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Map of Pretoria Wreck
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IntermediateBoat entry

Pretoria Wreck

Wisconsin, United States
Open Water suggestedVery remote12–16 m depthBoat entry

Boat dive — see Entry & access.

Pretoria Wreck at a glance

Pretoria Wreck is an intermediate boat dive site in Wisconsin, United States with depths of 12–16 m (39–52 ft). Typically most favorable Jul · from 3 years of archive data. Divers commonly see Burbot and Lake trout. Check the latest conditions and entry details before you go.

Wind model · graded 2h ago
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Tap a factor for its source and model point

Site hazards: Very remote · Very cold Lake Superior water · Rapidly changing weather and long boat ride

All 4 hazards ↓

Dive windows this week

Best: Sun
Fri17:00–20:00
Sat7:00–10:00
Sun15:00–20:00
Mon7:00–17:00
Tue16:00–20:00
Wed7:00–13:00
Thu7:00–10:00

Favorable windowModerate window— no window

First light 6:03 · Sunrise 6:34 · Sunset 19:21

Source: Open-Meteo wind · graded 2h ago

Forecast only — always assess conditions on site.

Forecast · NOAA tide model

Tide & slack timing

Loading tide predictions

Recent diver reports

Dated firsthand observations from divers — not current conditions.

No diver reports for this site yet. — one dated observation helps every diver after you.

Dived here today — did the forecast match?

What Divers Say

Best time: July-September in stable, calm weather when the buoy is in place.

Based on community reviews and site data. Conditions vary — always verify before diving.

Best months, historically

What conditions have historically been typical at this site, month by month — not a forecast.

  1. Jan18% 19 kn
  2. Feb15% 19 kn
  3. Mar20% 19 kn
  4. Apr22% 19 kn
  5. May34% 16 kn
  6. Jun46% 15 kn
  7. Jul66% 13 kn
  8. Aug51% 14 kn
  9. Sep40% 15 kn
  10. Oct20% 18 kn
  11. Nov16% 20 kn
  12. Dec15% 20 kn

July hastypically had the largest share of favorable days here. Conditions vary year to year — this is historical context, not a forecast.

Based on 3 years of archive data. Bar height shows the share of days each month whose conditions have historically scored favorably.

Marine life seen at this site

Species noted at this site — not a promise of what you’ll encounter.

Species seen here

Fills & rentals nearby

No dive shops mapped within 25 km. Know one? Add it to the map.

Data updated June 2026

Site details

The 338-foot Pretoria, the largest wooden schooner-barge ever built on the Great Lakes, foundered off Outer Island in a 1905 storm with the loss of five crew. Her broken hull — large sections of sides, deck and bottom — lies on sandstone bedrock in a maximum of 54 feet of water amid a debris field that extends for miles. A WHS seasonal mooring buoy marks the main wreckage, making this remote Apostle Islands site a worthwhile intermediate dive when Lake Superior cooperates.

boatwreck

Very remote — Outer Island is the farthest of the Apostle Islands

Very cold Lake Superior water

Rapidly changing weather and long boat ride

Large debris field easy to lose orientation on

Reviews

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