The Forest City is one of Tobermory’s challenging dives. The Forest City, a three-masted timber schooner later converted to a steamer, sank in June 1904 after colliding head-on with an island in deep fog. The ship is now practically perpendicular to the island, with the bow at 60 feet and the stern at 150 feet.
It appears to be a mess of timbers and twisted metal in the shallow area of the disaster. The ship begins to take shape as you dive further, with distinguishing elements such as boilers. The stern is the most undamaged part of the ship, though it did lose some integrity when a boat tried to moor to it and broke off a few feet of stern rail. Fathoms Five Marine Park now has a permanent mooring in place.
Highlights:: The stern section is relatively undamaged as compared to the bow. The boilers are easy to pick out.
Hazards:: 150 foot dive. On this wreck, stick to your dive plan because the simplicity of the fall and the sights discovered along the ship’s broken decking can easily entice you to dive deeper than you intended.
Fathom Five National Marine Park
Canada’s first national marine park, was established in 1987 and covers 45 square miles, including 20 islands and 22 shipwrecks. Divers must pay a small fee to Parks Canada before they can enjoy everything Tobermory has to offer.
