“After months of planning and mostly just getting schedules to line up, the dive is completed!
The story the guides on the boat tours share is a gentleman was driving on the ice and wanted to get a picture of his car with the back drop of the mountains. As he was setting up his camera, he turns around and his car was falling through the ice. Based upon sonar scanning work done by others over the last few years and their confirmation of a vintage vehicle underwater in Lake Minnewanka, we set out using the information they provided to us to relocate and dive the target.
There are certainly challenges in relocating such a small target and wanting to be sure everything is correct before diving down 55m in water (spring time-low level) that is 4°C with uncertainty of the visibility. However, patience pays off and our shot line was within 7m of the target and visibility was about 6m. Weather was also on our side as it can be pretty sketchy in May in Banff National Park.
The vehicle is a 1928 Hudson Essex Saloon with Saskatchewan plates from 1940 (red letters with white background). If you recall local motor vehicle licencing history, plates were issued every year with different colouring. There is even a park pass tucked up under the visor on the driver side—a metal buffalo. Those were issued from 1925 to 1940. So, both the plate and the park pass date this car to being 85 years underwater.
Anyways, there is always more to share about the adventure with Johnny Ryan and Brian Nadwidny but only so much to go into a post. Of course, with the Canada National Parks Act, removal of artifacts is not allowed and can be fined up to $2000. But taking photos is cool. Since this is in a Canadian national park, this belongs to all of you—so here are some pics for you.” Alan Keller
Alan’s Dive Report:
The Hudson Essex was discovered a few years ago with side scan sonar which was going on for other reasons. It was confirmed with ROV last summer. The best time to dive in Minnewanka is in the spring just after the ice melts and before the June rains hence why this week to get it done.
The water temperature was 4°C. Depth of car is 55m (180 ft) with spring time water levels; it would be 60m deep with a full reservoir which will be mid to late July. The time on the bottom was 10 minutes. It’s a car…it doesn’t take long to check it out plus with the silt and position of the car in a dip, it gets very cloudy very fast. Total dive time was 41 minutes with deco. I only used a go pro with video lights to keep that part of it simple; I didn’t need to muck around with my full rig.
Above report submitted by Alan Keller
About the Hudson Essex Saloon
The Essex was an automobile brand initially manufactured by the Essex Motor Company from 1918 to 1922, and later by the Hudson Motor Car Company in Detroit, Michigan, from 1922 to 1933. Known for being compact and economically priced, the Essex played a significant role in shifting consumer preferences from open touring vehicles to cars with fully enclosed cabins.
By 1929, Essex had become the third best-selling automobile brand in the United States, following Ford and Chevrolet.
Sales continued to be robust through 1931, but began to decline afterward. In 1932, the company introduced a newly styled model called the Essex-Terraplane, a name inspired by the word “aeroplane.” By 1934, the Essex name was phased out entirely, and the vehicle was simply known as the Terraplane.
Notably, the 1932 models of both Hudson and Essex were among the first automobiles to replace traditional gauges with dashboard warning lights.
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