Alarm Rocks - Alaska
Brown Brothers, or "The Wrack" as most of us call it, isn't your typical Great Lakes wreck. Forget deep, dark, and frigid; this one sits comfortably shallow, making it a fantastic late-season dive when the lake finally warms up a bit. We’ve found the stern section offers the most intrigue, with its wooden beams now a lattice work for light to filter through. It’s a completely different vibe than the intact freighters. You’ll spend your time here exploring the broken hull, feeling the surge when the lake kicks up, and watching how the local fish use the wreckage as shelter. We've seen some surprisingly large Walleye lurking in the shadows, and the Shorthead Redhorse seem to love sifting through the silt near the collapsed bow. It's an easy dive, perfect for working on your buoyancy or just enjoying a relaxed afternoon underwater, feeling the history of these old lake boats. Our pick for an unhurried exploration.
- Location
- Alaska, United States, North America
- Coordinates
- 53.565200, -130.166210
- Type
- wreck
Wreck History - Alarm Rocks
- Vessel Type
- cargo ship
- Cause
- unknown
The dive site known as 'Brown Brothers' in the Ontario Great Lakes offers a fascinating glimpse into the region's rich maritime past. While records are scarce, the name suggests a historic Great Lakes freighter or schooner. The cold, fresh water of the Great Lakes provides incredible preservation conditions, meaning even centuries-old wooden wrecks can remain astonishingly intact. Divers exploring this site can expect to find a vessel frozen in time, with features like the hull, decking, and perhaps even masts and rigging visible. These wrecks are often protected heritage sites, offering a unique opportunity to dive through a piece of North American history, but requiring careful, responsible diving practices to preserve them for future generations.
Nearby Dive Sites in Alaska
- Alert Rock
- Amethyst Rock
- Bar Rocks
- Benson Rock
- Bligh Reef (reef)
- Blow Reef (wreck)
- Bonson Rock (wreck)
- Boussole Rock
- Breaker Reef (reef)
- Carlo Rock (wreck)
- Celestial Reef (reef)
- Chanal Reef (reef)
- Client Reefs (wreck)
- Cluster Reefs
- Cohen Reef (reef)
Marine Life in Alaska
Home to 64 recorded species including 27 reef fish, 8 whales & dolphins, 7 crabs & lobsters, 5 sharks & rays, 3 other, 2 clams & mussels.
Notable Species
- Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) - Reef Fish
- Spotted Ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei)
- Shortspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus) - Reef Fish
- Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi) - Sharks & Rays
- Calico salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) - Reef Fish
- Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) - Reef Fish
- Whiting (Merluccius productus) - Reef Fish
- coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) - Reef Fish
- Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) - Reef Fish
- Pacific Geoduck (Panopea generosa) - Clams & Mussels
- Slender Sole (Lyopsetta exilis) - Reef Fish
- red salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) - Reef Fish
- Red Rock Crab (Cancer productus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- California Spot Prawn (Pandalus platyceros) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Shiner Perch (Cymatogaster aggregata) - Reef Fish
- Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) - Seagrass & Algae
- Dungeness Crab (Metacarcinus magister) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Spawn (Gasterosteus aculeatus) - Reef Fish
- Sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) - Starfish
- Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) - Reef Fish