Scuba Diving in Wisconsin, United States

45 mapped sites

Best dive sites in Wisconsin, United States

Showing 13–24 of 45

Light Vessel No. 57 Wreck

Wisconsin · 1.8–3.7 m

Light Vessel No. 57, a 90-ft wooden lightship built in Toledo in 1891, served Lake Michigan stations until 1924, when it was sold for scrap and abandoned off Milwaukee. Its remains — the only known lightship wreck in Wisconsin waters, NRHP-listed in 1996 — lie mostly buried in silt in 6-12 ft of water about 600 ft south of the north tip of South Shore Park. An easy if low-relief shore dive/snorkel with sections of oak hull protruding from the sediment.

Shore entry

Meridian Wreck

Wisconsin · Up to 12.2 m

The two-masted schooner Meridian (1848), a veteran of Wisconsin's lumber trade, was lost in an October 1873 storm and lies broken into three major sections in about 40 ft of water near the Strawberry Islands off Fish Creek. The 105-ft main section includes an almost intact bow and port side, with the stempost base at 39 ft. Surveyed by the Wisconsin Historical Society and covered by a WHS dive guide slate; NRHP-listed in 1996.

Boat entry

Marquette Wreck

Wisconsin · Up to 66 m

The wooden steamer Marquette (1881) foundered in 1903 while trying to reach Michigan Island and lies in 215 ft of Lake Superior water about five miles east of the island. Its superstructure tore free in the sinking; the hull is progressively broken from the nearly intact bow to the stern, with an upright engine and propeller, much of it covered in iron ore cargo. Located in 2004 and documented in 2006 by GLSPS divers — an extremely cold, remote trimix dive for expert teams only.

ExpertBoat entry

Arctic Wreck

Wisconsin · 3–4.6 m

The 1881 ice-breaking tug Arctic served Goodrich Transportation for 49 years before sinking in 1930. The wreck lies partially sand-covered in 10-15 ft of water in two large sections about 800 ft apart, 1.5 miles northeast of the Manitowoc Breakwater Light, within the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The stempost rises seven feet from the sand on the northern section; the southern section holds the rudder, bilge structure and boiler. An easy boat, kayak or snorkel visit.

Boat entry

SS Appomattox Wreck

Wisconsin · 4–6 m

The 319-foot Appomattox, the largest wooden bulk steamer ever built on the Great Lakes, grounded in fog and smoke off present-day Atwater Beach in 1905 and broke up where she lay. A 250-foot section of her lower bilge and a large run of collapsed port hull rest in just 15-20 feet of water about 150 yards offshore, marked by a seasonal WHS mooring buoy. Easily reached from the beach, it is metro Milwaukee's signature shore-accessible wreck dive and a favorite of snorkelers and kayakers.

Shore + boat

Wisconsin Wreck

Wisconsin · 27–40 m

The 204-foot iron-hulled Goodrich steamer Wisconsin (1881) foundered off Kenosha in an October 1929 gale after her cargo shifted, taking part of her crew with her. She lies fully upright and intact in about 130 feet of water, her deck rising 30 feet off the bottom with cargo including iron castings and automobile remains below. One of southern Wisconsin's signature advanced wreck dives, she is serviced regularly by Kenosha and Milwaukee charters.

AdvancedBoat entry

SS Continental Wreck

Wisconsin · 0–5 m

The wooden bulk freighter Continental stranded in a blinding December 1904 snowstorm after missing the course change at Twin Rivers Point; her crew reached shore safely and ice destroyed the hull over the winter. The wreckage now lies scattered in 0-15 feet of water 1.5 miles north of Rawley Point Lighthouse off Point Beach State Forest. It is an easy snorkel or shallow dive on calm days, best reached by a beach walk and swim or by kayak.

Shore + boat

Lucerne Wreck

Wisconsin · 3.8–6.1 m

The Lucerne, one of the largest three-masted schooners on the lakes, foundered with all hands in a November 1886 gale while carrying iron ore; rescuers found three sailors frozen in the rigging. The wreck lies about 200 yards off Long Island in 20 ft of Lake Superior water, with the centerboard top at 12.5 ft, inside Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. A buoyed, shallow, historically powerful dive — bring thermal protection for Superior's cold water.

Boat entry

Byron shipwreck

Wisconsin · Up to 41 m

The Byron is an unusually small (35-ft) mid-19th-century schooner lying in 135 ft of water about twelve miles southeast of Sheboygan, within the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Discovered in 1977 when a commercial fisherman snagged the wreck, it is today almost completely covered by invasive mussels. A deep, dark, cold boat dive for experienced divers.

AdvancedBoat entry

Bullhead Point Historical and Archeological District Wreck

Wisconsin · 0–3 m

Bullhead Point in Sturgeon Bay holds the abandoned hulls of three limestone-trade vessels — the steamers Empire State and Ida Corning and the schooner-barge Oak Leaf — burned and abandoned by the Sturgeon Bay Stone Company in the 1930s. The wrecks lie in 0-10 ft of water just off the city park and are partly visible above the surface. One of Wisconsin's easiest shipwreck shore dives and a popular snorkel and kayak stop.

Shore entry

SS J.M. Allmendinger Wreck

Wisconsin · 3–4 m

The steambarge J.M. Allmendinger went ashore near Fox Point in a November 1895 gale and blizzard while running lumber to Milwaukee. Her keel, keelson and floors lie intact with scattered hull fragments, rudder and boiler in just 12 feet of water about 1,035 feet off the Mequon shoreline south of Concordia University. The shallow, NRHP-listed site is an easy kayak-supported dive or snorkel on calm days.

Boat entry

Lumberman Wreck

Wisconsin · 17.7–19.8 m

The three-masted lumber schooner Lumberman (1862) capsized in a sudden squall on April 6, 1893, off Oak Creek south of Milwaukee, sinking in about 65 ft of water. Rediscovered in 1983, the mostly intact hull at 58-65 ft has become southern Lake Michigan's most popular wreck dive, marked by a WHS mooring buoy and served by Milwaukee charters.

IntermediateBoat entry