FullyTek Dive Charters
Great Lakes wreck diving, run by divers who know these wrecks first-hand.
FullyTek Charters is owned and operated by Greg and Allisha Hilliard, accomplished deep rebreather divers with decades of combined experience exploring Great Lakes shipwrecks. Greg took part in the first photographic documentation dives on the SS Manasoo in July 2018, just days after the wreck’s discovery in Georgian Bay.
That same standard of preparation and respect for the wrecks carries into every charter we run. From Port Franks on Lake Huron, we run recreational charters to the Wexford, the steel steamer lost with all hands in the Great Storm of 1913. From Big Bay near Wiarton, we run technical charters into Georgian Bay to deep wrecks like the Manasoo, the J.H. Jones, and the Jane Miller. We also tow north to the North Channel for the Northwind, and east to Picton for weekend trips on the wrecks of Lake Ontario’s Point Traverse.
Technical Dive Charters
Our technical charters run from Big Bay near Wiarton to the deep wrecks of Georgian Bay, including the Manasoo at 210 feet (64 metres), the J.H. Jones at 175 feet, and the Jane Miller. These dives require normoxic trimix at minimum and the ability to dive in challenging conditions. A protected site agreement is required for the Manasoo.
Recreational Dive Charters
A short run from Port Franks puts you on the Wexford, a 250-foot steel steamer sitting upright in 75 feet of water and one of the most significant wrecks of the Great Storm of 1913. We also run weekend trips to Lake Ontario’s Point Traverse and to the Northwind in the North Channel. Advanced Open Water or equivalent recommended for most sites.
Private Commercial Work
Full-boat private charters for film crews, survey teams, and documentation projects. We have supported photographic and exploration work on newly discovered wrecks and are equipped for multi-day operations across the Great Lakes. Tell us what you need and we will build the day around it.
Georgian Bay: cold, clear, and deep
The deep wrecks of Georgian Bay are among the best-preserved shipwrecks in the world. Cold fresh water and depth have left vessels like the Manasoo standing largely intact on the bottom in 210 feet of water, with the wheel, rigging, and cargo still in place nearly a century after she foundered. The J.H. Jones, lost in 1906 off Cape Croker, sits upright at 175 feet a short run away. The Jane Miller, a smaller wooden steamer lost in Colpoy’s Bay in 1881, rounds out the program. Michael MacDonald of Advanced Diver Magazine lists the Manasoo among his top ten Great Lakes wrecks and recommends FullyTek as his operator of choice for diving it.
These are serious dives in a remote setting. We run them with the planning, gas, and surface support they deserve.
Lake Huron
The Wexford, a 250-foot steel steamer that went down with all hands in the Great Storm of November 1913, sits within an easy run from our Port Franks departure point. She is largely intact, sits upright in 75 feet of water, and is well within recreational depths. Divers often call her the Jungle Gym for the open hatches, exposed decks, and rooms still waiting to be explored.
The November 1913 storm, often called the White Hurricane, sank or stranded dozens of vessels across the lakes in a single weekend and claimed more than 250 lives. Several of those wrecks lie in our local waters, and we visit them regularly.
For divers willing to travel farther north, we also run annual trips to Manitoulin Island to dive the Northwind, a steamer lost in 1926 in the North Channel and now sitting nearly intact between 80 and 110 feet.
Lake Ontario: the wrecks of Point Traverse
Four hours east of Toronto, Prince Edward County and Point Traverse offer some of the finest shipwreck diving in eastern Lake Ontario. The cold fresh water has preserved a remarkable collection of intact wooden ships from a bygone era. We tow the boat east for weekend trips out of Picton, with two days of diving and accommodations included.
Sites include the City of Sheboygan, the schooner Katie Eccles, the tug Frontenac, the Annie Falconer, and the Olive Branch. Weather permitting, Saturday includes a lunch stop at Main Duck Island, ten miles offshore and largely untouched by time.
Trips are limited to eight divers. Advanced Open Water or equivalent required.
