Diving the Bayfield area

[ethanb]

I'd agree with Keith that it's definitely worth using SCUBA to see the McCool.  It's mostly fairly shallow (5-20 feet), but there's plenty of swim-throughs and even a compartment you can stick your head inside.  There's tons of gears and winches and other hardware.  You can easily spend an hour on it and still be noticing interesting mechanical stuff by the end of the dive.  It's also fun watching the kayakers paddle over you.  Don't be deterred by the difficulty of getting to it - just park in the junkyard (don't block the way and don't get stuck in the mud) and you're 30 feet from the water. 

The outfitter Jon mentions is probably "Trek and Trail" () and they are indeed great.  I did the three-day "Paddle Through Time" trip with them years ago and it was really a wonderful experience.  I think they have a day trip that visits some of the wrecks. Even if you've never been paddling before, it's a great operation to go with.

Another interesting place to dive is the sea caves on the west side.  They're only accessible by boat (we did it via canoe - it's about a 45 minute paddle in a loaded canoe), but it's amazing scenery, above and below water.  Here you can have a fun time surprising the kayakers by swimming out of the caves and purging your regulator under their boat.

There's also a sunken car, just off the ferry pier in downtown Bayfield.  I don't exactly remember how you find it, but I think you can walk along the rocks to the right of the pier (just to the left of a marina) until you see a line tied to one of the rocks, a foot or so underwater.  It runs out to the car - it's about 60 feet deep (cold!) and maybe 100 feet offshore.

Ethan