The 1000 Islands Region is an international tourism destination, encompassing communities on both sides of the US and Canada border along the St. Lawrence River and the eastern shores of Lake Ontario. The region takes its name from the more than 1000 islands that dot the lake and river along this international waterway. The region extends from Kingston to Cornwall on the Canadian side, and from Oswego to Alexandria Bay to Massena on the US side, reaching inland to the foothills of the Adirondack mountains to embrace the communities that are west and north of the Adirondack Park, and the four NY Counties of Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence.
The 1000 Islands Region is celebrated as one of the world’s best fresh-water shipwreck diving destinations, due to the large number of shipwrecks throughout the region, and due in part also to the accidental introduction of the zebra mussel (Dreissenia polymorpha). The Zebra Mussel has been credited with cleaning the river to amazing levels of clarity. Here we list some of the region’s shipwrecks that have become popular among scuba divers of all skill levels. Some of these wrecks are especially dangerous, and all divers are encouraged to employ the services of professional dive charter guides before diving in unfamiliar waters.
This page is a recent addition to the 1000islands.com website. Divers equipped with underwater cameras are invited to submit photos from their experiences for display here.
A.E. Vickery
This wooden three masted schooner (136.2 ft. x 26.2 ft. x 10.8 ft.) was built in 1861, and launched July 1861 at Three Mile Bay, NY as “J.B. Penfield”. She was renamed A.E. Vickery Feb. 25, 1884 and sank August 17, 1889 when she struck a shoal while entering the “American Narrows” with a cargo of 21,000 bushels of corn destined for Wisers Distillery at Prescott, Ontario. The Vickery is located along side Rock Island Reef Light, where divers can follow a buoy line into a very quick surface current onto the shoal head in 25-30 ft. of water. The bow of the Vickery lies about 15 ft. off the shoal at a depth of 65 feet. The stern end of the Vikory hangs out over a ledge which drops to 110′ with its wooden rudder intact. The broken masts on the Vickery can be followed out into the channel to a depth of 180′. This dive site has a strong surface current, with a mild current on the wreck itself.
The Aloha
The Aloha was built by William Dulac at Mt. Clemens, Michigan. While in tow by the C.W. Chamberlain, en route to Kingston, the Aloha foundered in a gale with the loss of one life. In August 1963 the Aloha was discovered by local divers Barbara Carson, Nathaniel Sudds and Lloyd Shales. The hull is mostly intact, and this site is often used as a training dive. Most of the artifacts have been removed and the winch can be viewed at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, located in Kingston, Ontario. The Effie Mae is located very close by for your diving pleasure. A fascinating aspect of the Aloha are the Roman numeral depth markings on the bow.
America
The America rests at a depth of 75 ft., upside down across the shipping channel from Jordstat Castle and Dark Island east of Mallorytown Landing. On June 20, 1932 this steel drill barge sank due to an explosion. The shoal side gives evidence of the explosion with blasted rock rubble along side. A guide line is normally buoyed immediately east of Black Buoy # 167 on the downstream side of the shipping lane.
Arizona
Arizona is located southwest of the ferry landing on the south shore of Wolfe Island near the red buoy. Built in 1868 Arizona caught fire December 4, 1922 and without adequate water hose protection was towed 1.5 miles upstream where her sea cocks were opened and she sank into 25 ft. of water. She was a wooden propeller barge with a 765 ton displacement with a length of 186 ft. and a beam of 33 ft.
