The Arabia has a definite and long standing connection to Tobermory. In 1854, she sailed to Glasgow, Scotland with a cargo of wheat and flour. She remained in the coastal trade on the northwest coast of Great Britain for a year or so. During that time, Tobermory, Scotland (on the Isle of Mull) was one fo her ports of call. After returning to Canada, she ran aground near Flowerpot Island in 1883. She was refloated, repaired and continued her service. The following year, she met her ultimate fate near Echo Island as she floundered and sank. Currently, the hull is intact with the exception of the back 100' of the deck and the transom which have collapsed. The bow is very impressive with the jib-boom still in place (the jib-boom is often mistakenly called the bow-sprit). The windlass, bilge pump and 3 anchors are still in place on the bow. Deadeyes, pulleys and pinrails are still present on the sides. The masts have fallen but lay across the deck. The afterdeck has broken away and lies to the port of the stern. Its 105' depth along with cold temperature, current and haunting beauty makes this a dive only for very experienced divers. The steering gear and ships wheel lay on the starboard of the afterdeck. A commemorative plaque has been placed next to the ships wheel. This impressive shipwreck, often referred to as the "Jewel of Tobermory", offers experienced divers a fulfilling challenge. 

Rating: Novice-Intermediate
Built: 1940
Sunk: 1990
Depth: 55 ft (16 m)

The Caroline Rose is one of the schooners pictured on the back of the old Canadian $100 bill. (for those of you rich enough to have seen one! It's the schooner on the left.) She was sitting derelict in Owen Sound harbour when a group of divers and local business people bought and towed her to Driftwood Cove where she was sunk as a dive site. The area experiences severe storm surge so she has been broken up somewhat. However, there are large sections of the ship and many artifacts remaining.

In October 1898, the Minch was anchored to the east of Cove Island waiting for an intense storm from the Southwest to subside. Unfortunately, the wind changed to the east and blew the Minch on to the rocks in Tecumseh Cove. There are actually two moorings for the Minch. The outer mooring is located in 55' of water and marks a section of the side, a rudder and other scattered wreckage. The primary mooring is located close to the head of Tecumseh Cove in 25' of water. It marks the central location of widely scattered wreckage. The largest section is a portion of the hull with the centreboard box and numerous artifacts. One such artifact is rumored to be the ship's wheel but the doubtful would have you believe that it is too small to be the wheel of the Minch. One of the Minch's anchors has been recovered and is on display at the top of the cliff in Little Tub Harbor.

The badly broken bow begins in 60 feet of water and steeply drops to a relatively intact stern in 150 feet of water. The most interesting part of the wreck lies between 100' and 150' and should only be attempted by very experienced divers equipped with dive computers and a redundant air supply. The smoke funnel and boilers are in place located at 110 to 130 ft. The stern is reasonably intact and the name Forest City can still be seen on the transom. The stern can be penetrated and much debris can be seen. This wreck provides an eerie environment due to low light, cold water and nitrogen narcosis.

The King was wrecked while under tow by the Wetmore in November 1901. The bottom of the hull rests on a steep incline with the stern in 20 ft and the bow in 90 ft. The rudder and steering gear rest in 20 feet of water near the stern. The hull has split at the keel and the centreboard has broken and is lying on top of the hull. Since this wreck sits on a steep incline, it is very important to pay constant attention to proper buoyancy control on this dive. Pay close attention to the bow because you can still see the engraved Roman Numeral which helped indicate the ballast depth. At the end of your dive you can spend your safety stop exploring southwest of the main wreck site where you will find another section of the hull and many pieces of scattered wreckage.

In 1998, the Tobermory Maritime Association was formed with the objective of obtaining and sinking a new wreck to enhance the diving opportunities in Tobermory. After an extensive search the perfect ship was found - The Niagara II. This exciting wreck was sunk in May 1999 and offers a wonderful diving experience for all levels of certification. The Niagara II lies perfectly upright in about 100 feet of Georgian Bay's crystal clear water, just east of Little Cove. The top of her wheelhouse is at a depth of 45 ft. and both the bow and stern decks lie in the 65 ft range.

In October 1889, the Scoville was caught in a storm while en route to Escanaba, Michigan. As she approached the Devil's Island Channel, she dropped anchor but it was dragged across the bottom until she was wrecked on the shore of Russel Island. Captain John O'Grady lost his life, but the other four crewmen were rescued. Today, the Scoville rests on a steep incline from 30' to 90'. The mooring is located beside the wreck at 75ft. The intact bow section is in 80 feet of water and the starboard section lies on a 30 degree angle along side the bow. Look for the fallen bowsprit by the bow. The wreck is progressively more broken up in the shallower depths. Care must be taken in the deeper depths due to a heavy accumulation of silt. However, this clears notably in shallower water.

The Sweepstakes was stranded near Cove island and towed to Big Tub Harbour but sunk before it was completely salvaged. While a small portion of the stern deck has collapsed, most of the hull, deck, centreboard, windlass and some of the railing is still intact and in place. The hold can easily and safely be accessed, however, Parks Canada has installed barricades to prevent divers swimming under the deck to avoid damaging this fragile wreck. She is an excellent wreck where the water conditions are always a little calmer and warmer than most other sites. As can be seen in the pictures present, the wreck is in shallow, clear and protected water.

This site is obviously not a shipwreck. However, it is one of our most popular sites. Although the site is called "The Caves", it is really a cavern. There are two underwataer and one above water entrances. It is located at the base of a tall limestone cliff. You will often see snorkelers swimming in the cave. They get a real thrill out of seeing real scuba divers!

Lighthouse Point is a geological shore diving site. Offering two different entry points depths can vary from shallow training areas to 70 feet. 

This shore diving site is well protected from most wind conditions and is the perfect training shore dive sites. At this site you will find four shipwrecks and some old dock cribbing. The wrecks are Alice G, Robert K, Bob Foote and John & Alex. 

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 long 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.