Chicago is the seat of Cook County, Illinois, USA. It is the third most populous city in the US and the most populous city in both the American Midwest and Illinois. Nicknamed as The Second City or Windy City, Chicago is situated on the southeastern shores of Lake Michigan, in the northeastern Illinois.
One very popular activity near Chicago in the shared by 4 states Lake Michigan is scuba diving. In Illinois many spots are available for this thrilling sport. If you are interested in bio scuba diving, think again before you visit this spot, as the bio life is poor.
The big attraction in this area is a wreck that was mysteriously led to the bottom of Lake Michigan on 20/12/1986. This 200 gross ton ship is now a reason to visit Chicago and the inland sea that surrounds it. The ship was named St. Mary and the specific spot got its name after it.
The only way to reach the spot is by boat, on a trip that lasts more than 30 minutes and while the spot is very hard to find, it is suggested to have some kind of GPS device. If you have no previous diving experience, you should reconsider diving here, as the level of experience for this particular area is CMAS **/ AOW.
There are no currents in the area and you will dive at a depth that ranges between the average of 115.2 ft/35.1 m to the maximum depth of 120.1 ft/36.6 m. The visibility is excellent, so you will observe this beautiful wreck in its entire glory.
The general dive site quality is good and in combination with all the above makes St. Mary a perfect wreck diving destination.