The Comet
The Comet, a 337-ton sidewheel steamer, was built in 1848 at Portsmouth, Ontario by shipbuilder George N. Ault. She is 174 ft (53.5m) in length and has a beam of 24 ft (7.4m). She was unique as she was powered by 2 “walking beam” type steam engines with a 51-inch piston. She was a passenger steamer much used by travellers, but after a few short trips she struck a shoal in the St. Lawrence river and sank. She was raised, repaired and put back into service. In 1849, a burst steam pipe seriously injured 3 Irish firemen, two of them fatally. Then, in 1851, after being damaged by a boiler explosion during her departure from Oswego, New York, she was rebuilt and renamed the ” Mayflower.” One gusty spring evening in May 1861, on her first voyage of the season, the steamer left Kingston for the last time. Strong winds were out of the southwest as she cleared Nine Mile Point off the westerly end of Simcoe Island. The Comet altered course toward Timber Island under Captain Francis Paterson to give wide berth to 3 sailing ships on the horizon. An hour later, the Comet and the schooner “Exchange” collided when the Exchange attempted to run for safe harbor from the storm. Both ships attempted to stay close to help out the other but the wind took the schooner out of hailing distance. The Comet kept its steam engines running and, in an attempt to make shore, managed to travel to within 2 miles of Simcoe Island before the captain had crew and passengers abandon ship in lifeboats. Two crewmen were lost trying to bail out the large yawl which the Comet towed astern. The survivors were set safely ashore on Simcoe Island, while the Comet sank about 1.5 miles off the Island. Divers Jim McCready and Dr. Robert McCaldon rediscovered the Comet, noted for her bad luck, on September 7, 1967. The two were hobby divers who had been looking for this particular wreck for the previous 10 years. Many artifacts were salvaged, including a brass door latch, brass wine barrel spigot, silver spatulas, English ironstone pitchers, wash basins, cups, saucers, bowls and hand-blown glass goblets, some of which are in the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes. There was some discussion of raising the Comet but this never came to pass. The Comet lies in 90 feet of water, with her paddlewheels still upright, though much of the top decking has collapsed. For those trained and experienced, penetration below deck is possible at the stern for a view of the boilers and the engines. Good buoyancy is important as silt can be stirred very quickly making it difficult for the next diver to see. There are also some plates and cups left on the decking, completing the underwater museum. The Comet is a spectacular example of ships of her time and is a special favorite of divers who visit her. Of consideration to the recreational diver is time because of her depth. There is little current on her, and visibility is usually 20 to 50 ft, with upwards of 80 ft in the spring and fall.
Conestoga
The Conestoga lies along side side the old canal south wall, a short distance upstream (west) from Cardinal, Ontario. Cardinal is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence river and only a few miles east of the Ogdensburg, New York bridge and south of the 401 highway. This ship was a 2,008 ton double planked propeller of 252 ft. x 36 ft. x 16 ft. deep. Launched July 6, 1878 she sank May 22, 1922. The bow is upstream and near shore with the vessel angled out into the river. Conestoga lies at about a 30 ft. depth with a very swift current, her stack protruding from the surface of the water.
The anchor of the Conestoga was retrieved around 1968 by a team of Americans who had dove on the Consestoga during a training dive. Others had apparently attemted to raise the anchor without success by inflating a uke innertube attached to it, and discovered during this training dive. These new American divers were intrigued by the challenge of salvaging the anchor where others had failed. A raft was constructed by welding a steel framework for eight 55 gallon drums, leaving a hole in the center for a winch and chain fall. The anchor was pulled up to the raft and towed around the eastern end of Gallop Island to the boat ramp at Lisbon Beach on the US side of the river. A tow truck was called from Ogdensburg and the treasure was delivered as an unexpected gift to what was then “The Anchor Down Motel and Restaurant,” owned by a river pilot acquaintance of the young diver whose idea it was to retrieve the anchor. Today the anchor can be found in front of the Gran View Restaurant and Motel in Ogdensburg, moved there by the new owner of the Anchor Down before its resale. The anchor of the Conestoga now rests in a place of honor at the base of three flag poles which to some small degree commemorate its history. Divers today are encouraged to take nothing but pictures, and leave nothing but bubbles when visiting 1000 islands area wrecks, leaving the artifacts for other divers to explore and enjoy.
Eastcliffe Hall
This ship was a steel freighter weighing 3,335 ton, and was 343 ft. long. On July 14, 1970 the Eastcliffe with a cargo of “pig iron”, struck a shoal at 4 a.m. and sank within minutes with the loss of 9 lives. Twelve crew members were rescued from the wreck. The forward superstructure (upstream) has been dynamited back into the forward hold to clear the site as a navigational hazard. Though the surface currents are quick, the deck and open holds of the wreck provide sheilding from the currents. Eastcliffe Hall is located approximately 3/4 of a mile south of Upper Canada Village, Morrisburg, Ontario. The village is located on the south side of highway 2 between Morrisburg and Cornwall, Ontario and is a major tourism attraction in the region.
