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NBM Dive Site Resource

Basswood Island Historic Dock

Bayfield, Wisconsin, United States

Basswood Island Historic Dock is a documented Apostle Islands dive site listed by the National Park Service, with published depth information of 4–25 ft.

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Historic Picture Placeholder

Old-fashioned maritime line drawing reserved for a future historic photograph
Historic Picture PlaceholderHistoric photograph pending research and rights review
WaterFreshwater
AccessBoat or site-specific access; verify current local requirements.
ExperienceVaries with conditions; cold-water and overhead-specific training may be required.
Maximum depth4–25 ft
Best seasonSeasonal Great Lakes diving; verify current conditions.
VisibilityVisibility varies

Aquatic life at this dive site

What divers may encounter

Three reviewed connections are featured here. Sightings vary by season, conditions, and chance, so they are never guaranteed.

Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) — photograph
Likely shallow-structure encounter

Smallmouth Bass

Micropterus dolomieu

The National Park Service places the historic Basswood dock cribs in 4 to 25 feet of water and lists smallmouth bass in the Apostle Islands fish community. Divers are most likely to see them around timber, stone, and nearby rocky cover.

Eric Engbretson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) — photograph
Possible cold-water encounter

Lake Whitefish

Coregonus clupeaformis

Lake whitefish maintain viable populations around the Apostle Islands. A fish may pass the dock cribs or nearby bottom when water is cold, but seasonal temperature and shallow depth make sightings variable.

Seb951

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Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) — photograph
Seasonal nearshore encounter

Lake Trout

Salvelinus namaycush

The National Park Service reports lake trout near Apostle Islands shorelines during cooler spring and fall periods. At the shallow historic dock, an encounter is most plausible when nearshore water temperatures are favorable.

Knepp Timothy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Site media

Photographs

Three views rotate from the published gallery on each visit.
Illustrated scuba diver reserved for a future dive-site photograph
Dive Photograph PlaceholderDive-site photograph pending
Illustrated scuba diver reserved for a future dive-site photograph
Dive Photograph PlaceholderDive-site photograph pending
Illustrated scuba diver reserved for a future dive-site photograph
Dive Photograph PlaceholderDive-site photograph pending

Contributor media

Dive videos

Three featured video positions are reserved on every profile.
Dive-site video pending
Dive-site video pending
Dive-site video pending

Recent field observations

Diver-reported temperatures

Automatically checked observations from dives during the past 14 days. Three reports are visible at a time; scroll for more.
Automatically checked
No recent diver reports from the past 14 days

A report that passes the automatic checks will appear here with the dive date, diver’s display name, and temperatures at each depth.

Reports are automatically checked for plausible dates, depths, and temperatures. They are observations, not forecasts; confirm conditions before diving.

Diver field observation

Report temperatures

Reports publish automatically when the date, depths, and temperatures pass the checks. You must be signed in to submit.

Depth readings

Why divers know this place

Highlights

National Park Service documented Apostle Islands dive site.

Regional context

Located within

Dive AreaApostle Islands Dive AreaBayfield, Wisconsin

Inventory source: Diving at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

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Before you arrive

Access notes

National Park Service area; confirm access rules, lake conditions, weather and any permit or vessel requirements before departure.

Plan within your training

Conditions and hazards

Cold water, rapidly changing Lake Superior weather, waves, current, low visibility and site-specific overhead or wreck hazards.

Independent resource notice

This record is a starting point for independent verification. Access, closures, moorings, weather, currents, depth, visibility, operator availability, and site conditions can change without notice. Confirm current information with the responsible operator, property owner, managing authority, or another qualified local source before planning or attempting a dive.