Scuba

The Tugs
“The Tugs” is a dive site comprised of four wrecks just off the shore in the outer Little Tub Harbour. At approximately 13 metres (about 40 ft) below the surface, you can check out the wreckage of four small fishing tugs: Alice G., Robert K, John &Alex, and Bob Foote. Since the wrecks aren’t terribly deep, this is a good spot for snorkellers and for those just wanting to see what scuba diving is like (there is a boardwalk and a walkway that leads you to a wooden deck overlooking the area if you just want to observe some divers).  Due to boat traffic, all diving must be done within the restricted buoyed area.  Since it is a Level I dive and good preparation for other, deeper and more challenging sites in the area, “The Tugs” is the most popular wreck site in the Fathom Five National Marine Park. 

This National Marine Park is home to almost two dozen wrecks to explore that range in depth and difficulty.  Divers must register in person at the new Bruce Peninsula and Fathom Five Visitor’s Centre. When you register, you’ll receive info about the dive sites, maps and your dive tag.  An annual tag is $19.80, a two-day wristband is $9.90 and a one-day wristband is $4.95. Money collected from wristbands and passes goes towards the preservation and monitoring of the wrecks.  When diving in the park, you’ll notice devices and tags on the wrecks that help part staff track their deterioration.

Built in 1902, Alice G fished the great lakes, changing hands several times before begin renovated in the 1920s.  During a severe storm on December 8th, 1927 , she was ripped from her mooring and ran aground.  She has taken a bit of a pounding since then, and has been thoroughly broken up. The best parts to explore are the stern (rear), the boilers and steam engine, and the anchor.  Alice G is one of the most popular dives in Fathom Five.

The Bob Foote, a fishing tug that hauled in whitefish, trout and perch, was built in Collingwood in 1888.  Fishing tugs were typically the first boats out in the spring and would break through the ice but they were also the last boats out in the fall.  The Bob Foote was eventually abandoned in the outer harbour of Little Tub and its machinery was salvaged.  No other details about the wreck are known.

The John & Alex was built in Port Dover in 1924.  This tug has an enclosed “turtle” main deck that served to protect its crew from harsh weather.  Modern metal fishing tugs also incorporate this type of deck in their design.  In its last days, the John & Alex fished the waters surrounding Tobermory before it caught fire and was abandoned in the outer harbour at Little Tub in 1947.

In 1917, the Robert K. was built in Port, Dover .  The tug was built with an old twin cylinder steam engine and a newer boiler.  The tug fished the great lakes for almost 20 years before it caught fire in 1935.  The tug burned down to the waterline and sank into the harbour.
For more information:

Diving Page of the Fathom Five National Park

http://www.pc.gc.ca/amnc-nmca/on/fathomfive/activ/activ3_E.asp#5

Visitors Centre:

(http://www.pc.gc.ca/amnc-nmca/on/fathomfive/ne/ne01_E.asp) 

Dive Shops and Services:

Divers Den

3 Bay Street , Tobermory

www.diversden.ca

G&S Watersports

8 Bay Street , Tobermory

www.gswatersports.com

Tobermory Adventure Tours

www.tobermory.com
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.