An avid underwater videographer, Steve Schultz has been diving since 1994. He has taken dive trips to the Sub-Antarctic and New Zealand, and makes regular cave diving forays to Mexico and Florida. Within Canada, Steve has dived wrecks on both the East and West coasts, and in 2003, he participated in an expedition to Halifax that led to the discovery of the WWII wreck the Athel Viking, in 310 ft of water.
With his home in Ottawa, Steve spends most weekends diving the wrecks of the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes. Although wrecks are his passion, Steve spends considerable time diving the submerged town sites of the Lost Villages in the St. Lawrence River.
Lost Villages and the Dominion Paper Factory
The construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway was a massive undertaking in which families, businesses and communities were uprooted and moved. This 4-year project resulted in an easily navigable shipping route to the Great Lakes. Not everything was moved. There are remnants of communities submerged like a time capsule beneath the St. Lawrence River.
These submerged communities are known as “The Lost Villages”. As scuba divers, we have the unique opportunity to visit what remains. Common dive sites include several lock systems, a power generating station, submerged bridges, dams, roads, and what could arguably be described as the most interesting site in the Lost Villages, the Dominion Paper Factory Basement.