Effie Mae
Around the year of Canada’s 100th birthday, a 40 ft wooden trawler hull was started in Shelborne, Nova Scotia, by Ken and Lois Jenkins of Port Credit, Ontario. They brought the partially-built hull to Port Credit and completed it in their back yard. Launched in 1968, it was christened the Effie Mae. Around 1980, the Effie Mae became the first live-aboard dive charter boat in the Kingston area before changing hands in 1987 to Ted and Donna Walker. Sadly, Ken succumbed to cancer the following year. They started chartering out of Kingston up to the 1992 season when Ted was transferred out west. Finding no suitable buyers and not wanting their beloved Effie broken up or just left to rot, they donated the hull to Preserve Our Wrecks Kingston for sinking. In the spring of 1993, they ran her for the last time to the Metal Craft Dry dock to be made ready for sinking. On Sunday October 17, 1993, twenty-five years from the date of her christening, the Effie Mae was put to rest beside one of the historic shipwrecks she had visited so many times before. To-day, sitting upright beside the wreck of the schooner barge “Aloha,” she is an often-visited dive site. Local divers affectionately refer to the wreck of the “Effie” as “Ken’s wreck,” as it was Ken Mullings who did must of the work to sink the Effie for all to enjoy.
Fleur Marie
This Brigantine was built in 1850 at Lanoraie, Quebec and was listed as 155.61 tons and was 92.5 ft. x 20.1 ft. x 8.7 ft., carvel style with a square stern. Fleur Marie had become a considerable eyesore abandoned at the docks of Prescott and after a fire on board, she was sentenced to be scuttled in mid channel. She sits in 52 ft. of depth with a quick surface current and on a rock/sand bottom. Located south of the “Windmill” the site lies on the American side of the river east of Prescott, Ontario and Ogdensburg, New York. Though reported to be off the “Windmill” it was found upstream (west) from buoy 131B and downstream from the Prescott water front.
Harvey J Kendall
The Harvey J Kendall was launched April 10, 1892 at Marine City, (Lake St. Clair area) Michigan. At 141.6 ft. x 31ft. x 9 ft., this wooden steam barge was converted to a self unloading freighter in 1917 at Ogdensburg NY. Your diving visit will find the railroad tracks inside the holds from the self unloading mechanism and of interest is the large boiler that remains from the salvaging attempts. Located in Button Bay, southeast side of Wolfe Island, Cape Vincent ferry landing and Hinckley Flats. The Kendall was scuttled in Button Bay just across from Cape Vincent NY and is a shallow dive.
Henry C. Daryaw
This 219 ft. x 35 ft. x 13 ft. steel freighter built in France in 1919 suffered an unforgiving gash on her starboard side running over a shoal. The bow area has a number of items of interest to divers and many enjoy a visit up to the keel of the Daryawand do a “keel walk”. This area lets you view the gash in her bottom that sent her to her fate. Located upstream from the Brockville “narrows”, the Daryaw rests upside down at a depth of 95 ft. with a very quick surface current.Divers are continually impressed with the large twin props and rudder that meet them as they descend the buoy line.
Iroquois
Built in 1759 by the French as “Iroquois”, (L’Iroqouis), at Maitland Ontario, she was captured by the British at the battle of Fort de Levis near Prescott, Ontario. She was pressed into British service under the name “Anson” and while delivering winter supplies to the lake forts she struck a shoal and wintered near Niagara Shoals at Fishers Landing. The crew wintered on the nearby island to salvage her in the spring, however it is thought she was pushed into deeper water and beyond reach by spring ice. Iroquois remains a fragile rib cage resting near the foot of Niagara Shoal with her stern in 65 ft. of water and her bow in 80 ft.on a firm sand bottom.
Islander
This sidewheel steamer was built in Rochester, N.Y. in 1871 and launched as James H. Kelly later changed to John Thorn. The Islander measured 125 ft. x 20 ft. x 7 ft. and weighed 118 gross tons. As well as a regular mail carrier between Clayton and Alexandria Bay, the Islander began island and river tours on July 31, 1893. The Islander burnt on Sept. 16, 1909 while at dock at Alexandria Bay. Since the tragedy the Islander has become a favorite dive site for many divers. The Islander is located just off the shoreline of Alexandria Bay. She is angled slightly upstream with a very slight current, which makes this a very pleasurable dive. The stern is in 15 ft. of water with the bow in 60 ft.. The best access to the wreck is to park in the town parking lot in front of the pavilion, just west of the hospital.
