In Search Of The Monarch

Going back to the spot where I took my open water course usually means the chance for a couple dives. This weekend the goal was to hit the Monarch. This was a tug that sank in the current at the mouth of the St Clair river, Sarnia. It is an enjoyable dive but there is the current. The current here has been known to pull off your mask or push you into the US, so diving this wreck is definitely a challenge. Usually this wreck has a chain going to it or a line. Upon getting in the water we found the remains of both chain and line but they did not lead to the wreck in 58 feet of water. Never wanting to lose out on an enjoyable dive we continued on to a debris field in front of a casino that use to be a Canadian Steamship line dock. Here all three divers managed to find remains and debris. After spending one hour in the water we came ashore to check out the parts of the plates we had found. My highlight was finding a piece that actually did say Canadian Steam Ship Lines. The visibility on this day was not terrible good in the range of 10 feet but the water temperature was a very comfortable 72f/22.5C.