The Great Lakes

The Great Lakes: The Time Capsules of the North

Forget colorful coral—diving the Great Lakes is about traveling back in time. These massive inland seas are arguably the best place on the planet for shipwreck enthusiasts who want to see history exactly as it was left. Because the water is cold, fresh, and salt-free, wooden schooners and steamers from the 1800s are perfectly preserved, often sitting upright with their masts still standing. It’s a haunting, silent world where you explore pristine "museums" on the bottom, free from the decay that eats away at ocean wrecks. This is diving for those who appreciate the eerie, majestic quiet of the sweetwater seas.

Why We Chose This Sticker Design

We wanted to capture the specific, moody atmosphere that defines freshwater diving. We swapped out our usual tropical palette for a spectrum of murkier emerald greens and silt-browns to mimic that distinct low-light visibility of the lakes. The focus of the illustration is the texture of the wooden hull, emphasizing how intact the planking remains underwater. We included a single diver with a beam of light to show scale, highlighting how these massive wooden skeletons loom out of the green gloom to greet you.