John B. Cowle

Best time to dive

July to August; June to September

Certification & difficulty

Technical - advanced conditions (currents/depth); dive within your training.

Snorkelling

Not a snorkel site - No - deep offshore wreck, not snorkelable

Safety notes

Extreme depth requiring mixed-gas and staged decompression, near-freezing bottom temperatures, sudden Lake Superior storms and fog, entanglement risk from old rigging/fishing line, shifting sand that can bury or expose parts of the wreck; site is a protected historic shipwreck within the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve - artifact removal is illegal ('take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bubbles')

Permits & fees

No dive permit or fee required to access the Michigan Underwater Preserve; site is state-protected - removing artifacts is illegal under Michigan law

Permits and operators change - confirm before booking.

Location

Nearest hub: Paradise