Eastcliffe Hall
From DiveSpot
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[edit] Location
In the Saint Lawrence River, offshore from Morrisburg, Ontario, near the Canada/US border.
[edit] Conditions
Current: Strong
Depth: 40'-65'
Visibility: 10'-50'
Water temperature: From 1C (Feb.) to 25C (July)
[edit] Recent Conditions
Sunday September 13th 2009
Current: Quite Strong (Drop into the Hold upon Reaching the Wreck)
Visibility: 25 feet (Good as current wisks accidental bottom silt away)
Water Temp: 21C at 68 Feet. (Still Awesome for Mid September )
Update by "Ivor the Diver"
[edit] Description
This big (350') freighter sank at this location in 1970 after hitting a shoal while carrying a cargo of pig iron. The bow of this wreck points into the swift current. The two buoys at this location are tied off to the starboard side roughly at midship.
Although much of the superstructure was dynamited to eliminate a navigational hazard, most of the wreck is intact below the hull. A typical dive on the Eastcliffe Hall involves drifting back to the stern in the swift current and then swimming through the cargo holds (to hide from the current) to reach the bow. Divers can expect to see lots of twisted metal, bass, and pike.
At the stern divers can see the driveshafts from the twin propellors. The propellors were salvaged by the owners. With proper training and equipment it is possible to penetrate the engine room at the stern, but be aware that there is only one way in or out of this room.
[edit] Access
Access to this site it by boat, leaving from Morrisburg.
[edit] Hazards
Despite its shallow depth, the Eastcliffe is an advanced dive. The current here is very strong and this wreck lies on the edge of the shipping channel. As such there is heavy boat traffic, including freighters. It is important to surface from this wreck along the mooring lines as drifting off the wreck can put divers directly in the shipping channel or in US waters.
