Things to do / Travel Guide
With so many waterways in northern New York, scuba diving is an excellent way to soak up many diverse wonders below the surface. Several companies operate scuba tours and lessons for both certified and uncertified divers, especially during the summer months (generally April-September). Diving has become particularly popular in northern New York due to the numerous sunken ships lying along the bottom of its lakes, making it a treat for divers with a penchant for diving around historical sites and wreckage.
Scuba Diving in Lake George
The 32-mile long Lake George offers some of northern New York's best areas for scuba diving, with its fresh waters and sunken bateaux (flat-bottomed boats) lying along the bottom. Several tour companies in and around Lake George take visitors on guided scuba diving tours, providing the necessary equipment for your scuba adventure to these historical wreckage sites.
Along the bottom of Lake George lays a fleet of approximately 260 ships. These ships where deliberately sunk by the British and the American Colonists in 1758, during the French and Indian War. When Lake George froze over in the winter, the ships could not be used. Instead of having them sit defenseless on the frozen lake, the British and Americans deliberately sunk their ships to prevent the French and Native Americans from destroying them. In 1759, the British returned to Lake George and pulled out close to 200 of them. In 1960, two teenage scuba divers discovered several other remaining bateaux, which no one realized still existed. Another ship, the 52-foot “Land Tortoise,” was discovered in 1990 and was designated by the Smithsonian Institution as North America's oldest intact warship. The “Land Tortoise,” is off-limits to divers, but the Shipwreck Preserve is open to divers from Memorial Day-September.
Due to the historical significance of the ships in Lake George, some areas require diving permits. Water temperature in Lake George in the summer can get up into the 70s, but the deeper you go, the colder it'll get. Scuba diving gear, air fills, and a dive charter can be rented from Morin's Dive Center in Glens Falls. Air fills are also available at Northern Lake George Resort, located near Hague, New York.
Scuba Diving in the Thousand Islands Area
The Thousand Islands area of northern New York makes for an interesting scuba diving spot thanks to the shipwrecks found along the floor of the St. Lawrence River. The wreckage in the Thousand Islands dates back to the 1700s, and visibility is up to 100 feet. The strong currents in these waters mean that you should go with a guide. The best time to go scuba diving in the Thousand Islands area is during the summer months, when water temperatures reach the mid- to upper 70s at up to 100 feet below the surface. May, June, September, October, and November also offer good diving opportunities with less boat traffic which means calmer waters. In the winter the majority of the St. Lawrence River freezes over, so take proper precautions if you plan on going for a dive. The 1000 Islands Diving Adventures in Clayton, New York, offers supervised dives as well as three- to four-day diving trips, including shore artifact, geological, and ecological dives. Hunt's Dive Shop in Alexandria Bay provides scuba diving services and equipment, while Thousand Island Dive Excursions offers night dives as well.
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