Is Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 4 of the 10 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Marine Museum (barge & marine railway), HMS Prince Regent (Deadman Bay) and HMS Princess Charlotte (Deadman Bay). The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks?

The water is usually between 4 °C and 18 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks?

Divers regularly see freshwater fish.

Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks

Diving in Canada

10 documented dive sites, 4 of them for Open Water divers.

Best months: May–Oct
Water: 4–18 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
Nearest airport: YGK
One dive: €32–51

When to go

Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.

Pick a month

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks in November

Possible

Air: 8 °C; 1 °C at night
Rain: 80 mm; one of the driest months
Wind: 15 km/h; on average

Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.

Compare with another destination

Season mainly May–Oct, in cold water. Visibility can reach 60–80 ft in spring and fall, and May is called the best month for visibility on the Kingston wrecks. The Wolfe Islander II is not accessible in winter because of ice.

Source: deeperblue.com

Dive sites in Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks

From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m4 sites

Wreck

down to 15 m

Marine Museum (barge & marine railway)

Walk-in shore dive from a ramp to an old barge, an iron pier and sunken cars at 11–15 m, a Kingston spot to practise or test gear.

Open Water

Wreck

down to 9 m

HMS Prince Regent (Deadman Bay)

A War of 1812 warship and National Historic Site in Deadman Bay, in under 10 m of water.

Open Water

Wreck

down to 2 m

HMS Princess Charlotte (Deadman Bay)

A War of 1812 warship wreck under eight feet of water, one of three shallow 1812 wrecks near Kingston that can be snorkelled.

Open Water

Wreck

down to 17 m

Aloha & Effie Mae

Open Water

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m4 sites

Wreck

down to 26 m

Wolfe Islander II

A former Kingston–Wolfe Island car ferry sunk in 1985, sitting with its top at 12 m and its car deck at 18 m.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 27 m

Comet

A paddle steamer wreck where fish swarm around its massive 32-foot paddle wheel.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 23 m

Cornwall

An upright wreck in 21 m of water in the Amherst Island ship graveyard, taken out to be scuttled near Christmas 1930.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 26 m

George A. Marsh

A schooner wreck resting upright and very intact in roughly 80 ft (24 m) of Lake Ontario water.

Advanced

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m2 sites

Wreck

down to 37 m

Munson

A dredge wreck a 5-minute ride from shore, with lots of swim-throughs and visibility below 60 ft typically excellent in summer.

Experienced

Wreck

down to 32 m

City of Sheboygan

An 1871 three-masted schooner lying almost completely intact in 95 ft (29 m) of water.

Experienced

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Reported here, season not documented yet:

Freshwater fish

What diving costs here

Here a dive costs between €32 and €51, a try dive €109 and an Open Water course €606, depending on the dive centres we checked.

One dive (certified diver)packages counted per dive: €32–512 centres
Try dive: €1091 centre
Open Water course: €6061 centre

The cheapest and the most expensive of the dive centres we checked, from the prices on their own websites in October 2026. Prices change: confirm with the centre before booking.

Some clubs also require a club licence or insurance to dive.

Some prices exclude local taxes or service charges.

Converted to euros at the ECB reference rate of 30 October 2026; for currencies the ECB does not publish, the official rate of the country's central bank.

Sources (4)

Where is Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Kingston (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Nearest airport: YGK

Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks: frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks?: The best months to dive Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks are May–Oct. Season mainly May–Oct, in cold water. Visibility can reach 60–80 ft in spring and fall, and May is called the best month for visibility on the Kingston wrecks. The Wolfe Islander II is not accessible in winter because of ice.
Is Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 4 of the 10 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Marine Museum (barge & marine railway), HMS Prince Regent (Deadman Bay) and HMS Princess Charlotte (Deadman Bay). The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks?: The water is usually between 4 °C and 18 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks?: Divers regularly see freshwater fish.
How do you dive Kingston & Lake Ontario wrecks?: The nearest airport is YGK.

About this page

Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash