Snorkeling, Scuba Diving and Shipwrecks

Great history lurks below; So, lets go diving! French voyageurs called Lake Huron "la mer douce" (the sweet sea), but that doesn't always reflect its temperament, especially near Alpena. There, an estimated 200 vessels, from an 1844 sidewheel steamer to modern freighters, rest in "Shipwreck Alley." Thanks to Lake Huron's cold water, many remain largely intact.

The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary protects 116 of the wrecks in a 448-square-mile area. Scuba divers have long explored the site. And because some of the ships are in water less than 20 feet deep, the area also is attracting snorkelers (you can rent gear at Thunder Bay Scuba).

Wetsuits aren't required at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, where visitors can explore shipwrecks via live video feeds. The center, also headquarters for the Marine Sanctuary, hosts exhibits and programming about maritime history on the inland seas, and is home to an archaeological conservation lab that works to preserve shipwrecks.

Michigan has a number of other underwater preserve sites that welcome divers. Click the list below for a site near your next Pure Michigan getaway.

• Alger Underwater Preserve 
• DeTour Passage Underwater Preserve 
• Keweenaw Underwater Preserve 
• Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve 
• Marquette Underwater Preserve 
• Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve 
• Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve 
• Straits of Mackinac Underwater Preserve 
• Thumb Area Bottomland Preserve 
• Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve 
• Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve