Often referred to as “The Greyhound of the St. Lawrence,” the Rothesay was a passenger side-wheeler that traveled the
St. Lawrence River
.On
September 12, 1889
, the Rothesay collided with another ship (
Myra
, a tug boat) and sank while transporting passengers from
Montreal
to
Brockville
.None of the Rothesay’s passengers were killed but two crew members from the Myra were lost.
In 1901, the wreck was blown-up during a munitions exercise of the
Royal
Military
College
.So, what you see today is a mish-mash of a ship with the bow and stern still slightly intact.Though, avid divers will defend her resiliency… after all, she has spent over 100 years underwater after being blown up!This is still an incredibly popular beginner to intermediate dive and provides for a good opportunity to refresh anyone’s skills after being out of water all winter.Dive notables include the paddle wheels and the twin boilers.
With a maximum dive depth of about 30 feet, the upper part of the boat shallowing out at about 20 feet, you may also encounter a slight current at the site. Visibility varies, and divers will be quick to state that the best to visit early in the season and to bring a light with you when you visit.As with other
Ontario
sites, expect to be joined by carp, bass and even a pike or two as you explore the wreck.You can access this dive by boat, but most get to it by shore down a metal staircase and then a snorkel out to the milk jug that’s attached to the line about 300 feet out.A word of caution about boats—this is a heavy boat traffic area, be sure to fly your diver’s down flag. Also, please remember that this is a Marine Historical Site that is property of the
Province
of
Ontario
and she’s got a plaque on her to prove it!
Happy Divers
Want to explore the world underwater but don't know where to start? We found the perfect dive shop that had the answers to all of our scuba questions.
We took the plunge of a lifetime with the "Dive Momma" at Happy Divers in Streetsville.