J.B. King
The “King” was a 140 ft. wooden drill barge owned by John P. Porter and sons of St. Catherines. She was engaged in drilling and blasting to deepen the “narrows” to 27 ft. when she was struck by lightening and exploded June 26, 1930. U.S. Revenue Cutter “Succor” (CG 211) was patrolling nearby and heard the explosion and racing to the scene recovered 10 of the total 11 that survived out of a total 43 that had been on board. The site is just north of Cockburn Island in quick current and runs from 40 ft. to 155 ft. of depth at the edge of the downstream lane of the shipping channel.
Keystorm
Built in 1908 in Wellsend, England this 2300 ton steamer called “Keystone”, (256 ft. x43 ft.) was carrying a cargo of 2230 tons of Bituminous coal from Genesee Dock at Charlotte N.Y. under the command of Capt. L Daigault. Forty five minutes past Alexandria Bay in dense fog on Oct. 12, 1912 she crossed over Outer Scow island Shoal and within minutes sank without a fatality. One of Ontario’s premier wrecks and favorite of many divers, this steel freighter lies south of the shipping channel off Mallorytown Landing west of Brockville. The Keystorm sits in deeper water away from the shoal she hit.
Kinghorn
Built by the J.B. Auger & Co. from parts made in Scotland, and launched in 1871 at Montreal, the Kinghorn was named after the manager of the Montreal Transportation Company, located in Kingston, Ontario, since it was built from his design, this barge had an iron frame and wooden planking, the first of its type on the river. The Kinghorn had a capacity of about 20,000 bushels of grain. April 27, 1897, the tug Hiram A Walker under Captain Boyd had seven barges under tow in the American channel near Thousand Island Park. She was caught in a storm losing barges on the south shore and 2 barges at Johnston’s light opposite the park. With four barges left the Walker headed for Grenadier Island where the Captain of the Kinghorn reported his craft leaking badly. The Walker headed for Rockport with the injured barge however lost her 1/2 mile from Rockport in 90 ft. of water, where she was discovered in 1996 by Ronald MacDonald. This wreck has sometimes been confused with the fishing tug Edith Sewell, and the “Rockport wreck.” Located directly in front of the Customs Office at Rockport, this vessel sits in 90 ft. of water in the middle of the small boat shipping channel. This wreck presents an excellent technical dive training opportunity with everything from current to finding bottles. Starting one’s dive from the shore, it takes about 12 minutes to reach the wreck, and you still get approximately 20 minutes to play before reaching deco. If you take the full 20 minutes and swim right back to dock, deco drills can be preformed at 20′ and 15′ stops. This is a local favorite dive.
Lillie Parsons
A 2 masted “Fore and Aft” rigged Great Lakes centerboard schooner built in Tonawanda N.Y. in 1868 and launched on September 14 of that year, she is 131 feet long (40.3m), with a 500-ton (455-tonne) capacity in a 10-foot (3m) hold. She regularly carried coal, lumber, wheat, barley, railroad iron, and salt, and was sailed by a crew of six. On August 5, 1877 she was sailing with 500 tons of coal destined for Brockville when her cargo shifted during a sudden squall, slamming her against a shoal off the upstream/channel side of Sparrow Island which caused her take water, capsize and sink. Sparrow Island is located about 2 miles upstream from Brockville in what is known as the “Brockville Narrows”. This island is controlled by the Brockville Parks Department, and offers picnic tables and outhouses, but no camping. The “Lillie” is one of region’s most famous wrecks. Accessing the site from the corner of Sparrow Island at the anchor on shore, one can follow the chain to the bow or swim into the current and down the island contour to follow the island profile upstream to the rudder. The large rudder sits upstream with her broad square stern resting on the rock ledges that support her. The masts jutt from beneath her, as she rests upside down, and run out into the channel. The vessel’s bottom shows the drop center board secured in the casing midship. Divers should be prepare for strong currents, and are advised to bring lights to see under the wreck.
Loblaws Wreck
This wooden hull sits off Ogdensburg’s waterfront at about a 52 ft. depth with a noticable current. Lying with the current the vessel is about 130 ft. x24 ft. x 8 ft. with some decking remaining however no rudder or “bow spirit”. Burnt to the water line, it now sits about 8 ft. high on a firm clay/silt bottom. This site is about halfway between the site of the Rothesay and the Canadian Coast Guard Station directly in front of the large brick chimney on the Ogdensburg shore and south of the downstream channel.
