Champlain II - New England
The Champlain II wreck in New England isn't about tropical fish or gin-clear visibility. This is old-school wreck diving, a proper historical piece resting deep in the murky green. We love it for the sheer sense of history, the way the cold water preserves the vessel, holding it in a kind of suspended animation. Dropping down, you hit the bow first, then the superstructure emerges from the gloom, often with a powerful surge from the surface pushing you into her. You’re exploring a side-wheel passenger steamer from the 1800s, a relic of a bygone era. We always try to spend time around the paddlewheel, it’s our favourite part, feeling the sheer scale of those timbers. The main deck is still remarkably intact in places, and we’ve found sea lampreys here, surprising in their size, along with schools of Rainbow Smelt darting through the shadowed corridors created by the collapsed sections. This isn't a site for beginners; strong currents are common, and the depth means careful gas planning. It’s for divers who appreciate a challenging dive and the quiet thrill of touching history, not for those chasing brightly coloured corals.
- Location
- New England, United States, North America
- Coordinates
- 44.206000, -73.376335
- Type
- wreck
Nearby Dive Sites in New England
- Ahern State Park - 10m
- Andrea Doria (wreck)
- (Approximately 65 ft long steel fishing trawler) - 27.400000000000002m (wreck)
- Brace Cove (reef)
- Brant Rock
- Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park
- Burlington Bay Horse Ferry - 15.24 (wreck)
- Burnham Rocks
- Cape Neddick Nubble
- Cathedral Rocks
- Cedar Island Ledge
- Chester E Poling Wreck (wreck)
- City Of Portland (wreck)
- City of Rockland Wreck (wreck)
- Classroom Rock - 6m
Nearest Dive Centres to Champlain II
Marine Life in New England
Home to 35 recorded species including 26 reef fish, 4 sea snails & nudibranchs, 2 other, 1 sharks & rays, 1 octopus & squid, 1 clams & mussels.
Notable Species
- sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
- Banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus) - Reef Fish
- Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) - Reef Fish
- brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) - Reef Fish
- Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) - Reef Fish
- Sea Trout (Salmo trutta) - Reef Fish
- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) - Reef Fish
- salmon (Salmo salar) - Reef Fish
- American eel (Anguilla rostrata) - Reef Fish
- Cisco (Coregonus artedi) - Reef Fish
- pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) - Reef Fish
- Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) - Reef Fish
- Great Pond Snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Edible periwinkle (Littorina littorea) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) - Reef Fish
- Atlantic oyster drill (Urosalpinx cinerea) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) - Reef Fish
- Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) - Reef Fish
- Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus)
- White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) - Reef Fish