lake michigan water temp - in summer???

[mud_diver]

Wondering if some of you could look in your logbooks and tell me what the water temp was on some of your dives in lake Michigan, especially at the wreck sites. Here's the deal - 50 degrees is the absolute coldest I can stand for any period of time. When is the water above 50 degrees at depth?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Swimjim]

Until about August low forties at depth.  I start diving when the ice goes out in March and I'm greeted by mid thirites.  You'll get mid thirties into June sometimes if the conditions are right.  After August and into october you will sometimes get bottom temps into the fifties.  I remember diving the Carferry Milwaukee one october day when the surface temp was forty two and the bottom temp was fifty. Generally speaking you'll want a 7MM wetsuit for any kind of diving in Lake Michigan.  I dove one for many years.  In the end, its best to cough up the cash for a dry suit and be done with it.  That makes your surface intervals a lot more comfortable too.

Jim

[FreediveWI]

August is when you want to go.

I've had 74 degrees inside the break wall doing training dives and 69 outside the wall on the wrecks- down to 100'+.

The big factor is wind. If you go in after a big eastrly blow you get all that warm surface water coming in from across the lake. It builds up on this side of the lake and pushes the thermocline down deeper.

There have been plenty of dives where Jerry and I were diving in our swimsuits on the Willy, Wisconsin, Norland, #6 Dredge and others in the Milwauke area - and south.

Pick and choose your times carefully and you'll be fine. 8)

For some reason the water is always cold off of Port Washington. ??? We could be diving swimsuits in Milwaukee on a Wednesday night charter and end up wearing a drysuit for a weekend dive on the Niagra- go figure?

A 6/7mm suit is needed and a drysuit is always the best bet if you want to do any amount of diving here at all. If you must have warm water temps I've gotten 82 degrees in the local lakes, during July and August, many times.

If you get into any of the "bay" areas water temps go way up- just like on the inside of the breakwall. Try up in Door County or over in some place like Tobermory.

One last thing to keep in mind with the warmer temps- vis goes down, somtimes WAY down.

Jon