Lake Erie Mooring Status
The 2022 dive season is off to a good start. On May 8th & 9th Cris Corfield and my self along with divers Jordan Eastman, Trent Zawaly (NDA) and Matt Mandziuk (Dan's Dive Shop) were able to inspect, clean or replace lines and deploy all six of our Lake Erie Moorings using Rick Laymer's (River Dive Charters) boat.
On May 14th Rick Lymer (Rivers Dive Charters) again supplied his boat and Trent Zawaly and myself (NDA) along with Chris Foisey (Dan's Dive Shop) deployed the "Tiller Wreck" buoy complete with new line off Port Dalhousie.
October 10th Rick Lymer supplied his boat for an early morning run before a Dan's Dive Shop charter. Trent Zawaly and myself removed the Tiller Buoy for the winter season.
On October 23, Spencer Shoniker, Jordan Eastman and Matt Mandzuick joined Rick Lymer(River Dive Charters) to pull the last remaining buoys off Lake Eire. All seven of our Buoys are now o shore for the winter season.
For those interested, we maintain an email list to keep
everyone updated on status and changes. If you would like to be added
to the list, send a request to mooring@niagaradivers.com.
Ian Marshall
Chairman- Lake Erie (Eastern Basin) Mooring Project
ian@niagaradivers.com
Navigation Warnings (Notice to Mariners)
- NW-C-1859-22
Lake Erie - East end - Charts 2120, 14838 Orange and white mooring
buoy marked "PRIV"
placed in position 42 39.288N 079 28.597W marking the shipwreck
"Carlingford". Buoy is equipped with flashing amber light FL4s
and Radar reflector. Buoy removed for winter season Oct.
23/22
- NW-C-1860-22 Lake Erie - East end - Chart 2120, 14838 Orange
and white mooring buoy marked "PRIV" placed in position 42 40.076N 079
23.780W marking an unidentified shipwreck commonly known as the
"Stonewreck" (formally thought to be the "JD McGrath"). Buoy is
equipped with flashing amber light FL4s and Radar reflector. Buoy removed for winter season Oct.
23/22
-
NW-C-1861-22Lake Erie - East end - Charts 2120, 14823 Privately maintained orange and white mooring buoy marking the shipwreck "George Finnie" in position: 42° 40.087'N 079° 36.250'W . Buoy is equipped with flashing amber light FL4s and radar reflector. Buoy removed for winter season Oct. 23/22
- NW-C-1862-22 Lake Erie -East End - Charts
2120, 14822 Orange and
white
mooring buoy marked "PRIV" placed in position 42 51.926N 079 09.254W
marking the shipwreck "Raleigh". Buoy is equipped with flashing amber
light FL4s and Radar reflector. Buoy removed for winter season Oct.
23/22
- NW-C-1863-22 Lake
Erie - East end - Chart 2120, 14838
Orange and white mooring buoy marked "PRIV" placed in position 42
46.262N 079 14.609W marking the shipwreck "CB Benson". Buoy is
equipped with flashing amber light FL4s and Radar reflector. Buoy removed for winter season Oct.
23/22
- NW-C-1864-22 Lake Erie - East End -Charts 2120, 14838 Orange and white mooring buoy
marked "PRIV" placed in position 42 44.310N / 079 36.258W marking the
shipwreck "Niagara". Buoy is equipped with flashing amber light FL4s
and Radar reflector. Buoy removed for winter season Oct.
23/22
- NW-C-1767-22 Lake Ontario - West end- Chart 2077 Privately maintained orange and white mooring buoy marking an unidentified shipwreck designated "Tiller"in position: 43 14.769N 79 17.075W. Buoy is equipped with flashing amber light FL4s and radar reflector. Buoy removed for winter season Oct. 10/22
Please!!
If you notice a problem with any of the moorings listed above,
please notify Niagara
Divers' Association so we may update the
list and perform any repairs.
As many of you may be aware, the Niagara Divers’ Association has been involved in mooring shipwrecks in Lake Erie’s Eastern Basin for several years. We have been installing concrete blocks, chain, line and floats on shipwrecks in both the US and Canadian waters. Although we had plans to manufacture approved buoys, we had held off due to lack of funds. At Shipwrecks/2002, Save Ontario Shipwrecks stated that they may be able to help in the near future. They later donated two buoys that year.
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In the fall of 2002, SOS announced they had
received a $21,000.00 Trillium Fund Grant to allow them to moor 50
shipwrecks in the province of Ontario. At the February 4, 2003 monthly
NDA meeting, guest speaker Jim Friend of SOS announced that the NDA
would be receiving five more buoys for Coast Guard approved sites in
Lake Erie, bringing us up to a total of seven. All seven buoys
were installed in May/ June 2003. Over the years we have had to
replace all of these medium duty buoys, as they do not hold up well to
the rigours of open lake waters. For the 2009 season we tested
two heavier duty "GDI 0.25 Buoys" which held up very well.
By the end of 2009 three more of the original style smaller buoys were
in need of replacing and a decision was made to order five more of the
new "GDI 0.25" style to be put out for the 2010 season. These new buoys
all have internal radar reflectors and solar lights. The few medium
duty buoys we have remaining will be kept to be used as spares. The
buoys were received and put out during the 2010 season. In 2011 we had
a group purchase with SOS of the larger 0.30 GDI buoy which is now
installed on the Port Dlhousie "Tiller Wreck" and Lake Erie's "Niagara"
wrecks.
Original
SOS Medium Duty Buoy![]() |
GDI 0.25 Buoy |
GDI 0.30 Buoy
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It is the responsibility of the NDA to properly install in the spring, maintain and remove each fall. We also notify the Coast Guard’s “Notice to Mariners” as to the status of the buoys.
The above chart shows the shipwrecks on which we have placed moorings. The targets represent shipwrecks with line and small floats. The small ships represent the Canadian Coast Guard approved sites with concrete block anchors and buoy moorings.