Exploring, Documenting, and Protecting the Wrecks of Prince Edward County

The Picton Project, coordinated by SLD Liaison Corey Phillips, focuses on the Bay of Quinte, Prince Edward Bay, and the Lake Ontario approaches off Prince Edward County. This region is home to a dense concentration of historic wrecks ranging from wooden schooners and barges to steamers and modern steel hulls, many of them lying in cold, relatively protected water that has slowed their deterioration.

Working alongside local divers, charter operators, and historians, the project aims to build a clear, accessible picture of the area’s underwater heritage: where sites are located, how they are changing, and how they can be visited safely and respectfully by divers on both sides of the lake.

Regional Significance

Picton and the surrounding waters form a natural gateway between the Bay of Quinte, Prince Edward Bay, and the open waters of Lake Ontario. Narrow channels, shoals, and changing water levels have challenged navigation since the earliest days of commercial shipping in the region. As a result, the area holds a remarkable variety of wrecks in depths ranging from shallow training sites to deeper technical dives.

Many of these wrecks are still being actively surveyed, with new details emerging as technologies such as side-scan sonar, ROVs, and 3D photogrammetry are applied to sites that were once known only from logbooks, rumours, or single-line dive notes.

Collaborative Approach

The Picton Project is built on cooperation between:

• Local charter operators and dive shops providing access and on-the-water expertise.
• Shotline Diving contributors logging dives, photos, videos, and mooring information.
• Historical researchers and archival volunteers tracking down registry data and incident reports.

Mission and Goals

The Picton-focused effort aims to:

• ✅ Locate and document known wrecks and suspected sites in the Bay of Quinte and surrounding waters.
• ✅ Support safe access through updated mooring information and shore/diver guidance.
• ✅ Capture visual baselines via photos, video, and 3D models to track long-term change.
• ✅ Share verified information with divers, researchers, and local communities through Shotline’s archive.

A Living Field Lab for Great Lakes Wrecks

From classic wooden schooners to workboats and barge remains, the Picton area acts as a living field lab for understanding how Great Lakes wrecks age, collapse, and interact with invasive species over time. The Picton Project connects those stories to real, diveable sites, encouraging careful exploration while emphasizing preservation and respect for each wreck as a cultural resource.