Photographs and Story by Tom Wilson
FOUR FLAG DIVE
Type: Shipwreck
Build: Wood Schooner
Depth: 95
Built: 1871 Sunk: 1880
Length: 92'
Access: Boat
Level: Intermediate
Orientation: Upright
This is a stunningly gorgeous wreck. You have to see it for yourself to believe
it... don't take my word for it.
In great shape, with plenty to see, the Olive Branch is, in my humble opinion,
one of the best wrecks Southern Ontario has to offer.
Deep enough to be cold and moderately dark, these are not things that should
keep you from diving on her.
Despite being on the bottom for nearly 120 years there are still artifacts to see
on this wreck that would be almost unheard of anywhere in the world but in
Canada. Thanks to the effort of groups like SOS (Save Ontario Shipwrecks)
and POW (Preserve Our Wrecks) things have actually been returned to the
wrecks they were taken from.
Descending the mooring line you will be greeted with a saucer as soon as you
hit the deck. It's not a broken fraction of its former self, it is the complete,
genuine article. Keep searching and you will find the sole of a shoe and iron
next to it, a large anchor, masts on the starboard side in impecable shape,
gorgeous ship's wheel still in position, and more.
I may only have 160ish dives at this point, and been on only 30ish wrecks, but I
can confidently say the 39 minutes I spent exploring this one are my favourites
yet. There is just something about the condition of the wreck, the items still to be
found on it, and the details that are not there on others its age all combine to
make this a truly memorable dive.
Photographs and Story by Tom Wilson