They may be smaller than the Leuty or the Kershaw, but their easy access more than makes up for this and, can be explored on a single dive.

You may want to set aside more time for exploration of this area as many interesting artifacts can be found along the docks. These docks were once the only way into Marquette and much commerce has happened over the last one and a half century. There are sure to be many old bottles, discarded clay pipes and other treasures buried here.

Here is a brief video showing the Superior along with the docks.

Another local wreck in Marquette’s Underwater Preserve is the D. Leuty. She went down with her cargo of logs in a fall blizzard on Halloween of 1911 while trying to make safe harbor in Marquette. Her remains are close to shore, just north of the lighthouse.

Don’t let the wreck’s proximity to the beach fool you though, this is no shore dive. It’s not an easy task to swim there and back with full Scuba gear. Believe me, I’ve done it. Take a boat. The maximum depth you can expect is 40 feet. There are large sections of hull and a rudder at the site.

This wood steamer was built in 1882. Even though she broke up so close to shore, she was still considered a total loss. Her engine, boiler, and a lot of her machinery was salvaged. It is said that her deckhouse was used as a summer home until the 1960s.

If you intend to dive in the Marquette area, you should make every attempt to add this interesting dive to your log.

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Enter Presque Isle Park on Peter White Drive just past Presque Isle Marina – this is a one-way road once past the marina – and follow the drive, curving past the Presque Isle Harbor Lighthouse viewing/picnic loop (or take a quick look, the views are spectacular and very popular) and continue on up the hill and around for approximately 1 mile, your goal is the Black Rocks area at the Cove. A word of caution, there are no guard rails on the Island so watch those curves and corners, sections of the road have steep drop-offs.

Keep an eye out to your right as you come down the only steep hill on the drive, the turnoff to the Cove is hidden until you’re almost upon it and is a sharp switchback turn to the right. Enter the Cove facing east to the small unpaved parking lot or continue further along Peter White Drive to the parking area along the lake north at Sunset Point, past the small grill pavilion there is a short path along the shore to the Cove and Black Rocks. The Cove is a popular swimming area for those looking to relieve themselves of the summer heat by jumping off the 14′  cliffs into the icy cold waters of Lake Superior. This area is called Black Rocks for the blackish red 1.7 billion-year old lava type of rocks ringing this side of the Island.

The site features unique geologic formations and plenty of fun diving. Occasionally, man-made treasures like GoPro cameras, jewelry, pocket change, and other treasures are found here. Beware of changing weather conditions though, waves have been known to wash over these high rocks, tragically with loss of life.

This video shows some of the underwater rock formations.

Due east of the Cove are a group of small islands where an excellent boat dive can be found. This is the Gold Mine Pinnacle. Here a large granite formation juts off the sandy bottom of approximately 140′ to just over 10′ of depth. This “Pinnacle” can be a “Gold Mine” of fishing gear as many an unsuspecting angler has been caught off guard by the steep sides of the formation. Rarely is it buoyed anymore, but there may just be an old iron radiator to tie off to at the top of the pinnacle. This is an advanced dive due to the depths found here.

Video review

This is a powerful canister-style dive light in a sturdy case, and is perfect for travel. The complete kit weighs less than five pounds, and the light itself with batteries weighs under three pounds. The kit comes with four 18650 rechargeable batteries with an easy-to-use LCD charger, the torch, battery canister, a heavy-duty connection cable, extra O-rings, and a lanyard. 

I charged the batteries using the H4 intelligent charger featuring an informative display that shows charging current, voltage, time, and the type of battery charging. It kind of makes me want to buy four more batteries just so I can see the difference in charging characteristics. Assembly is easy and operation intuitive. Who needs an instruction manual nowadays?

The head of this light is packed with a collapsed Goodman-style handle that can easily be assembled without tools. There are hex bolts already in place and a key is included for tightening. These bolts are for adjusting the width of the handle. That’s a nice feature for the northern diver who needs thick gloves most of the time! Tightening the bolts after each dive wouldn’t be a terrible practice because you don’t want your handle to come apart underwater, right?

The battery compartment is sealed with three O-rings, and it’s good to know there are three extra O-rings in the case. Smart design, OrcaTorch. Put in four batteries, two positive side up and two down, screw the whole thing shut, and you’re ready to use your new light. Easy!

To activate this light, turn the switch on the torch head 90 degrees from the locked to the unlocked position. Press the button once for full power, 2700 lumens. Press it again for the medium power setting at 800 lumens, and once again for the 150 lumens low power setting.

Four Cree HXP70 LEDs power this light. Let me tell you, if you haven’t witnessed 2700 lumens from a single source, you will be impressed with how bright it is. I’ve gone night diving many times and found myself inside shipwrecks wishing I had more illumination power. Now I do.

I can’t wait to field test this light on the next Lake Superior shipwreck I explore in the spring!

OrcaTorch.com

Though not technically in Marquette’s Underwater Preserve, The Smith was last seen leaving Marquette loaded with ore for Cleveland. She was lost for 100 years before being found by divers in more than 500 feet of water off the shores of Marquette.

This site is well beyond recreational dive limits, but is included here for its historic value. Many locals amateur and professional historians alike were delighted at the news of her finding.

Some of her remains can be found among the shifting sands in shallow water near the ruins of the old shipping docks in Marquette.

Many ships met their fate during a November gale on the Great lakes, and the Florida is just one of many with stories of unfortunate sailors who lost their life in the process.

Photo credit Superior View Photography. http://viewsofthepast.com/

The wreckage of the Kershaw can be explored at a depth of approximately 25′ with her boiler being a highlight of this dive. Much of her hull has been scattered over the years with some sections still nearby and worth exploring.

Photo credit Superior View Photography. http://viewsofthepast.com/