Lake St. Clair & St. Clair River – Wrecks & Dive Sites
Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River form the fast-flowing artery between Lake Huron
and Lake Erie — a shallow inland lake feeding one of the most powerful freshwater rivers in North America.
Navigation mistakes here were rarely forgiven: swift currents, sandbars, shifting channels, and dense
commercial traffic turned the region into a wreck collector.
The river especially is known for deep, narrow channels where wooden and steel vessels lie preserved in
cold, fast-moving water. Visibility can swing from “zero” to “spectacular” in a single week, but when
conditions line up, St. Clair offers some of the most dramatic current-assisted dives in the Great Lakes system.
The Shotline St. Clair Project brings together wreck records, river-specific safety notes,
and navigation context so divers can plan realistic, repeatable dives in this demanding environment.
Regional Map & Planning Tools
Use the Shotline map and the Master Wreck Index together: the map for visual planning, the index for
depth, GPS, and links to full site records.
St. Clair – Shotline Wreck Map
Interactive Shotline map layer for Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, showing plotted wrecks,
river entries, and key navigation features. Click markers for summary details and links to site pages.
Master Wreck Index – St. Clair Region
Filtered view of wrecks and recorded sites in the Lake St. Clair / St. Clair River corridor with
depth, GPS, rating, and links to individual Shotline records.
Featured “Must Dive” Sites – St. Clair Region
Selected wrecks and river sites in this corridor tagged as Must Dive in the Shotline archive.
Depths are approximate and for planning context only – always read the full site record and dive within
your training, especially in current.
Lake St. Clair – Must Dive Wrecks
[sld_must_dive_grid body_of_water=”Lake St. Clair” posts_per_page=”3″]
St. Clair River – Must Dive Wrecks
[sld_must_dive_grid body_of_water=”St. Clair River” posts_per_page=”3″]
Dive Character – What to Expect
Channel Freighter Sites
Type: Steel & wooden freighters
Typical Depth: 18–30 m / 60–100 ft
Difficulty: Intermediate–Advanced (current)
Deep channel wrecks resting in fast water, with sharp thermoclines and demanding navigation.
Ideal for current-trained divers with solid gas planning.
Lake St. Clair Shoal Wrecks
Type: Grounding losses on bars & shoals
Typical Depth: 8–18 m / 26–60 ft
Difficulty: Beginner–Intermediate
Shallow to mid-depth sites that show how shifting channels and sandbars shaped shipping. Good for
learning the region before tackling the main river.
Industrial & Infrastructure Remains
Type: Pilings, cribwork, industrial debris
Typical Depth: 6–15 m / 20–50 ft
Difficulty: Intermediate (current & boat traffic)
Evidence of dredging, bridge work, and harbour construction that tells the story of how the
St. Clair corridor was engineered and re-engineered over time.
Weather & Safety
Emergency Information
Emergency (Canada / USA): 911
Canadian Coast Guard (St. Clair Sector): VHF 16
US Coast Guard (Sector Detroit): VHF 16 / 22A
Nearest Hyperbaric Chambers: Windsor Regional Hospital / Detroit Medical Center
Preservation & Regional Organizations
References & Links
- Michigan Underwater Preserves documentation
- SOS St. Clair Region resources
- NOAA & Canadian Coast Guard charts
- Swayze Shipwreck Files
- Shotline Diving Master Index