Trip Report 2025: Tobermory June Certification

After completing pool training, classroom instruction and written tests, 19 keen divers headed to Tobermory on Friday, June 13, 2025, with their instructional staff of 10 dedicated instructors, divemasters and experienced-diver/on-shore assistants, and a volunteer lunch crew of 4 alumni.

On Saturday, the weather was a mix of sun and cloud and a bit stronger breeze than we had hoped, but Lighthouse Point once again made for a very interesting training dive location on the limestone ledges under mostly sunny skies.

The training members were divided into two groups: 10 in the morning and 9 in the afternoon. Instructors Martin Bonert and Courtney Gibson, with the assistance of Divemasters Gordon Jackson and Steve Meggeson, took the divers for their first open water experience in buddy pairs. The visibility was superb, and the water was refreshing!

Able assistance on shore was provided by Katarina Mavrik, Madeline Ramsden, Oswald Tang, Mario Felice, Elizabeth Wooster and Evi Zlochevskii. After the first group of dives of the morning, hot soup, hot chocolate, bagels, spreads, veggies, fruit and cookies awaited the combined group of morning and afternoon divers with our cheerful volunteers, led by Blue North President, Bob Belcher.

Saturday evening we all met at the Tobermory Brewing Company for dinner out to share our stories of diving.

Sunday: In the morning, we were up and at it again, starting with two shipwreck dives for the morning group aboard the Bruce Isles, heading out to the dive site for the W. L. Wetmore. During the surface interval, the Bruce Isles dive boat took the divers to the site called “The Tugs”, a group of several shipwrecks close to Little Tub Harbour, to dive the wreck of the Alice G.

More Photos

Certification Weekend Photos: For more photos, check out our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1118685046945291&type=3

Dive Sites

Lighthouse Point

How’s this for a great shore dive site! Picturesque, limestone ledges, underwater boulders, crayfish! Toby is considered the freshwater shipwreck capital of Canada with fabulous shore diving, interesting shipwrecks as well as a cavern grotto and cool clear water.

The Tugs: Wreck of the Alice G

On December 8, 1927, the Alice G was forced out of Little Tub Harbour by gale force winds. Before the crew managed to fire up the engine, the tugboat rammed against the rocky shoreline outside the harbour. The Alice G is a 67 ft. wooden hull, the most intact of the Tugs. The engine, boiler and propeller are still in place. The Alice G is one of some 22 known wrecks in Fathom Five National Marine Park.  In the 19th century the treacherous neck of water between the main body of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay was a conduit for the transport of timber and other raw materials down the lakes towards the more populated parts of Canada and the United States, their wooden timbers now preserved in the cold fresh water of Georgian Bay.

Dan Lindsay is an underwater photography who was one of the guest speakers at HHUC’s Inner Space Seminars. Here he provides a video and some photos of the Alice G.

See more on the Alice G including photogrammetry 3D model from 3Dshipwrecks.org

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The W. L. Wetmore

The W. L. Wetmore was driven ashore in a storm on Nov. 29, 1901. The 819.74-ton steamer was towing 2 barges, the Brunette and James C. King, when it got caught in a squall and ran aground off Russel Island. The Brunette was salvaged, but the James. C. King slid into deep water a few meters north of the Wetmore.

This is an excellent shallow water dive with several key points to investigate. The port and starboard sides have collapsed and now lie along side the bottom of the hull. At the north end of the wreck, there is a huge oak rudder with a 15′ blade, and a sheared off propeller with a 25′ long drive shaft. Moving forward to the bow area, you can find a large length of anchor chain, hawse pipes and an impressive anchor. The most notable feature is the ships boiler, which rises 15′ off the lake bottom. Take some time to examine the construction of ships of this time. You can see excellent examples of scarph joints and hanging knees. This site is also excellent for snorkelers.
Built: 1871 – Sunk: 1901 – Depth: 20 ft. – Length of wreck: 214 ft.

See the Interactive 3D model of the Wetmore from 3Dshipwrecks.org

After a lunch break at the picnic area at Little Tub Harbour, the Sunday afternoon group ventured out to the Wetmore (see description above) and the Caroline Rose.

The Caroline Rose

More photos of the Caroline Rose at https://www.wrecksandreefs.com/CRose.html

Depth: 55 ft
Length: 132 ft
Built 1940 – Sunk 1999

The Caroline Rose is the sister ship of the Blue Nose (both seen on the back of the old Canadian $100 bill). Reaching a length of 40 meters (132 feet) this schooner was built in the yards of Canada’s most famous shipbuilding town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The ship was purchased in 1955 and brought to Owen Sound for use as a charter vessel. In 1990, The Caroline Rose was left unused and neglected in the Owen Sound Harbour when she was bought by a group of divers and local business people. This group towed the ship to Driftwood Cove where she was sunk as a dive site in 1999. The exposure to strong storm surges dragged the wreck into shallower water. The wreck of the Caroline Rose is at the mouth of Driftwood Cove. The ship is bottomed out at 16 meters (55 feet) below its mooring buoy. Divers can see the large propeller, driveshaft and rudder. The port side railings were also still intact.

This was a terrific weekend with great weather, picturesque town and wonderful companions. We hope you were able to check out the Fathom Five Visitor Centre with its very impressive galleries, displays and 15-minute movie of the national marine park. If not, try it out next time you come to Tobermory.

Keep on Diving!

For more adventures in diving with Blue North Scuba Club, consider the following:

Your .NAUI. C-Card is your “Licence to Learn”