West Michigan Underwater Preserve

West Michigan Underwater Preserve

from the West Michigan Underwater Preserve

The West Michigan Underwater Preserve extends along the western shore of Lake Michigan from Grand Haven, past Muskegon, Whitehall and Pentwater to Big Sable Point at Ludington.

The Preserve is home to several ships lost in storms on Lake Michigan. The shoreline is similar to the Southwest Preserve in that there are limited safe harbors, but there was active shipping traffic. Consequently over time, many ships foundered before they could reach safety.

Local divers buoy some of the wrecks in the area. However, divers should be prepared to locate shipwrecks they plan to dive.

The West Michigan Preserve is also home to the Hamilton Reef, also known as “The Rock Pile” near Muskegon. It is a snake-like formation of broken cement rubble just south of the Muskegon Channel in about 30 feet of water. It provides a home for interesting game fish. Near Port Sheldon, divers frequent the “bubbler” near the piping for the Port Sheldon power plant. It too provides a home for game fish. Divers also salvage anchors and other artifacts left by fishermen and boaters.

The communities bordering the Preserve house many museums of interest to divers.

See WMUP booklet


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See the Depths of Lake Superior, Live

Lake Superior Dive poster

from Great Lakes Now

We suggest to stay ON the couch for this event! However, you'll be able to watch an exploration of the depths of Lake Superior on June 6, 2026.

Join a livestreamed expedition to the deepest point in the Great Lakes! Explore a hidden underwater world from your own screen and have your questions answered LIVE.

More than 1,300 feet beneath the surface of Lake Superior lies the deepest point of the Great Lakes. It’s so deep that no light reaches it, and it has not been visited in 40 years.

Great Lakes Now is teaming up with freshwater explorers Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick to send a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the bottom of Lake Superior. High resolution cameras will broadcast the descent in real-time and document the environment in unprecedented detail.

What We’re Hoping to See:
• The kiyi, a rare deepwater fish that is believed to live only in Lake Superior
• Alien looking deepwater sculpin
• Forests of colorful hydra
• The deepwater-adapted siscowet lake trout

The date and time of this livestream are subject to change due to weather conditions. Sign up for the Great Lakes Now newsletter to get reminders and updates delivered directly to your inbox: Great Lakes Now


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Prehistoric Ceremonial Site or Random Natural Arrangement?

Underwater archeologist Mark Holley investigates a circle of stones on the Grand Traverse Bay floor (photo by Chris Doyal)

" based on a news article of the Chicago Tribune, "Underwater stones puzzle archeologists," by James Janega, Feb 8, 2009

"This is going to invite so much controversy that this is where we're going to be for the next 20 years," bemoaned diver and underwater archeologist Mark Holley. He is referring to a strange circle of stones located underwater in Grand Traverse Bay. He located the stones in 2007, but recently a blogger discovered the report and it has become an overnight sensation.

The stones could simply be an ancient shoreline or glacial debris. But their apparent geometric arrangement could indicate that humans placed them. 6000- 9000 years ago the lake floor here was exposed tundra, and roamed by hunter-gatherers. One suggestion for the arrangement is that of a fishing weir in a long disappeared river.

Native Americans are expressing concerns that it may be a sacred site. Archeologists are skeptical, but plan for a laser scan this summer from which a computer model can be built.

There is one claim that a large stone has an etching of a mastadon scratched in it. "It would be a really spectacular find— if it turns out to be true," said Charles Cleland, retired curator of Great Lakes archeology and ethnology at Michigan State University. "It would be the only visual representation of such in the whole hemisphere."

Holley found the site by accident while doing lake floor survey work in summer 2007 for the Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve. After several passes, a row of stones became clear. When divers visited the site to take photographs, they were left vaguely unnerved. "It was really spooky when we saw it in the water," Holley said. "The whole site is spooky, in a way. When you're swimming through a long line of stones and the rest of the lake bed is featureless, it's just spooky."

Hank Bailey of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians said that the rocks appear to be arranged with some purpose. The exact location is being kept secret to avoid disturbance.

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France Claims 17th Century Lake Michigan Shipwreck

Engraving of the Griffon

based on a news article in the Detroit Free Press, "France claims rights to Lake Michigan shipwreck," by John Flesher, Jan 30, 2009

Although divers of the Great Lakes Exploration LLC located what they believe to be the remains of a 17th Century vessel both Michigan and France want title.

The Griffin, or Griffon, was a barque, built in 1769 near Niagara Falls under the supervision of the explorer LaSalle. She began a journey ascending the Great Lakes and reached the Straits of Mackinac on August 27. She made Washington Island at the entrance to Green Bay (Wisconsin) and rode out a storm there. Taking on a cargo of 12,000 pounds of furs worth 50-60 thousand francs, she set sail to descend the lakes on September 18. LaSalle chose to remain in Wisconsin, and it may have been the lack of his leadership which caused the ensuing catastrophe. Another infamous autumn storm arose, and a few days later portions of the vessel were seen on a sand bar in northern Lake Michigan. The Griffon was the first shipwreck on the upper Great Lakes.

The lake has owned her for over 200 years, but the French government says it wants her back. They have filed a claim in US District Court. Whoever wins the claim will have the right to salvage artifacts from the vessel. Michigan says that federal law gives the state ownership of vessels embedded in Great Lakes bottomlands. Great Lakes Exploration is hoping to be appointed custodian until the court makes a decision concerning the rights.

France claims that its suit has merit because the ship was not a private vessel, but was sailing for the French Crown. State and Federal attorneys are studying the documents and the law.

Some people are not even certain that the find is that of the Griffon. The exact location is being kept private, but it is believed to be between Escanaba and the St. Martin Islands. Although very little of the ship’s timbers are visible to divers a sonar examination indicates the presence of artifacts. Another remote sensing expedition is planned for this summer to attempt to identify more of the artifacts.

See About the Great Lakes
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Quiet Water Symposium 2009

by Joan H. Young (sources MSU and Quiet Waters)

As part of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Week at Michigan State University, the annual Quiet Water Symposium is being planned. This is an annual event where those who share a love of outdoor, non-motorized recreation come together to share experiences and adventures, equipment ideas, and concerns for water resources. Of course, attendees are always looking for just the right spot to take that next river trip.

Agriculture and Natural Resources Week (ANR Week) continues to be one of the largest events of its kind in the nation. Foundations for the week were laid by the Farmers’ Institute more than a century ago. In 1898, Michigan Agricultural College hosted the first state-wide Farmers’ Institute “Round-Up.”

The Quiet Water Symposium will be Saturday March 7, 2009, in Lansing, at the Pavilion for Livestock and Agriculture Education. Times are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and adult admission is $8.00.

At least three venues with full programs are being planned. Speakers of note include

• Cliff Jacobson, one of North America’s most respected outdoors writers and wilderness paddlers. He is a recipient of the American Canoe Association’s prestigious Legends of Paddling Award and a member of the ACA Hall of Fame.
• "Doc" Fletcher: "Weekend Canoeing in Michigan: The Rivers, The Towns, The Taverns"
• Jonathan M. Ahlbrand: Basic Sailing Concepts, A Brief Introduction to the Sport
• Erick Hansen: The Poetry and the Practicalities of Hiking Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
• Cathy Green: Wreck Diving in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• ongoing demonstrations on re-canvasing canoes, and wood strip kayak building
• and many others

There will be exhibits of beautiful hand-built canoes, kayaks, rowing craft, outdoor gear, antique and restored classic canoes, traditional snowshoes, bicycles - and more. Environmental groups will also have informational booths.

See the Quiet Waters Symposium for the complete schedule.
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