Clearest spot I ever saw in Lake Champlain

Just West of Burlington Harbor

Juniper Island

From Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's website (www.LCMM.org):

The General Butler was built in 1862 in Essex, New York. The schooner-rigged Butler is an example of a Lake Champlain sailing canal boat designed to sail on the lake and, with masts removed and centerboard raised, travel though the Champlain Canal.

On her last voyage she was under the command of her third owner, Captain William Montgomery of Isle La Motte. While sailing up the lake on December 9, 1876 a powerful winter gale struck and upon approaching Burlington, the Butler's steering mechanism broke. The captain jury-rigged a tiller bar to the steering post and attempted to maneuver his craft around the breakwater. The attempt was unsuccessful and the schooner crashed headlong into the breakwater. The force of the water was so great that the vessel was repeatedly lifted on top of the ice-covered stones. One by one each of the ship's company made the perilous jump onto the breakwater. The captain was the last to leave the ship which immediately sank into the 40' of water where she now rests.

Having narrowly escaped death by drowning, the Butler's survivors now risked freezing to death on the breakwater. All surely would have perished had it not been for the heroic intervention of Burlington ship chandler James Wakefield and his son, who rowed out in a 14' lighthouse boat and took all five to safety. The Butler was declared a total loss. Artifacts from the General Butler are on display at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's Basin Harbor facility.

Features of Interest

Size of wreck: 88' long, 14' wide
The vessel rests on her keel, bow towards the breakwater. There are five hatches in the deck.
Note the dead-eyes, windlass and cleats used for sailing.
The masts were stepped on deck in three sided 

Access via boat, right next to the breakwater in Burlington Bay.  Site is marked by a Lake Champlain Preserve System buoy.  Make sure you register yourself and boat at a local dive shop or at the harbormaster before diving the site.  Only need to register one time per year.

Approximately 75 yards west of the southern end of the Burlington breakwater. 

General Butler

Burlington Bay Horse Ferry

Phoenix

Compliments of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum .
The Sloop Island Canal Boat is a standard canal boat from the last generation of canal boats on Lake Champlain. The Champlain Canal locks expanded over time, and with them the size of canal boats. At 97 feet long and 17½ feet wide, the Sloop Island Canal Boat was built after the 1873 canal expansion. Standard canal boats had no independent means of propulsion, and were towed by mules or horses in the canal and by a steamboat or tug on Lake Champlain. 

The name and exact details of the sinking of the Sloop Island Canal Boat are unknown. An archaeological study in 2002-2003 indicated that the boat sank in distress around 1915. The entire artifact collection from the cabin was recovered and conserved, and a selection placed on exhibit at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's Basin Harbor facility. The artifacts suggest that a family consisting of a man, woman and at least one child lived on board. An entire household of goods is represented: glassware, dishes, silverware, a woolen coat, and woodworking tools. The cargo hold is filled with bituminous coal mined in western Pennsylvania. Timbers removed from the cabin are stored in the hold below the walkways: please do not disturb. 


Marked by buoy from Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.  

Sloop Island Canal Boat is also known as Wreck Z.

Sloop Island Canal Boat

Check out video on YouTube "Dive Black Bridge".



The Black Bridge is also known as D and H Train Bridge.

The Black Bridge

Vermont

Rogers Rock (or Slide) is a very steep cliff that extends from a mountain deep into Lake George.  Lots of boulders, and multiple thermoclines are to be encountered.  From the beach at the Association camping area, swim left (north) around the bay and you will encounter Juniper Island.  Juniper is a small island that is separated by a 2 or 3 foot deep channel which divers and campers have been alternately filling in or deepening over the years.  Depending on who had the last say, you may be able to swim through a shallow cut between the island and the shore, or may have to take a short swim around the island.  Once past the island you are at the start of the slide.  Huge boulders, lots of vertical rock make this an interesting place to dive.  Viz in the 30 foot range is fairly normal.

Rogers Rock is located in the NYS Rogers Rock campground.  To reach it take Adirondack Northway to Lake George and take rt 9 up the west side of Lake George to the campground, about 3 mines north of Hague.  Shore access is best from the Association area campsite.  This is often rented by the week, In September there are often several SCUBA clubs that rent the area and divers are welcome.

Rogers Rock

I dove this site about 4 times now. Twice for my Advance certification and a couple other fun dives.  I travel about 1 1/2 hours south to enjoy it and I know others that travel even farther.  There is a car to explore at about 40 feet down, the quarry walls are so cool, especially if you've never dove in a quarry before.  This quarry has some of the best viz as it gets very little top soil run off. Another car to check out at 80 feet down.  I'm not a cave diver, however there is a network of caves from when they mined the marble.  I believe there is a map available that some divers have made of the underwater cave system. You would want to ask Bottom Time Scuba in Rutland or Victory Sports in Colchester Vermont.

Go from Rutland Vermont to West Rutland on route 4 B. When in the center of West Rutland turn right onto Marble street extension and follow for about 3 miles on your right. There are about 4 large Marble blocks that are place at the entrance where you need to park on the right side of the road. You can't see the quarry from the road.  You need to walk in your gear about 150 yards. There are two common entrances. One to the left is a giant stride entrance and the one to the right is a walk in spot.

True Blue Quarry

Knowlton Landing Jetty



Please take note that you must register at the dive shop which owns an exclusive agreement. You cannot go on the site without proper registration. It is mandatory to fully respect the procedure. Otherwise you may be the dive site may close without warning for the entire divers community. Please take note, that while at the quarry you will find yourself on indian territory. Please adopt a respectfull behavior. Above all don't dive without being registered.

http://totaldiving.com/

Juniper Island

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Juniper Island