Maggie L
The schooner “Maggie L” was built in 1889 at Picton, Ontario by the Redmond ship builders. She suffered a fatal blow June, 1927 when she cut across the channel headed towards the harbor at Clayton NY, sailing into the path of the steel freighter “Keyvive”. With her bow severed, she sank in 75 ft. of water.
Muscallonge
This steamer was originally lauched at Port Huron, Michigan April 23, 1896 named Vigilant. In 1913 she was renamed Musallonge. She was 128 ft. x 24.5 ft. x 12 ft. beam and 372 tons. While towing the barge Hudson with a cargo of crude oil from Montreal to Toronto on August 15, 1936 she caught fire while approaching Brockville. Attempts to save her with a fire pumper from Brockville failed as the Muscallonge’s fuel tanks exploded. The “Muskie” now sits at a depth of nearly 100 feet on a firm clay bottom, about 300 feet off the Brockville shoreline, perpendicular to the shore.
Oconta
Located across the channel from the “A.E. Vickery”. This dive site is normally accessed by anchoring in very shallow water alongside the concrete light abutment, R # 214 and following the shoal contour down where you will encounter her at a depth of 180 ft. with the stern section deeper at 200 ft. There remains a question as to whether there is one or two wrecks at this site. This site is not recommended for novice divers. You’ll need deep air technical certification to dive on this wreck.
Robert Gaskin
Originally a three masted wooden barque the Robert Gaskin was launched at Kingston, Ontario on April 21, 1863, at 132.6 ft. x 26.3 ft. x 11.3 ft. with a cargo capacity of 20,000 bushels. In 1889 the Gaskin was being used as a salvage barge to help salvage the railroad ferry Armstrong that had sunk. During the process the Gaskin actually sank three times, the third time bringing it to its final resting place. A large anchor is located off the bow towards shore about 40 ft. from the Gaskin. Almost a must for visiting divers, the Robert Gaskin sits a half mile downstream from the Brockville waterfront and river focal point, Blockhouse Island and lies perpendicular to the current at a 55 ft. depth at the bow, and 70 ft. at the stern which sticks out towards the channel and shipping lane. The upstream shipping channel is very close to the stern, giving rise to a heightened need for caution.
Rothesay
Launched February 2, 1867 at St. John, New Brunswick, this 193 ft. x 28.8 ft. x 7.9 ft. twin side-wheeler was relocated to service the Montreal to Prescott run. She met her fate September, 2 1889 by colliding with the American tug “Myra”. In 1901 a group from the Royal Military College, Kingston used this wreck for explosives practice which flattened her mid section. Her stern and bow remain relatively intact. The rope from shore meets Rothesay about the midsection near the paddlewheels where you can still view the rocker arm and paddles outlined. The bottom here is firm with weed growth betwwen Rothesay and the shore, however the site has little current, making it an enjoyable recreational dive. One of the most famous wreck sites of the 1000 Islands, Rothesay lies at the west edge of Prescott, Ontario, south of Highway #2. This site is easily visited from shore. A park/picnic area and staircase to the river’s edge leads you to a shore entry where divers follow a rope system to the wreck.
Roy A. Jodery
This wreck is in deep, dark and fast moving water and is accessible only to highly trained divers. This wreck has claimed the lives of several divers who were not prepared for the challenge. This relatively modern steel freighter (over 700 ft. long) belonging to the Algoma Steel Ore Company was lost Nov. 20, 1972, after striking a shoal off Alexandria Bay, NY. This site is located on the south shoreline of Wellesley Island at the Coast Guard Station where she sits with her bow at 150 ft. and her stern in 242 ft. of water more depth beyond that.
