(906) 387-4477
A Brief History and The Fleet
Munising Bay is a treasure trove of maritime artifacts with numerous shipwrecks preserved in Lake Superior’s frigid waters.
Until a few years ago, the only way to visit Lake Superiors' living museum was to brave the cold by diving into these waters. That was before Captain Pete came up with the idea of a Glass Bottom Boat Shipwreck Tour to show the non-diving community the wrecks without getting wet.
The first year (1990) the wrecks were viewed by simply looking overboard the 6 passenger boat, Phyllis Anne. The response was positive. We had 237 customers that summer.
In 1991, Captain Pete acquired Dive Master, revamped the pilot house and designed a 2x8 glass viewing area. His 17 year old son,Joe, helped with the project and eventually attained his captain's license at age 19 to help his father with the work load. 1,064 people visited the tour that second summer!
In 1996, Miss Munising was purchased from the Pictured Rocks Cruises. Two 4x10 viewing areas were constructed which offered guests an excellent sight of the featured shipwrecks.
Business was booming and we needed another boat to accommodate the demand fast! June of 2001, Fireball was purchased from Key West, FL. It was already designed as a glass bottom boat. Captain Pete explored all options for the best way to get it into the great lakes and decided to drive it home himself! Up the Mississippi you ask? No. Intercoastal waterway? No. Too slow. He left the Keys and traveled the open Atlantic Ocean all the way up to New York harbor, and then into the rivers and canal systems that lead into the Great Lakes.
After nine adventure filled days with a minimal crew, which included the local Sheriff, Dave Cromell, a local fisherman, Jimmy Johnson, and an author by the name of Steve Harrington, traveled 23 hrs./day, stopping only for fuel and provisions. Fireball arrived at our dock on the 3rd of July.
One of the most memorable moments of Fireballs' journey to Michigan was seeing New York Harbor in a way that was soon to be altered forever that coming September 11th…
Fireball was sold in the spring of 2023 and is now giving tours from Mackinac Island. She's a lighter shade of green and has been renamed Robin E. Take a boozy cruise under the Mackinac Bridge with http://www.sipnsail.com
The business adventure continues with the construction of the largest glass bottom boat in the world, with 152 sq. feet of glass, Shipwreck Express! She was designed specifically to meet our needs. A unique business needs a unique boat. The marine structural pieces had to be built by architects in Saugatuk, Michigan. Those pieces were shipped directly to our parking lot by several semi-trucks, where it was assembled and launched on site in the fall of 2019.