Well, some of them may be more local than others. These are places you can reach by car in under a day. Some of our divers have actually driven to Florida for a weekend of "local" diving.

Foster Arend Park
Rochester, Minnesota
Lake Wazee
Black River Falls, Wisconsin
Crosby-Ironton Mines
Brainerd, Minnesota
Lake Ore-Be-Gone
Gilbert, Minnesota
Oahe Dam
Pierre, South Dakota
Lake Superior
Minnesota, Canada, Wisconsin, Michigan
Bonne Terre Mine
Bonne Terre, Missouri
Gilboa Quarry
Gilboa, Ohio

Foster Arend Park, Rochester Minnesota

This small pond doesn't have great visibility (10 feet at best [i.e. under ice], 0 feet during classes) but it's in town and is suitable for training or trying out equipment. Occasionally in the late summer we even see freshwater jellyfish! Take 37th Street NW to East River Road, then north about 2 blocks.

Note: Beginning in 2001, new regulations at Foster Arend prohibit swimming outside the designated swimming area, with a possible $1000 fine! "Swimming" includes scuba diving.

Lake Wazee, Black River Falls Wisconsin

This is the place to spend your summer weekends. The lake is about a 2.5-hour drive from Rochester. The small campground has become very popular, so get there early to get one of the 12 primitive sites. Non-divers can enjoy fishing, biking on the trails, and hiking to scenic overlooks. Freshwater springs feed this former open-pit mine, giving it clear water with visibility often exceeding 30 feet. Old mining roads wind down the sloping sides, and submerged forests provide habitat for bass, bluegill, crayfish, trout, and zillions of insects -- on a night dive, hold your light straight up for a couple minutes. The park charges a dive fee of $10/day ($75 for an annual pass or $50 if you're a club member), parking $3/day, camping $6/tent/day. For more information see Wazee Sports Center or the Jackson County scuba page, or check the current weather forecast for LaCrosse / Black River Falls.

Getting there: take I90 east; take exit 25 to Sparta; north on Hwy 27 about 40 miles to Black River Falls; east on Hwy 54; cross over I94, then turn right about 2 blocks later onto W Bauer Road; follow this for about 4 miles to the T intersection and turn right; the park entrance is on the left.

Parkland Village Campground - near Perkins by I94. Enter from the Perkins lot or from W Bauer Road (follow the big signs). Campsites were $16/night in 2000. Call 715-284-9700 for reservations, or just stop by.

There are several motels in Black River Falls as well. Try the Falls Motel for a cheap stay (not simply inexpensive) or the Pines Motel.

Also, check out some pictures from our dives at Wazee.

Crosby-Ironton Mines near Brainerd Minnesota

Similar to Lake Wazee, these abandoned open-pit iron mines have flooded to create some nice dive sites with clear water and a variety of fish.

Portsmouth Bay Campground
reservations 1-888-838-4142
Camp Holiday Resort
reservations 1-800-450-2495
Yawkey Mine Campground
pay at Crosby City Hall 1-218-546-5021
Deerwood Country Inn
continental breakfast, indoor pool, hot tubs 1-800-456-4000
Econo Lodge Brainerd
restaurants, continental breakfast, HBO 1-800-424-4777
Holiday Inn Brainerd
indoor pool, hot tub, sauna 1-888-562-2944
Brainerd Lakes Area Chambers of Commerce
1-800-450-2838
Other areas in northern Minnesota:
Iron Trail
Areas near Virginia MN
Maps
courtesy of Tall Pine Scuba, Virginia MN

Lake Ore-Be-Gone, Gilbert Minnesota

There are actually 3 good sites in the Eveleth-Gilbert-Virginia area about 60 miles north of Duluth:

  • Lake Ore-Be-Gone in Gilbert MN
  • Lake Mine near Giants Ridge Golf Course, east of Biwabik MN
  • St James Pit near Aurora MN

Here are some online resources:

Oahe Dam, Pierre South Dakota

Check out Lisa & Diane's trip report for a description.

