Superior Trips 2023 Season Schedule
                                                                                                     Updated 3/9/2023

The 2023 calendar is the tentative schedule for the season.  I have retired from running scuba charters and Isle Royale Trips.  I am eight years into now an eight year voyage to circum-navigate the Great Lakes.  In 2016 we circum-navigated Lake Superior and in 2017 we cruised across Lake Superior and zig-zagged through Lake Huron and crossed half way across Lake Erie.  In 2018 we made a loop starting at Fairport Harbor, OH through Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, up the St. Lawrence 30 miles then through the Trent Seaverns Waterway to Georgian Bay then back down Lake Huron west shore and back to Fairport Harbor.  In 2019 we again looped through Lake Erie, Lake Ontario then directly to the Trent Seaverns to Lake Huron.  We crossed Georgian Bay and North Channel then looped around Lake Michigan only missing the northwest corner then directly back to Fairport Harbor via Lake Huron's west shore. In 2020 due to Covid and the closing of the Canadian border we cruised west through Lake Erie, up the Detroit River through Lake Huron then looping around the northern half of Lake Michigan then directly back to Lake Erie for the winter. The boat again wintered in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. In 2021 again due to Covid and the closing of the Canadian border we cruised west through Lake Erie, up the Detroit River through Lake Huron then into Lake Superior, Whitefish Bay then back to the Straits and looped around the northern half of Lake Michigan then the Straits and directly back to Lake Erie for the winter. The boat again wintered in Fairport Harbor, Ohio.

In 2022 we were on all five Great Lakes. We crossed Lake Erie eastward, to go through the Welland Canal, spent a week in the area since the Hamilton & Scourge Monitoring Project was cancelled due to insurance then headed across the the north shore of Lake Ontario diving around the Picton peninsula then to Kingston.  We cruised through the Trent Severn Waterway back to Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and Tobermory then down the east shore of Lake Huron to the Thumb for a week. From there I cruised directly to Alpena, Cheboygan through the Straits to Lake Michigan, back to the Straits and back to Lake Superior Whitefish Bay diving along the way. I decided to return to Lake Erie at the end of the season for one final shot at doing the Hamilton Scourge Project in 2023. We did 57 photogrammetry model dives along the way.

In 2023 we will cruise east to the Welland Canal. If the Hamilton Scourge Project can be done we will spend two weeks there then go back through the Welland Canal and take a week crossing northern Lake Erie diving and hunting along the way. If there is not HS project I will spend the extra time diving and hunting on Lake Erie. I will then cruise up the Detroit and St Clair River to Lake Huron and spend time at the Thumb then cross to Lake Huron's east shore and back to Tobermory and Georgian Bay through the North Channel to Cheboygan and Straits. From there we will work our way down the east shore of Lake Michigan as far as the Manitou Area then back to the Straits and Detour. After a week or two in the Detour area we will go through the St Mary's to Whitefish. From Whitefish we will cruise and dive along Superior's south shore to the Keewenaw with stops at Munising and Huron Islands. In the Keewenaw we will mostly be out of Eagle Harbor until making our way back to the Apostles. We will spend our time doing what we all love doing--diving, fishing, sight-seeing, and shipwreck hunting along the way. We will also make a concerted effort to photograph and make photogrammetry models of as many shipwrecks as possible along the way.  My goal is to do thirty to fifty models again this summer.   All trips listed are "split expenses" and typically cost around $300 to $400 per week depending on gas prices.  You may sign up for them by emailing me at info@superiortrips.com or calling evenings at my phone listed on the home page.  On some of the longer trips you can go for part of the trip if we can work out the ride logistics. Right now the plan is rough and I am looking for input on what you want to do on each week of the trip.  All "split expenses weekends" are subject to change and reserving a spot does not require a deposit and should in no way be construed as a charter reservation commitment.  The list of people signed up for each week is at the bottom of the page. Since at this time it is unclear whether there will be a Hamilton Scourge Project I have listed two options of the May and June months -- one with and one without the project.

