Door County Shipwreck Diving - Dive Diva Charters

[captkathy]

Hello Divers!
An update is long overdue!  With the snowstorm forecasted for tomorrow, I'm working overtime to get ready to head down to Florida.  As some of you know, I stayed in Door County last winter.  My first Wisconsin winter in seven years!  Of course it was the snowiest on record.  You can blame me for that.  So I'm going to do all of you non-snow lovers a favor and get out!  I'll be heading down to Ft. Lauderdale again to look for work on a private yacht.  So during the winter, the best way to reach me is by email.

As for last season, well, it wasn't as good as I hoped.  Understandable though, as we all faced some tough times with gas prices, economy, and weather (we didn't even have spring!)  But I'm shaking last season off and will be back at it in May!  So plan your dive dates and get in touch!  As before, I still offer air fills on a call ahead basis for the public, and for my charters.

Of course, one of the things that hurt my season was the closing of the Shoreline Resort.  I'm going to do a very quick summary of the situation to keep this post short, but if anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me.  Last April, the bank took over the resort. (Jim Robinson still does sightseeing cruises onboard "The Shoreline" in Sister Bay.)  While they allowed us boats in the marina, they did not open the motel.  Finally, in July a group of investors bought the property and we reopened in late July.  All of us that previously worked there were welcomed back, as were the charter boats.  The new owners plan to operate the motel for 3-5 years, and then assess things and decide if they'll develop more or keep operating.  They're very nice people and want to have a good relationship with the fishing charter and myself.  So that was a huge relief for us and for Gills Rock!

Just a reminder, I am willing to put together open charters.  Unfortunately, last season I wasn't able to get too many put together, which I know disappointed some divers.  But hopefully we'll all be doing more diving next season, so maybe I can get more of those out.  So if you're not coming w/ a group, but want to do some diving, let me know!  I'll try hard to get you out!  Of course, if you do have a group, I'd love to get you out also.

Even though we didn't have great weather last summer, when we did get out, we made lots of runs to the E.R. Williams, the Roen Barge, and the recently refound Roen Tug.  The groups that dove the tug loved it!  In about 105 ft of water, it sits upright and intact.  While she's a small wreck, it has lots of interesting features.  The engine hatch is open, so you can look right in at it.  It still has it's rudder and prop, and you can even reach in and steer it's wooden-spoked shipswheel.

So I'll be back at it this summer!  If you're interested in seeing some of the fantastic shipwrecks in Door County and Upper Michigan, give me a call!

Happy Diving,
Kathy