Lake Superior

North Shore: Two Harbors MN

Two Harbors lies about 30 miles north of Duluth (about 4 hours from Rochester). The wooden wreck of the schooner SP Ely has lain beside the harbor's breakwall for over a century. It's a great dive, with a maximum depth under 40 feet so you get plenty of time to check out the well-preserved wooden structure and metal fittings. Bring a boat to the Agate Bay public boat landing and head out to the breakwall. The wreck is on the shore side of the breakwall, toward the big ore docks. Be careful of shipping traffic and its effect on underwater visibility.

Two Harbors City Campground (Burlington Bay)
reservations 1-218-834-2021
Wagon Wheel Campground
552 Old North Shore Road 1-218-834-4901
Flood Bay Motel
1555 Hwy 61 - TV, non-smoking, no pets, great view - reservations 1-218-834-4076
AmericInn
1088 Hwy 61 - 46 rooms, indoor pool, continental breakfast - reservations 1-800-634-3444
Two Harbors Chambers of Commerce
1-800-777-7384

North Shore: Split Rock

Just north of Split Rock Lighthouse lies the twisted steel wreck of the schooner-barge Madeira. If you have a boat, launch at Sve's for about $5 (it's a private residence with a long downhill driveway near mile marker 42 on Hwy 61). Otherwise, stop at Split Rock Lighthouse to check in and get the combination for the lock on the parking lot off mile marker 46 on Hwy 61. Hike your gear a couple hundred feet through the woods to the shore. Gear up and swim about 150 yards to the buoys near the cliff to your left. The bow section rests pointing upward in about 40' of water. The stern section lies on its starboard side at about 60'. The pilothouse stands upright at around 75' (swim perpendicular to mid-deck on the stern). There's also a smokestack and gobs of other twisted metal scattered around Gold Rock Cliff, from 15' down to at least 100'.

North Shore: Beaver Bay Minnesota

The wooden wreck of the steamer Hesper rests on the northeast side of the new breakwall, part of the public marina at mile marker 52 on Hwy 61. (The ferro-cement sailboat Just for Fun reportedly lies nearby, a new and intentional addition to the wrecks of the North Shore.)

Access to the Hesper is easiest by boat. Launch from the leftmost dock at the public boat access -- look for the very small sign that says something like "diver access". You'll have to motor out of the marina and around the point to find the buoy on the Hesper.

There's technically a "diver access" at the end of the marina's service road. But the steps are steep and you have to climb over some big rocks. Check it out, then use a boat.

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

The drive to Grand Portage MN (MN Hwy 61 mile marker 143) takes about 7 hours from Rochester, and the boat trip is another 2 hours, but Isle Royale is one of the top wreck diving sites in the world! More than 10 accessible wrecks litter the lake floor surrounding the 20-mile-long island. From the bow of the SS America 5 feet beneath the surface to the massive 3-story steam engine of the Henry Chisolm standing upright at 140 feet, divers of many experience levels can enjoy the well-preserved wrecks and beautiful scenery of Isle Royale.

Dive charter operators:

Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Thunder Bay offers beautiful scenery and lots of wrecks. Talk with Wally Peterson at Thunder Country Diving to get all the up-to-date and personalized information. You can also check out a trip report from fall of 2004.

Copper Harbor Michigan

This small town on the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in northern Michigan is a good 10 hours away from Rochester, but the intact wreck of the US Coast Guard cutter Mesquite makes it worth the drive!

Munising Michigan

The Alger Underwater Preserve is fabulous - there are several wrecks to dive including the Smith Moore, the Selvick, and the "Bob" / Granada / Dreadnought. The islands and white sand beaches are beautiful.

Bonne Terre Mine, Missouri

Fabulous! Check out West End Diving. Here are some tips for diving at the mine.

Gilboa Quarry, Ohio

Check out www.divegilboa.com.