Shotline Diving – Shore Dives & Access Points
Shore Diving the Great Lakes & Rivers
The region’s many lakes, rivers, and bays give divers a near-unlimited resource for training, practice, gear checks, or simply getting underwater for fun. From quiet inland lakes to river shore entries with steady current, shore diving is often the easiest way to stay active between charter trips and big expeditions.
Sites range from beginner-friendly, shallow entries to advanced dives with current, depth, or navigation challenges. Many are shared spaces — boat launches, public parks, cottage lanes, and waterfront communities — so we treat every site as if we are guests, both above and below the waterline.
Shore dive catalogue
Ongoing project: known shore dives are published as dive-sites and expanded over time.
Search Shore Dive Sites
Start with a site name, town, lake or river, or a well-known landmark. Search will surface any related dive-sites, nearby wrecks, and special sites documented in Shotline.
Quick ideas: “Minet’s Point”, “Hudson Terraplane”, “Jaycee Gardens”, “Wolfe Island shore”, or a local park name.
Why Shore Diving Matters
Shore diving is more than “the thing you do when the boat is full.” It’s a core part of Great Lakes and river diving culture because it allows divers to:
- Maintain skills between charter trips or big expeditions.
- Test and tune equipment after service, upgrades, or configuration changes.
- Introduce new divers to local conditions in a controlled environment.
- Explore history close to home — old wharves, piers, crib work, and near-shore wreckage.
- Build community through club nights, training evenings, and “after work” dives.
Shotline uses shore diving as one of the main ways to document new sites, verify existing records, and encourage low-impact diving practices across the region.
Shore Dive Quick Guide
- Check access: parking, hours, local rules.
- Walk the entry/exit before gearing up.
- Plan navigation for low-viz or featureless bottoms.
- Match the dive to the least-experienced diver in the team.
Guest Behaviour
Most shore entries are shared spaces. Tidy staging, quiet voices, and no-souvenir, no-touch diving go a long way to keeping access open.
Finding Shore Sites in Shotline
Shore-accessible locations are gradually being tagged, verified, and linked through multiple tools in the archive:
- Master Wreck Index: region, depth band, rating, and relationships.
- Wreck & Shore Map: visual overview of wrecks and shore sites; click through to records.
- Dive-Sites CPT: current catalogue of known shore dives in the Shotline system.
- Verified by Mark: field-checked notes on access, parking, and conditions.
Shore Access, Safety & Low-Impact Diving
All access notes in Shotline are planning tools only. Conditions, ownership, and local rules change. Treat every shore entry as someone else’s space and every site as part of the historic record:
- Parking: obey signage, do not block driveways, ramps, or emergency access.
- No souvenir collecting: take photos, video, sketches, and notes — not artifacts.
- Garbage out: the only thing you should remove from a site is trash.
- Underwater behaviour: no touching wrecks, no moving artifacts, careful finning, no tying into fragile structures.
- Dive planning: match the dive to training, experience, gas, and conditions on the day.
Aim to be the diver who “leaves only bubbles, takes only memories” — and whose presence makes sites better, not worse.
Shore Dive Site Directory
Browse documented shore dives below. Each entry links to a dive-site page with access notes, depths, navigation tips, and site-specific etiquette where available.
