Scuba Diving in Wisconsin, United States

45 mapped sites

Best dive sites in Wisconsin, United States

Showing 25–36 of 45

Northerner Wreck

Wisconsin · 20–43 m

The two-masted schooner Northerner capsized and sank off Port Washington in 1868 while under tow and now sits upright and remarkably intact in about 140 feet of water. Her main mast still stands some 75 feet above the deck, the bowsprit and a rare carved figurehead survive, and her cargo of cordwood remains stacked in the hold. Frequently 80-plus-foot visibility makes it one of the most photogenic wrecks on Wisconsin's Shipwreck Coast, but the depth makes this a serious advanced dive.

AdvancedBoat entry

Daniel Lyons Wreck

Wisconsin · Up to 33.5 m

The schooner Daniel Lyons sank in October 1878 after being rammed by the schooner Kate Gillett, settling in 110 ft of water eight miles northeast of Algoma. The wreck is somewhat broken but nearly all hull structure and rigging are represented, with frequently excellent visibility (40-100 ft) that makes it a favorite of advanced divers and underwater photographers. A WHS seasonal mooring buoy marks the site.

AdvancedBoat entry

Grape Shot Wreck

Wisconsin · 1.5–2.4 m

The schooner Grape Shot, built in Buffalo in 1855 with an eagle figurehead, grounded on the north side of Plum Island in a November 1867 gale. Its scattered remains lie in about 8 ft of water on rock and sand 0.18 miles northwest of the Plum Island U.S. Coast Guard station in the Death's Door passage. A shallow boat/kayak dive and snorkel best done in calm weather given the passage's notorious currents.

Boat entry

R.G. Stewart (shipwreck)

Wisconsin · —

The R.G. Stewart was a 100-foot packet steamer that ran aground on Michigan Island in fog in June 1899 and burned the next morning when her overworked boilers set the woodwork alight; one crewman drowned. Her hull remains and a scatter of superstructure artifacts lie partially buried in sand over a cobble and boulder bottom in shallow water off the island's southeast shore. The site, listed on the National Register in 1991, makes a relaxed shallow dive or snorkel for boaters exploring the outer Apostle Islands.

Boat entry

Ocean Wave Wreck

Wisconsin · 30–34 m

The Ocean Wave was an 1860-built scow schooner with a rare eagle figurehead that sank in 20 minutes after striking floating timber in 1869, loaded with quarried stone. She sits upright in 110 feet of water two miles off Whitefish Point, Door County, her lower hull embedded in sand that alternately covers and uncovers hull structure, rigging and cargo. Bow and stern ramps and the stern cabin area remain well preserved, making this a rewarding advanced boat dive.

AdvancedBoat entry

Kate Kelly Wreck

Wisconsin · Up to 16.8 m

The three-masted schooner Kate Kelly sank in a violent spring storm on May 13, 1895, while carrying hemlock railroad ties from Alpena to Chicago. The wreck lies broken and scattered in 55 ft of water about two miles off Wind Point near Racine, marked by a seasonal WHS mooring buoy. A popular sport-diver site served by local charters and documented with a high-resolution 3D photogrammetry model.

IntermediateBoat entry

Ottawa Wreck

Wisconsin · 4–5 m

The Ottawa, built in 1881 as the Boscobel, was one of the largest and most powerful wrecking tugs on the Great Lakes until she burned at her mooring off Red Cliff in 1909. Most of her hull structure, including a 158-foot run of port side and large starboard sections, rests on sand in just 12-16 feet of water in Buffalo Bay. The shallow, sheltered site is a favorite of beginner divers, snorkelers and kayakers in the Apostle Islands region.

Boat entry

SS Atlanta Wreck

Wisconsin · 4–5 m

The Goodrich Line steamer Atlanta caught fire and was lost off Cedar Grove in March 1906 while running from Sheboygan to Milwaukee; all aboard escaped. Her lower hull lies mostly intact and partially buried in sand in about 17 feet of water, 800 feet from shore north of Amsterdam Park. The shallow, sandy site has served as an underwater archaeology training venue and makes an easy kayak-dive or snorkel inside the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast sanctuary.

Shore + boat

Australasia Shipwreck

Wisconsin · 3–6.1 m

The Australasia, a 285-ft wooden bulk steamer, burned and was lost in October 1896 while carrying 2,200 tons of coal, grounding south of Jacksonport near Cave Point. The remaining wreckage lies in about 20 ft of water 350 yards off the Whitefish Dunes State Park beach, with bow and stern sections partially intact. A seasonal WHS mooring buoy marks the site, which is popular with beginner divers, snorkelers and kayakers.

Shore + boat

Hanover Wreck

Wisconsin · 5–8.2 m

The schooner Hanover, a 100-ft grain carrier built in 1853, grounded on a shoal south of the Strawberry Islands during a November 1867 storm while running light from Chicago to Oconto, and settled in 27 ft of water. Rediscovered and documented in 2014 and added to the National Register in 2015, the wreck's bow, centerboard trunk, stern and rudder are visible in clear water, though sand and mussel shells cover varying amounts of the site from year to year. An easy boat/snorkel dive near Fish Creek.

Boat entry

Success Wreck

Wisconsin · 2–3 m

The scow schooner Success, built at Manitowoc in 1875 for the lumber trade, was driven ashore at Whitefish Bay, Door County, during a November 1896 storm; her entire crew was rescued by local fishermen in a daring small-boat effort. Her remains lie in about 8 feet of water 500 feet south of Whitefish Dunes State Park. The shallow sandy site is an easy beach-entry snorkel or novice dive on calm days.

Shore + boat

SS S.C. Baldwin Wreck

Wisconsin · 14–23 m

The steam barge S.C. Baldwin (1871) sank off Point Beach near Two Rivers in August 1908 and was relocated by sport fishermen in the mid-1970s. She sits upright in about 60-75 feet of water with her stem post rising 30 feet off the bottom, marked by a seasonal mooring buoy. Regularly documented by sanctuary archaeologists, she is one of the area's most popular intermediate-level wreck dives.

IntermediateBoat entry