The rivers and canals of the Great Lakes basin form one of the most historically significant
freshwater networks in North America. These waterways carried furs, timber, soldiers, settlers,
and cargo long before the modern era — and beneath their currents lie wrecks, structures, and
forgotten industrial artifacts that shaped entire regions.
From powerful rivers like the St. Lawrence to engineered passages like the Rideau Canal,
these systems offer some of the most varied and surprising dive sites in the Shotline archive.
The historic artery connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic — home to some of the best-known wrecks in North America.
A fast-flowing freshwater system linking Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair, known for deep channels and intact river wrecks.
Connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron, this river hosts numerous historic wrecks and industrial relics.
One of the busiest industrial waterways on the continent, with wrecks shaped by shipping, smuggling, and wartime commerce.
A fast, powerful river with limited recreational access — but historically rich and strategically important.
Once a dense shipping and industrial corridor — now containing wrecks, structures, and forgotten marina remains.
A Michigan waterway with commercial roots and hidden shipwrecks connected to Great Lakes shipping history.
Log drives, steamboats, barges, timber slides — one of Canada’s richest river-archaeology environments.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site with early construction barges, workboats, and some of the oldest preserved wrecks in Ontario.
Smaller but historically significant rivers containing dredge remains, ferries, bridge collapses, and wooden craft.
A mix of 19th-century commercial waterways with scattered wrecks and submerged industrial features.
Emergency Information
Emergency (Canada/USA): 911
Coast Guard (Rivers/Transition Zones): VHF 16
JRCC Trenton: 1-800-267-7270
Nearest Hyperbaric Sites: Kingston / Ottawa / Windsor / Detroit / Cleveland
- Save Ontario Shipwrecks
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Michigan Underwater Preserves
- Parks Canada
C-3 Register of Wrecks & Casualties (Inland Waters),
NOAA & CCG charts,
Provincial & State river archives,
Shotline Diving Master Index.