On the night of Wednesday, November 20th, 1974, the Roy A Jodrey was midway through it’s 45th trip of the season. The Jodrey was upbound on the St Lawerence River near Alexandria Bay, New York. Two days before it had departed the dock of the Iron Ore Company of Canada in Sept Isles, Quebec with 20,050 tons of iron ore pellets. It’s destination was to have been the Great Lakes Steel plant in Detroit, Michigan with a planned arrival time of November 22nd. The night was cool and crisp with a heavy overcast. The air temperature was 35 degrees with an easterly wind of 10-15 mph, and a visibility of 3-5 miles. At approximately 10:40 PM, as the ship approached Pullman Shoal and it’s navigation light #194, the captain felt uneasy about the ship’s position in the river and ordered hard left rudder. (In reality, the ship had drifted 100 feet out of the ship channel and was headed for a collision with Pullman Shoal). Before the ship could reply, the forward crew felt three quick bumps. Almost immediately, the ship settled 4 feet by the bow and acquired a 10 to 12 degree starboard list. The captain looked along the main deck and saw water spraying from the deck mounted forward ballast tank vent pipe to starboard. Proof that this tank had been breached. These occurrences happened so fast that the captain knew that his ship was in serious danger. He immediately awakened his crew and anyone within earshot as he blew the danger signal on the ships horn. With the few minutes he had to work with, the captain decided to beach his ship next to the U.S. Coast Station on Wellesley Island, and they assisted in eventually removing the crew. A report from the stern said that the unloading tunnel was filling fast with water also. The nine foot long unprotected portion of the unloading tunnel had also been ripped open. Over the next few hours it was noticeable that the ship was settling deeper in the water, which meant that the ballast pumps couldn’t keep up with the inflow. The engine room was seen to be flooding also.
At 2:55 AM on November 21, 1974, rising water in the engine room shorted out the ship’s emergency generators. This in turn blacked out the ships lights and killed all power to the ballast pumps. At 3:02 AM the ship slipped from its foothold on the shore and sank to the river bottom. Upon impact, a 10-15 second long tremor was heard followed by a power blackout that affected the Coast Guard station itself. The ship had severed the underwater cable supplying power to parts of the Island. Within a minute, the stations emergency generator restored limited power until permanent repairs could be made.
In February 1975, Algoma announced that the ship would not be salvaged as it would prove to be too costly and dangerous. In June 1975, the insurance underwriters for the cargo sponsored their own survey to assess salvaging of the cargo. On June 14, 1975 one of the divers experienced equipment troubles and required help from his diving partner. The rescuing diver lost his grip of the troubled diver and was lost as he sank out of sight. The body was never found. Additional salvage efforts were discontinued and on October 7, 1975, the Roy A. Jodrey was stricken from the shipping registry.
(This story is compliments of William Forsythe, who has been researching this wreck since the early 1980s in preparation for a book on the subject.)
Sir Robert Peel
The Canadian steamer SIR ROBERT PEEL was built at Brockville about 1837. On a dark and rainy night of May 30, 1838 under the command of John B. Armstrong, the Peel was taking on wood at McDonnell’s Wharf, in the southern channel of the St. Lawrence River just above Alexandria Bay. She was on her way from Brockville to Toronto with nineteen passengers and 20,000 Pound Sterling, payroll for the troops in the Upper Province. A company of men, allegedly led by the infamous pirate “Captain Bill Johnson,” rushed on board, shouting “Remember the Caroline!” They were disguised as Native American savages, armed with muskets and bayonets. The passengers and crew were ordered ashore as the ship was set ablaze and pushed out into the river. The sunken hull remains there today, a popular attraction of scuba diving tourists and history buffs. The “Peel” is located near the 1000 Islands Bridge, sitting in 120-135 ft. of water with her boiler sitting in about 80 ft. of water. A motel near Alexandria Bay takes its name from the Sir Robert Peel, and there you’ll learn more of this fascinating story.
St. Louis
This was a 599 ton schooner barge built in 1864 and sunk Feb. 18th 1914. St. Louis is a popular training site for many scuba divers. She is located off the shore waterfront, east end Cape Vincent. She is located close to shore with depths close to 40 ft. and is near the boat ramp.
Wee Hawk
The Wee Hawk (sometimes mistakenly called the Kitty Hawk), is accessed off Highway #2 just 1/2 mile west of Cardinal, Ontario. This wreck’s hull sits just west of lock 28, upstream 1/4 mile from the Conestoga. Near lock 28, this site has become a popular picnic area. Diver access into the water is at the closed lock gate just east of the wreck. While not an attractive dive site, it has a number of attributes that make it a popular dive training site. Penetration should not be attempted without considerable training and experience. The silt inside churns up very easily and visibility is very poor.
Wolfe Islander II
This 164 ft. long ferry was built in Collingwood, Ontario in 1946 and named “Ottawa Maybrook.” It was originally intended to be sent to China as a gift, but minds were changed due to the political climate as China’s communist leadership gained power. She was then converted to a car ferry and renamed The Wolfe Islander II, servicing the Wolfe Island to Kingston route for many years. Resting in 80 ft. of water, she was intentionally sunk September 21, 1985 as an artificial reef and diving site, and is normally buoyed for visitor divers.