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Finlayson Point Provincial Park
Finlayson Point Provincial Park finlayson-point-provincial-park Identification & Site Information • Site Code: N/A8-2026-66 • Name: Finlayson Point Shore Dive Site • Location: Lake Temagami, Finlayson Point Provincial Park, near the town of Temagami, Northeastern Ontario • Coordinates: General area – Google Maps • Depth: Variable – from shoreline to deep drop-offs • Bottom Composition: Rocky formations, boulders, ledges • Water Access: Easy shore entry…
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Frenchman’s Creek Drift Dive
Frenchman’s Creek Drift Dive frenchman-s-creek-drift-dive Shore Dive – Frenchman’s Creek Drift Dive Type Drift Dive Depth •Minimum: 10 feet (3 meters) •Maximum: 30 feet (9 meters) Drift Details •Duration: Approximately 45 minutes •Drift Speed: ~2.5 km/h (1.5 mph) Description This dive offers a leisurely drift experience through a fascinating underwater environment. The lakebed is a…
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Gord Downie Pier, Kingston, Lake ON
Gord Downie Pier, Kingston, Lake ON gord-downie-pier-kingston-lake-on Breakwater Park Dive Site LOCATION ENTRY/EXIT POINT Your entry and exit point at the Wharf will depend on how far you are willing to walk to reach the water. There is a well-marked path, identified by a thin orange line running parallel to the shore, that leads divers…
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Greater Toronto Area Shore Dive Map
Greater Toronto Area Shore Dive Map greater-toronto-area-shore-dive-map Shore dives are located within driving distance of the Greater Toronto Area, Shotline’s Mark Turezki is the Shore dive Co-ordinator, which doesn’t mean you can’t invite him out on boats. Hint Hint, Have information to Submit, Corrected, or added, Send us a Note/Invite to dive or just say…
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Gull River
Gull River gull-river Dive Site Review: Drift Diving the Gull River in OntarioLocation:Region: Minden, Ontario, CanadaAccessibility: Easily accessible by car, with several entry and exit points along the river, making it a convenient spot for divers from across the province.Description: Drift diving the Gull River offers a captivating and dynamic underwater experience for divers. The…
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Gull River Minden, Ontario, Canada
Gull River Minden, Ontario, Canada gull-river-minden-ontario-canada Dive Site Review: Drift Diving the Gull River in Ontario Location: Description: Drift diving the Gull River offers a captivating and dynamic underwater experience for divers. The river’s natural flow creates a steady current that carries divers effortlessly downstream, allowing them to focus on the beauty of the aquatic…
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Hanlan’s Point Wreck
Hanlan’s Point Wreck hanlan-s-point-wreck Identification & Site Information • Name: Hanlan’s Point Wreck (Unofficial) • Former Names: Unknown – likely derelict barge or utility vessel • Date Built: Unknown (est. late 19th–early 20th century) • Date Scuttled: Unknown, used historically for shoreline stabilization • Location: Near Hanlan’s Point, Toronto Islands, Lake Ontario • Coordinates: 43.6166, -79.3948 (View on Google Maps) • Depth: 5…
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HMS Princess Charolette – Kingston
HMS Princess Charolette – Kingston hms-princess-charolette-kingston IDENTIFICATION & SITE INFORMATION VESSEL TYPE DESCRIPTION: HMS Princess Charlotte, a fifth-rate frigate built in 1814 at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard, represents a pivotal moment in the naval history of the Great Lakes. Originally named Vittoria, the ship was renamed before her launch, reflecting her intended role as…
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Holden Lake, Ottawa River, near Rolphton, Ontario, Canada
Holden Lake, Ottawa River, near Rolphton, Ontario, Canada holden-lake-ottawa-river-near-rolphton-ontario-canada Upper Stonecliffe Village Dive Site Overview IDENTIFICATION & SITE INFORMATION • Type: Submerged Historical Village • Location: Holden Lake, Ottawa River, near Rolphton, Ontario, Canada • GPS Coordinates: Not provided (located between Rolphton and Mattawa within Holden Lake) • Depth: 15–30 feet (4.5–9 meters) • Accessibility:…
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Horse Carriage and Deep Hole (Flaherty Funnel)
Horse Carriage and Deep Hole (Flaherty Funnel) horse-carriage-and-deep-hole-flaherty-funnel Site Description The Horse Carriage and Deep Hole, also known as the “Flaherty Funnel,” is a renowned dive site in the St. Lawrence River, notable for its dramatic geological feature—a deep funnel-like depression plunging to around 150 feet. This natural wonder offers a unique and challenging environment…
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Howe Island, St. Lawrence River
Howe Island, St. Lawrence River howe-island-st-lawrence-river Identification & Dive Site Information •Location: Howe Island, St. Lawrence River •Dive Site Name: CORA W POST Site •Depth Range: Shore dive descending to 121 feet of freshwater (ffw) at the deepest point •Features: Line-guided exploration with notable artifacts, making it an engaging and historical dive site Site Description…
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Humber Bay Barge
Humber Bay Barge humber-bay-barge Identification & Site Information • Name: Humber Bay Barge (Unofficial) • Type: Wood Barge – likely scuttled • Date Built: Unknown (est. late 19th or early 20th century) • Date Lost/Scuttled: Unknown – possibly mid-20th century • Coordinates: 43.6311, -79.4735 (View on Google Maps) • Depth: Approx. 6 metres (20 ft) • Access: Shore or small craft launch…
Live Great Lakes & Rivers View
Shore-Accessible Sites on the Shotline Map
Zoom into harbours, bays, and river bends. Markers for wrecks and shore sites will link into Shotline records where available — use this view as your spatial starting point.
Tip
Use layers to focus on one lake, corridor, or region at a time.