With the help of several local diving organizations, stores, and individuals, GLSPS now maintains five buoys on Minnesota north shore shipwrecks. Mooring buoys on shipwrecks serve several purposes. First they improve diver access to the shipwrecks by making the wrecks easier to find. They improve the safety of the dives my insuring that divers have a descent and ascent line that won't disappear like an anchor line can if the anchor breaks loose. Finally they eliminate potential anchor damage to the shipwreck which can happen over time as many groups of divers have to grapple the wreck with their anchors. GLSPS does the work to get authorization from the US Coast Guard and Minnesota DNR. We buy the buoys and mooring hardware, and get the mooring installed. We then find a partner who has a regular presence on the site to do the annual installation and removal of the buoy and to monitor the condition of the mooring over the season. To date, we have placed and maintain five buoys: one on the Hesper, one on the Just For Fun, two on the Madeira, and one on the S.P.Ely. These buoys are funded in part by a grant from the PADI AWARE FOUNDATION. Our thanks to our partners Owatonna Dive Club, Smith Diving, Paul Bullock, Stan Braun, the DNR Trails and Waterways Division and North Shore Mining Company for their help in the program.
We also assisted the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association in placing mooring blocks and buoys on the shipwrecks of the Pretoria and the Sevona located in the Apostle Islands.
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