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LOCAL DIVE SITES IN ONTARIO AND SURROUNDING AREAS

There’s a reason that Ontario is a Top 10 Scuba Diving Destination in any major scuba diving magazine!  It’s because our Local Dive Sites in Ontario are some of the best local scuba diving dive sites anywhere in the world.  Did you know that there are thousands of dive sites including amazing shipwrecks accessible throughout the Great lakes region? The GTA and surrounding areas offer some of the finest shipwrecks, wall dives and shore dives available.

Scuba Diving locally isn’t at all what a lot of people think when they start scuba diving. We often get people asking “What do you guys see here?” They’re shocked when we tell them we have the best diving in the world in Canada, and more specifically the Great Lakes, as many are certified in a shallow quarry boasting 10-40′ visibility. Divers need to expand their diving location choices to maximize their enjoyment and experience.

Many local Scuba Divers prefer diving locally even over warmer tropical locations.  It just requires a little bit more equipment.

Scuba Diving 20′ in a local quarry or river doesn’t yield the same exceptional 100-200′ visibility and amazing blue water and awesome shipwrecks that we are accustomed to and obsess about!

With the right equipment and training diving in locally can keep your skills sharper, your enjoyment higher while offering you a lifetime of amazing diving right in your own backyard.

We have the best shipwrecks, some of the absolutely clearest water in the world, the most amazing geological dives and the most vibrant colours and soft sponges in the world when you dive West and East Coasts. Canadian Diving is the best, but Dive Source also offers a lot of warm water travel too, so don’t worry, we are pleased to offer both trips locally and to exotic warm water and cold water locales.
 

WHY ONTARIO SCUBA DIVING?

The largest fresh-water lakes in the world combined with violent storms and a long shipping history have made for some of the best wreck diving in the world.

Shipwrecks range from 18th century schooners to modern day 700′ freighters and canal lakers, cargo ships and anything in between, as well as some of the best wall diving, world-class drift diving and more.

While we love the exotic trips and travel, nothing gets us as excited as road trips to our favourite local dive sites.  It’s like reacquainting yourself with a loved one you haven’t seen in a while.

Diving in Ontario is a blast, but its the bigger, better, deeper sites that really will help make local diving a lifelong passion.

The great visibility is available on dives usually deeper than 60′, so Open Water Divers need to step up their training and experienced at least Advanced Open Water, so that you can get on shipwrecks like those in Kingston & Tobermory and really see what Canadian diving is about.

We wouldn’t be obsessed with diving if we only had 5-20′ of visibility, so trust us, step up your Dive Source training and lets do some real diving where you can enjoy the best hobby in the world here, there and everywhere.

Active divers who are out on a regular basis diving around here eclipse any down south diver with better trim, posture, buoyancy, awareness and comfort.  Don’t just be a down south diver, it’s fun, but this is exceptional diving at its best!

Dive everywhere you can!  Canada, USA and abroad.  You’ll soon see why we dive every week locally and encourage you to join us for some excellent diving and dive training that is light years ahead of anyone.
 

LOCAL DIVES WITH DIVE SOURCE

Our Local Dive Calendar is always a full menu of great local diving and trips around the area from Lake Ontario, Kingston, Tobermory, Brockviile, and many other awesome local diving spots. The Great Lakes offers shipwrecks for every skill level from Open Water Diver to the most Advanced and Technical Diver

Lake Ontario is a Freshwater Shipwreck Destination and are home to hundreds of Sunken Shipwrecks, many of which have yet to be found. We run trips and charters to other destinations less frequented such as Grand Bend to dive the Wexford,  Penetanguishene to dive the shallower open water shipwrecks of Georgian Bay, Muskoka to dive the great walls and the shipwreck of the Waome and the wrecks of Kingston.

We have local diving charters running on a regular basis through several of our local dive charter providers and we offer group and private charters to many of our guests from out of town, as well as dive clubs.

We also offer weekly dives during the dive season for our Dive Source Dive Zone Club Divers to popular sites around the GTA. Join the always growing group of active and modern progressive Dive Source Divers.

We routinely have divers from Toronto, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, Kitchener, Guelph, London and surrounding areas joining in on the fun along with our Durham Region area Divers, so you get a great mix of divers, especially those looking to do things different and better.

Check back on our website often to keep up to date with our Local Diving Charters and Events. You can also follow us Facebook, & Instagram to see our adventures and keep up to date on what’s happening at Dive Source


LOCAL ONTARIO DIVE SITES

Below is a collection of a few of the many various dive sites that are located in the GTA & Ontario
 

CONESTOGA WRECK SHORE DIVE

     


Depth: 28 feet (at stern)
Current: 1 knot
Entry: Shore entry, slightly downstream from the wreck. From entry follow dive line 25 metres to the wreck site.

Getting to the site:

Follow Regional Road No. 22 (Shanley Rd.) south to Cardinal. Continue straight toward the river, follow the road past the Legion out onto the dirt road on the causeway approximately 1 km. You will see the engine protruding from the water. There is a parking area. Although the wooden portions of the Conestoga are still in good condition, the upper areas are badly ice damaged and all metal is rusted and deteriorating. Conestoga has suffered greatly from looting and wreck-stripping by sport divers. One blade of the 14-foot propeller was broken off by an exploding dynamite charge during an unsucessful salvage attempt.

About the Wreck:

Two hundred fifty-two feet long, sixteen feet deep with a gross tonnage of 1,226, Consetoga was powered by a steeple compound engine capable of a speed of 8 knots. The upper portion of the steeple engine protrudes above the river, marking the site.

She sank on May 22, 1922 outside Lock 28 of the Old Galop Canal, one mile east of Cardinal, Ontario. A fire broke out in the engine room while awaiting passage at the lock. The ship was flushed from the Lock and allowed to ground and sink in her present position. Loss was estimated at $200,000.00. She was carrying 30,000 bushels of wheat, much of which was salvaged.

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