yes. Use the map link on this page to compare Michigan dive sites by location, coastline, nearby alternatives, and individual site details.