The more I visit Tobermory, the more I find things to fall in love with. With living in a populated city, driving 3.5hrs up north to Tobermory is a refreshing change. The air seems so clean, there are vast fields where cattle graze and a slower paced lifestyle. It’s almost like a mini vacation. Tobermory has some of the most beautiful hiking spots and although water temperatures may be cooler, the water is so crystal clear that you might mistake it for the Caribbean. You may think it can’t get any better but that is where you are mistaken. Tobermory is known to some as the fresh water scuba diving capital of the world. With over 20 shipwrecks in the Fathom Five National Marine Park, it not only has the attraction of beauty, but it captures history frozen in time at depths safe enough to explore without a huge amount of training.
Water temperatures at depth (100ft+) usually don’t fluctuate too much throughout the year. They usually sit around at 0°C-3°C (32°F-38°F). We were spoiled this weekend with the temperatures sitting around 10°C (51°F). Our host for the weekend was G+S Watersports. They are one of the main dive shops located right along the main strip in Tobermory. They offer everything you could need! They even have a small convenience section of the shop that sell things you might need. I needed Advil to take care of a wicked headache and to help with my sprained back so it was a blessing to have that convenience. The boat G+S Watersports supplied was the Joseph Simon. It was a big boat with loads of room and a hydraulic lift to assist divers with getting out of the water (talk about spoiled!). It was one of the most enjoyable boats I have been on and I hope to have this boat for future trips.
Our first day of diving was a full day of 3 dives. We had a departure time of 9am. The morning was very cold. I was worried about how miserable this might make for a weekend of diving. It was as if Fall hit and the weather temperature plummeted. Still half asleep I unloaded my gear onto the boat and started to prepare myself for an awesome day of diving. Our first stop was the Forest City.
The Forest City was a steamer built in Cleveland, Ohio in 1870. It had a length of 216ft with a depth that starts on a 45 degree angle at 60ft all the way down to 150ft. The ship struck the side of Bears Rump Island in the fog and sank in June 1904. As you follow the shore rocks down to 60ft a pile of wood rubble appears. At first you may think “oh great, just a pile of wood” but as you progress deeper features of a more intact ship start to appear. The sides of the boat come to life along with a giant boiler sitting on the main deck. We progressed our way down further reaching the stern of the ship where there was a gap in the railing which made for a tight swim through. Mark and I hit a max depth of 147ft. It was my second time on this wreck and I’d like to visit again to explore the wreck more. It was a very surreal experience looking up from 147ft to really take in the full view of this vessel. All the features popped against the sun lit water which, gave me a sense of awe. We explored a bit of the wreck but not enough to do it justice. We kept the dive short as we needed enough air for three dives.
I couldn’t wait for our second dive. Up next was the Niagara II. The Niagara II was originally a Steel Sand Sucker built in England, 1930. Its original name was the Rideaulite and worked for Imperial Oil running back and forth between Montreal and Ottawa. It was then renamed to the Imperial Lachine. In 1954, Toronto Dry Dock Ltd. converted it to a sand sucker and this is when it obtained the name Niagara. 30 years later, in 1984, it was renamed to the Niagara II and its engines were converted to Diesel in 1990. The owners decided to sell the Niagara II for scrap in 1997 which is when the Tobermory Maritime Association purchased it for $40,000. In May 1999, it was scuttled and currently sits upright with the wheel house starting at 45ft and the bottom of the ship at around 100ft. There is a lot to see on this 182ft wreck. It has many exits that have been cut out that allow for easy penetration and exploration. The added bonus of being a steel ship allows for a solid structure so there is less concern of sections collapsing. The engine room, wheelhouse and main deck have lots to see that will keep any diver entertained. One of the favourite features is the smoke stack. It has been hollowed out allowing divers to enter from either the top or bottom. This is by far one of my favourite wrecks as I love having opportunities to explore and penetrate inside a wreck. Seeing all the inner workings of the ships is what really interests me and trying to spot similarities from past shipwrecks really makes me take in what I am seeing. There is also something about the atmosphere that the inside of a shipwreck creates. I envision people turning knobs, checking dials, climbing the ladders, opening hatches. It all comes back to life when I’m down there.
