SS Algoma Wreck

The wreckage is widely scattered, with parts of the stern still present and the bow not located. The engines and boiler were salvaged and put back to work in the Manitoba. Follow the surviving ribs and fragments across the rocky lake bed; a diver beside them gives the remains scale in an underwater photo.

Algoma was a Canadian Pacific passenger steamer sailing between Owen Sound and Port Arthur. On November 7, 1885, a gale and blinding snowstorm drove her aground at Isle Royale; the ship broke apart and sank. The loss remains the largest loss of life on Lake Superior.

Every diver must register at Rock Harbor, Windigo, or Houghton Visitor Center before diving and return the completed permit afterward. Surface water rarely tops 55°F; below 50 feet it is 34–37°F. A full wetsuit is necessary and a drysuit is recommended. There are no cylinder fills on Isle Royale, and dive gear must be washed in warm chlorinated tap water and dried for seven days before use in the park.