Municing – Wrecks And More
Municing, simply put, has a lot of good things going on with this dive destination. First and foremost, and the reason that we came, was to dive all the good wrecks there. Secondly, the area is a great place to bring non divers. Municing has lot’s of hiking and biking trails. Beautiful woods are through out the area to trek along. The area is quaint. There are lots of little shops for souvenirs and antiques. There are small restaurants, cafes, and pubs to check out. As a special bonus, this time of the year, the leaves begin to change. The sun begins to stay a little lower in the hemisphere. So there are nice, mild days, and cool evenings. Lastly, all the tourists have left, so Municing is much quieter, and not so crazy.
Municing And Its Wrecks
Municing is near the Alger Underwater Preserve. Part of this area is a bay sheltered by Grand Island. It is a point of refuge for many seafaring vessels looking to escape the wrath of Lake Superior. The diving conditions were great for our group. The weather on Saturday and Sunday was in the upper sixties and low seventies. Due to being protected from the rest of Lake Superior, the surface conditions on the boat were calm. The water temperature at the surface was in the upper sixties and comfortable. Under the water, our wreck divers received another surprise. Unlike the rest of the Great Lakes, there are no zebra muscles in Lake Superior. In Lake Michigan, they literally cover the wrecks, but not here. There are lots of theories as to why. The most compelling is that there is an over abundance of tannin in the water. The tannin makes the water inhospitable for the zebra muscles. These wrecks are beautiful museum pieces that allow us to look and visit the past. Some of these wrecks date back to the late 1700’s. Some of the wrecks we got to dive in Municing was the Steven Selvick. This wreck is a 70′ ft tugboat that was intentionally sunk in about 60 ft. of water. The second dive on Saturday was the on the wreck of the Bermuda. This was a 130 ft. wood schooner that sank after striking Grand Island in 1870. Many sport divers love this wreck in that it comes within 12 ft of the surface. It is an easy wreck to penetrate, great visibility, and lots of fish life. The next morning, Toucan Divers visited the wreck of the Smith Moore. This wooden steam barge was damaged in a collision in 1889. It lies in about 100 ft. of water. There is a lot of wreckage and machinery to check out. There are areas to penetrate from the deck through its hatches. It’s one of the best that Municing has to offer. Lastly, our divers went down on the Manhattan. This wooden steamer sank in 1803 after striking a reef. She, then caught fire and burned to the water line. She lies in 20 to 40 feet of water. All in all, we had a great time, and we are excited to go wreck diving in Municing soon. Check out the photos below.