Next up was the Philo Scoville which also happened to be when my GoPro decided to flood so I was not able to capture any further images of the wrecks! It sits in 25ft – 95ft of water. It is one of the only shipwrecks in Tobermory to have a death during its demise. The Captain tried to prevent the boat from leaning over once it ran aground only to have the massive 325 ton schooner fall on him leaving his body crushed under the ship. The Philo Scoville was built in 1863 and was shipwrecked in October 1889. The Scoville was caught in a storm on its way to Escanaba, Michigan. They dropped the anchor but it dragged across the bottom until she wrecked on the shore of Russell Island. The Scoville lies on a steep incline starting at 25ft down to 95ft. Truthfully I wasn’t a huge fan of this wreck. It didn’t have many exciting features. The shallow depths looked like a pile of rubble, the deeper depths had some cool aspects but I’m glad I had the opportunity to check it out. We headed out and were back at the Marina by 4:30pm.
Our next day was a half day of diving. We were getting 2 dives instead of the 3 so that we weren’t finishing terribly late as it was a 3.5hr drive back home. The first dive of the day was the Dufferin Wall. The wall is a unique dive. It has ledges that you can look over and see it descend into darkness. Its like hitting the edge of the world. Its got great rock formations that really allow you to realize how amazing Tobermory truly is. Unfortunately, there were a lot of waves on the water so it made it difficult to anchor. We decided to head over to the Niagara II for a second dive on the wreck instead. I was really thrilled by this as I had so much fun on the wreck the first time around. We descended back down onto the Niagara II and headed to the stern. Mark showed me around the giant rudder and we got to see the true scale of the ship. We headed back and dipped inside to start exploring the hallways. We made our way in and out of the ship leaving no passage unexplored. It made for a really fun dive. It was like playing on a jungle gym!
Our final dive for the weekend was the Arabia. The Arabia is one of the key shipwrecks in Tobermory and was constructed as a Barque in 1853. In 1854, she sailed to Glasgow, Scotland with cargo of wheat and flour. She remained in that area for a year, taking part in many coastal trades. During that time one her ports of call was Tobermory, Scotland (on the isle of Mull). After sailing back to Canada, she ran aground near Flowerpot Island in 1883. Luckily, they were able to refloat, repair and the Arabia continued her service until 1884 when she sunk near Echo Island. The hull is mostly intact, the rear 100ft of the deck and transom have collapsed. The bow is home to one of its most noticeable features. It has a large jib-boom still in place which is where most people take their photo opportunities. The windlass, bilge pump and 3 anchors are still in place on the bow. Deadeyes, pulleys and pinrails are visible along the sides with fallen masts featured across the main deck. The Arabia is 131ft long and sits at 105ft – 115ft with a current combined with cold temperatures. It makes this majestic ship an advance dive and any diver should be properly trained to avoid any unnecessary risk. In 2014, it was reported that in the last 30 years there have been 13 recorded deaths on this wreck. Earlier this year an experienced diver passed away due to natural causes while attempting to dive this wreck. It is important from time to time to be reminded of the dangers that involve depth and cold water. It’s important to understand the conditions you will be diving so that you can prepare as much as possible and be well equipped to handle unexpected situations. To be clear, as to my knowledge, lack of training was not an issue in this most recent passing. What amazes me the most about the dive community, is how respectful each and everyone is when a diver is lost. There has been a memorial plaque installed on the Niagara II as tribute to the diver (Pete Lane) who had 480 dives logged on the Niagara II. Overall, if you have the training and a fair amount of dives under your belt, this wreck can be an amazing dive. I drained a lot of gas fighting current and not being close to the mooring line so I’d suggest sticking close to the mooring line on your descent to avoid wasting lots of air.
Overall, another weekend in Tobermory was a success. It is always a fun time and a nice little break from reality. I look forward to coming back here and a big thank you to G+S Watersports for being a great host. A big thank you as well to Dan’s Dive Shop for organizing another successful trip. Thank you Devan for letting me use some of your images. I appreciate it big time, they turned out fantastic! Hope you enjoyed the read and pictures. I hope to have some more content within the next month!
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Justin Steele
The Green Ranger