NBM Dive Site Resource
Corsair
Offshore Lake Huron, Michigan, United States
TECHNICAL DIVE ONLY — Corsair is a Lake Huron shipwreck documented by NOAA at 182 ft / 55 m. This depth exceeds recreational limits and requires appropriate technical and decompression training.
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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.
Lake Trout
Salvelinus namaycushCorsair rests in about 182 feet of Lake Huron water. NOAA documents lake trout in the sanctuary fish community, making a passing deep-water encounter plausible around the wreck.
Knepp Timothy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceOpen Aquatic Life Profile →
Lake Whitefish
Coregonus clupeaformisNOAA documents lake whitefish in Lake Huron. At this deep wreck, a sighting is most plausible close to the hull or surrounding bottom when seasonal movement and temperature align.
Seb951Open Aquatic Life Profile →
Burbot
Lota lotaNOAA reports that burbot often appear at deeper Lake Huron shipwrecks. Divers should look along shaded structure and the lakebed without disturbing the site.
USFWS Mountain-PrairieOpen Aquatic Life Profile →
Site media
Photographs
Three views rotate from the published gallery on each visit.
Contributor media
Dive videos
Three featured video positions are reserved on every profile.Published reference location
Location map
The marker shows the public coordinates associated with this profile. Confirm current access, moorings, and departure details before the dive.Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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.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.
Why divers know this place
Highlights
NOAA-documented Great Lakes wreck: Sail: Two-masted schooner; 134 Feet.
Shipwreck-only module
The wreck
This section appears only on shipwreck records and brings the vessel, its loss, present condition, access, and responsible wreck-diving considerations into one place.
- Vessel type
- Sail: Two-masted schooner
- Vessel length
- 134 Feet
History and significance
The two-masted schooner Corsair sank in a storm off Harrisville, Michigan in 1872. Five of the seven crewmen on board perished when the iron ore-laden schooner sank. One of the survivors, Second Mate Grady, delivered a harrowing account to the Oswego Daily Palladium on October 3, 1872, “The sea increased until it ran mountains high, and at every wave boarded the vessel, the captain concluded to run for shelter in Tawas Bay, and had got within about ten miles of Sturgeon Point, when it was found necessary to heave to as the schooner could not live running before it…and at 4:15 Sunday morning, the vessel lurches two or three times and dove head first, disappearing entirely, and carrying all of us with her. I noticed when she was going down that her decks raised and parted in pieces from her, and I was raised on a portion of the quarter deck and then plunged into the water…We lashed ourselves to the deck by our scarfs. In this matter we floated for thirty six hours…About 4 o’clock Monday afternoon we sighted a propeller coming down the lake, and we took our scarfs and tied them to the paddles and signaled her. God favored us, for the propeller saw our signals and came to our rescue” (Oswego Daily Palladium , 3 October 1872). The schooner Corsair rests in 182 feet of water.
Before you arrive
Access notes
Technical dive only. Confirm current conditions, mooring status, gas plan, decompression plan and operator requirements before departure. NOAA coordinates are reference points, not navigation instructions.
Plan within your training
Conditions and hazards
Depth beyond recreational limits, decompression obligations, cold water, limited light, changing visibility, entanglement and possible wreck overheads. Penetration requires separate wreck-penetration training and planning.
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.