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TOP SECRET SUNKEN TREASURE:
The boat launch on route 12E at the east end of Cape Vincent is one of the best snorkel and scuba parks in the 1000 Island Region. What’s so secret about it? It’s not widely publicized anywhere, at least not as of the creation of this site. The facility boasts ample parking, multiple boat launches, a jonnie on the spot (all right, maybe not the best restroom facilities), picnic tables, shade, easy access to the village of Cape Vincent, a beautiful view of the river, great fishing from the pier and easy access to the water. On the east end of the parking area you will find a large grassy area which leads to a granite outcropping which forms natural steps into the water, which is only 2-3 feet deep. Boat traffic in the protected bay is minimal, and as always dive flag is required (you can rent one at Hunt’s Dive Shop in Clayton).
This is a great location for snorkelers, novice divers, and those who need to get reacquainted, to get their fins wet. Average depth is 6 to 10 feet. The maximum depth is 26 feet, current is virtually nonexistent, clarity tends to be very good, depending on the amount of activity in the area, and the prevailing westerly wind is blocked by the boat launch itself.
There is a sunken pier that extend for a couple hundred feet beyond the point of the breakwater, the depth over the old pier is only 3-4 feet. The water on the south side of the sunken pier is 10 feet, while on the North side it is 12 to 15 feet. There is a combination of thick grasses and sandy plains through out the bay.
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The sunken treasure lies just north of the pier, as if still tied to it, the wreck of the 599 ton wooden barge named St. Louis, built in 1864, sank at the pier on February 18, 1914. Her superstructure, as well as that of the pier, has long since been sheered off by wind, water and ice. But what remains of her, from her stem to stern, including her rudder, are her ribs and joists, lying just under the surface in about 10 feet of water. A snorkeler’s paradise, a wooden wreck over a 100 ft long and 20 feet wide, and home to hundreds of fish. Between the cribbing that supported the old pier, the ribs and beams of the ship and the shallow water weeds and open plains, create a paradise for snorkelers, divers, and fish alike. The clear shallow water under bright sunny skies create a Kodak moment for young and old alike. Just stop by Aubrey’s Market in Cape Vincent and pick up a single use underwater camera and be your own Cathy Church (a famous underwater photographer).
The water temperature in early August was 78F degrees.
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