The Ultimate Guide to Scuba diving picton, ontario

Shhhh…I’m going to let you in on a little secret. And that secret is Picton Ontario Canada is an excellent diving spot. Located on Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, divers can find multiple well preserved shipwrecks.

So grab your toque and let’s head up North to the land of Maple syrup, hockey, fine friendly folks and – of course – diving.

Dive operators

For our diving adventures, we have used Dive Brockville Adventure Center. Helen and her crew operate the AMG, a converted 12 passenger houseboat out of Wauposs Marina in Picton Ontario.

Helen is an excellent captain and host and has been most accommodating during our trips there. Following our Saturday dive, she brought our tanks back to her shop in Brockville for Nitrox fills and had them ready for us on the boat for Sunday’s dives. She also provided a little lunch, grilling some dogs and burgers.

Diving Sites

There are plenty of wonderfully preserved shipwrecks to explore in Picton and you’ll need more than one trip to fully see them all. However, be on notice these are mostly deep (over 100ft), cold (you’ll hit at least one thermocline) and dark dives that require advanced training.

When we were diving in Picton, we had limited visibility of about a 5ft until we hit the thermocline, which was at about 60ft. At that point, the visibility opened up to over 80ft. It was a little harrowing heading down, but once we hit that thermocline it was like coming down out of a cloud…and right beneath us was a wreck! And speaking of wrecks, below are some of Picton’s best.

Oilver Mowat

We will start with the Oliver Mowat, as it was Just recently opened up for all divers to enjoy. This schooner is 116ft long and about 23ft wide. The Mowat was built in 1873 and sank on September 1, 1921 when she collided with the Keywest, a steel freighter. The wreck lies upright in a depth of about 120ft. The masts had to be dynamited to avoid collision with boat traffic above. While somewhat broken up a cool historical wreck to see.

Oilve Branch

The Olive Branch is a favorite wreck to dive off of Picton. This is a beautifully preserved small schooner that had been built in 1871 and sank in a storm in 1880 with the loss of all on board. The wreck is about 92ft long and 22ft wide and lies upright in depths ranging from 90ft to 100ft.

Divers can enjoy seeing many parts of the ships original equipment including the windlass, capstan, deadeyes, pump and anchor in the starboard hold.

Manola

The Manola is a steel steamer that was built in 1890. Her bow half sank in a storm in 1918, taking 11 lives with her (she had been cut in half to get through the Welland Canal and her two parts were being towed across Lake Ontario when the storm hit).

While the ship was cut in half, the bow is still rather impressive and lies upside down in depths between 45ft to 82ft. Her bow anchors are still in place and brass portholes can be seen. A very cool wreck to explore.

R.H. Rae

The R.H. Rae lies at about 105ft. She is a three-masted bark built in 1857 and sank in a storm in 1858. The wreck is 137 feet long and has many interesting items to see, including the rudder, windlass, pump and toilet. Of note, Jacques Cousteau and gang visited this wreck as part of their only Great Lakes expedition in 1980.

Atlasco

The Atlasco is a wreck that is good for just about everyone. This wooden steamer lies at 43ft and was built in Scuba Jay’s hometown of Buffalo NY in 1881. She sank in a storm in 1921. The wreck is 218ft long and 32ft wide and is rather broken up. Of interest are the many large rolls of wire coils – which was her last cargo – anchors, winch and ships wheel.

Fabiola

The Fabiola is a fabulous wreck (see what I did there?) that all skill level of divers can enjoy. This two-masted schooner was built in 1852 and sank in 1900, taking with her the load of coal she was transporting. She is 95ft long and about 22ft wide. This wreck lies upright in 55ft of water and is mostly intact, with only a section of the stern collapsed. On her intact bow, divers can see the windlass, capstan and pump.

Florence

The wooden tugboat Florence is another wreck all can enjoy. Built in 1885, she sank in about 80ft of water after springing a leak in 1933. A salvage attempt broke her up and moved her to shallower depths of about 40ft to 50ft. Her bow is still intact, as is her boiler.

Annie Falconer

The two-masted schooner Annie Falconer is an excellent wreck that is also mostly intact, with only a potion of her stern partially collapsed. This is one of the most popular wrecks to dive off of Picton. She was built in 1867 and sank in a storm in 1904. The wreck is 108ft long and 24ft wide and lays upright at depths between 67ft to 78ft. Divers can see deadeyes, anchors and the ship’s wheel…all frozen in time.

China

The Wreck of the China was discovered by accident by divers looking for the Annie Falconer (see above). She was built and lost in the same year, 1872. The wreck is fairly broken up as she burned to a total loss. Divers will need a light on this dive to see the remains which include the engine, boiler and propeller.

Katie Eccles

The Katie Eccles is a schooner built in 1877. She sank in 1922 when the anchor chain cut through the ship’s planking. She now lies upright in about 102ft of water. The wreck is mostly intact with the stern somewhat broken up and measures 95ft long and 25ft wide. Of interest is the large bowsprit, which makes for a wonderful photo op. Word to the wise, bring some external light source as it can be dark down there.

City of Sheboygan

The City of Sheboygan, lying upright in depths of 90ft to 105ft, is another cold, deep dark dive. But for those that visit her, you will see a beautifully intact wreck. She is about 135ft long 27ft wide and was built in 1871. She sank with the loss of all on board in 1915. Masts, rigging and deadeyes can all be seen on the wreck. For those non-divers, you can see the ships wheel and anchor that are on display in a local museum.

Technical Diving Wrecks

For those technical divers out there, Picton has some wrecks for you as well. The “Bluff Nose Schooner” and the “Two-Masted Schooner” aka “Petrie 2” are a couple of the deep, deep dives that tech. divers can enjoy.

Wrapping Things Up

Diving off of Picton in Lake Ontario is challenging. Most of the dives above are deeper colder dives that you should have advanced training for. For those with the training, the wrecks are worth the effort. You get to step back in time to see some wonderfully preserved pieces of history.

“How boring would the world be if everywhere and everyone were the same. Safe travels and good adventures.” Scuba Jay