5 cold-water adventures

There is little life, plant or animal, to observe in the crystal-clear water, and since motorized vehicles are banned, absolute silence prevails. Divers drift weightless through an environment where rowboats bob overhead and hidden vents burst through the thick sediment that covers the floor, looking like dandelion puffs blowing their seed. Night dives hold the allure of a full moon or the scattershot of stars viewed through a liquid filter.

There are two entrances to the 1.5-mile-long lake: the lodge side on the east and the campground side on the west. The east side has some of the clearest water you can imagine and is where you see the trees. With a slightly shorter walk, the west side is easier to reach, and there are some interesting rock formations to explore, but don’t expect the famous Clear Lake viz. Insider’s tip: Come prepared to show off your best buoyancy skills lest you stir up the sediment and turn the dive into Murky Lake.

MUST DO

Small Town Oregon
Sisters is an artsy town where you’ll find unique shops, hot java and good eats, all within view of the Cascade Mountains. Sisters is just a little past the Clear Lake exit if driving from Portland or Salem.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dive Oregon: Fast Facts
Constant water temperature around 40 degrees Best time to dive is during the snowmelt (but after the roads are clear) or before the snowfall to avoid summer crowds and mosquitoes Picnic areas and campground Clear Lake Resort offers semi-modern cabins, rowboat rentals, lunch counter and store From Portland, drive south on I-5 and take Exit #253 (Hwy. 22) at Salem and drive east to McKenzie Highway Nearest filling station is in SalemWeb: http://www.oregonscubaclub.com/

TOBERMORY, GREAT LAKES: Chillin’ in Fathom Five
It’s been decades since the fishermen’s nets were hung to dry in Tobermory, yet it still feels more Atlantic-fishing-village than remote-Ontario-town. The population of this outpost of 500 residents at the far tip of the rugged Bruce Peninsula on the eastern shore of Lake Huron swells on summer weekends to several thousand. Most come to hop the Chi-Cheemaun ferry to Manitoulin Island, but there are plenty of scuba divers, too. Where once a fishing haven kept its people firmly bobbing atop the ice-cold water now lies a diver’s den — the fishing boats have long since been converted to dive charters.

Considering there are some 900 documented shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, there’s no shortage of sites, and Tobermory boasts the highest density: 21 within five miles of Tobermory Harbor. In 1972 it became the first underwater marine park in the Great Lakes. In 1987, Parks Canada took note and declared Fathom Five National Marine Park Canada’s first National Marine Conservation Center. Soon after, Dominion money poured in, many old buildings were treated to facelifts and tourism took off.

Day in, day out, all summer divers explore the wrecks from shore, off charters or from their own inflatables, as Great Lakes shipwreck expert Cris Kohl has for weeks at a time since he became a certified diver in the 1970s (he grew up a six-hour drive south, in Windsor, Ontario). The area and its dozens of uninhabited islands are densely forested, packed with wildlife and recognized for its pristine freshwater ecosystem, which for divers means chilly water with amazing viz — water that is clear, fresh and very cold. The best visibility is in June when the water temperature is in the low 40s°F. Wait a month and add 10 degrees, or visit in August or September when the temperature climbs into the high 50s°F.

Divers love the Tugs — four tugboats can be visited in a single dive off a wooden platform, which was built expressly for divers to ease their entry over the rocky shore. The vessels sank between 1905 and 1947, and most are badly broken up, but the Alice, which ran aground in gale-force winds in 1927, is nearly intact; her steam engine, boiler, driveshaft and propeller are photogenic, and the graceful curve of the stern railing follows the line of the fantail, attesting to the beauty and workmanship of that era.

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