Michigan

Cheboygan County

Divers will travel far and wide to find the best diving. But those who live in the United States have plenty of great diving on their doorstep as well, with plentiful access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. From warm-water reefs to temperate seas, here are some of the top places to scuba dive in the United States.

United States

Sandusky Wreck Lost is storm in September 1856
110 x 25 x 11 feet,  225 ton,  grain cargo
Wooden shooner
Propeller
carved bow spree

Built in 1848 in Sandusky OH, the brig Sandusky is the oldest know shipwreck in the Preserve frequented by divers. She was bound from Chicago to Buffalo with a load of grain When she sank September 20, 1856. A violent gale sprang up on the northern end of Lake Michigan, catching the Sandusky in the Straits. The side-wheeler Queen City attempted to rescue three of the crew that still clanged to her masts that stuck out of the water. The Queen City was unsuccessful and the entire seven crew members were lost.

The Sandusky sits upright and intact in 85' of water, five miles west of the bridge, in Lake Michigan. The mooring is about 20' off the Sandusky's port stern. There are a number of interesting artifacts on and around the wreck, to include a scroll figurehead. We ask that divers not touch or disrupt any of the artifacts, as the Sandusky is showing signs of wear and damage.

he Sandusky is, perhaps, the best known and most visited dive site in the Straits of Mackinac. She is in relatively shallow water and is a well-preserved example of early Great Lakes sailing vessels. Upright on the bottom, her bowsprit still points upward and a ram's head figurehead crowns the bow. Figureheads are not typical on Great Lakes ships and this one is a replica. The original was removed for preservation after an attempted theft some years ago. While much of her hardware has illegally disappeared over the years, her rudder, tiller, capstan, working bilge pump, masts and rigging are still on site.


The wreck is buoyed during the diving season by the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve.  Dive Charters are available out of St, Ignace

Sandusky Wreck is also known as Sandusky.