May 2023 w/HS Project

May 2023 Alternate without HS Project

June 2023 w/HS Project

June 2023 Alternate w/o HS Project

July 2023

August 2023

September 2023

October 2023

Tentative Circum-Navigation Plans 
Trip Descriptions 
Split Expenses Trips Planned for 2023.               

Cruise to St Catharines (May 20 - May25) -  This will be a five-day trip.  We will leave Fairport Harbor on good weather, cruise via the search area of the Marquette & Bessemer II doing a few passes of searching then to Erie PA.  On a good weather day we will cross to Port Colborne go through the Welland Canal to St. Catharines. (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Hamilton Scourge Project (May 27 - June 3) -  This will be a two week ROV and dive monitoring project by invitation only and roster is already set. (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Hamilton Scourge Project (June 4 - June 11) -  This will be a two week ROV and dive monitoring project by invitation only and roster is already set. (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Cruise Welland Canal N Shore L Erie (June 12 - June 18) -  This will be a one week trip starting at St Catharines, Ontario through the Welland to Lake Erie then across the north shore of Lake Erie to the Detroit River diving some of the Long Point wrecks. Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

 Detroit River to Harbor Beach (June 19 - June 23) -  This will be a five day move the boat trip with hopefully a few photogrammetry dives along the way in the Port Sanilac Preserve area. Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Thumb Diving (June 24-July 3) -    This will be an ten day dive trip starting the week before the July 4 weekend diving as many of the Thumb dives as possible.  (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

 Shipwreck hunt for Asia with stops at Byng Inlet and then back through North Channel(July 4-July 15) - I will likely cruise the boat solo from the Thumb to Tobermory then you can join me from there or meet in Parry Sound. This will be a week of shipwreck hunting when weather permits and sight-seeing on the remote Georgian Bay north shore.  It will start at Tobermory or Parry Sound and end at Cheboygan.  Of course this search is dependent on being granted a search license. (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Straits to Manitou  (July 16-July 22) -    This will be two weeks of diving and shipwreck hunting Lake Michigan's east shore from the Straits to Manitou including the Westmoreland area then back. You can join and leave anywhere along the route subject to vehicle shuttling. This is the Straits to Manitou (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Manitou to Straits (July 23-July 29) -    This will be a week of diving Lake Michigan's east shore from the Manitou back to Straits including the Westmoreland area. You can join and leave anywhere along the route subject to vehicle shuttling. (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

 Cruise and Dive Detour Area  (July 30-August 12) -   This will be two weeks of diving all of the wrecks in the Detour area including the Celtic and Russia but many shallow wrecks in the river and inlets. I will likely bring the boat from the Straits to Detour solo although if I have someone to go along we could do the deeper wrecks off Cheboygan.  (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Whitefish Bay (Aug 13 - Aug 19) - This trip will start at the Soo and do the Mather then we will cruise the boat to Paradise where we will spend the rest of the week diving the other wrecks Comet, maybe Zillah, and Vienna in Whitefish. We will be doing both tek and recreational diving mostly doing photogrammetry but you can dive as you want. (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Whitefish Bay (Aug 14 - Aug 20) - This trip will start at the Paradise and work our way to Grand Marias. We will be doing both tek and recreational diving mostly doing photogrammetry. You can also just do your thing diving. (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Lake Superior South Shore Grand Marias to Munising (Aug 20-Aug 26) - We will cruise and dive from Grand Marias to Munising diving and cruising. This will be recreational diving only. (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Lake Superior South Shore Munising to Big Bay (Aug 27-Sept 2) - We will cruise and dive from Munising, Marquette and the Huron Is. diving and cruising. This will be recreational diving only. We will have to backtrack a little but will end up at Big Bay (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

Keewenaw Peninsula (Sept 3-Sept 14) - We will cruise from Big Bay to Lac La Belle diving the Mesquite and Langham then on to Copper Harbor. We will spend likely two weeks shipwreck hunting, camera bouncing and diving a few of the shallow wrecks in the Keewenaw area.  (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster

 Apostles (Sept 15 - 30) -  We will likely spend the last two or three weeks in the Apostle Islands diving and doing photogrammetry and maybe some shipwreck hunting before heading back to Knife River. (Back to Calendar)
Current Roster