Alpena Shipwreck Tours

My husband and I took the 9am shipwreck tour on the second Saturday in Sept that only had 16 passengers, holds 80ish. Despite the sunny morning and calm water, the fog crept up on us while heading out after trying to view the shamrock shipwreck. The captain made the right decision to turn around and head back to shore. We were able to get a full refund. Nice little boat ride with some good pictures. Great information, great crew. The museum is free, but you pay for the cruise, which is done inside the gift shop or online.

My husband and I took this tour while in the area for the long holiday weekend, and the tour was not sold out - plenty of room! We learned a lot of information from our tour guide when we could actually hear her (it’s loud on the boat). The Captain was very genial and kind. We had one young guy who was new, and he struggled to communicate with the Captain over the radio to position the boat well over the shipwrecks without a lot of back and forth, resulting in several kiddos getting seasick and making me a little nauseous during that part. He was new, though, so we know he’s still learning! We only were able to see two wrecks due to murky water at one spot. It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be, but it wasn’t a terrible way to spend an afternoon on a boat! It was most enjoyable sitting at the stern of the boat when in motion. There are bathrooms onboard. Definitely be sure to switch between the lower deck and top deck at each wreck- you see more sometimes from above! If you do not own polarized sunglasses, I highly recommend them for this trip so you can see better through the water. If you have very young children, be advised: it’s a long trip to be stuck on a boat, and it’s not very thrilling for little kids. If you have an antsy kid like my youngest, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Great way to learn more about the history of the wrecks in Thunder Bay! The staff and Captain Shawn were very friendly and informative. The visibility of water will impact how much you can see but the local history is very fun to learn.

We went out during relatively calm weather in July and clearly saw two shipwrecks, but the last two in the "boneyard" were barely visible. It was neat, but we didn't feel the experience matched the cost. Nearly $100 for two adults. The "glass bottom boat" is basically a ferry boat with three porthole windows in two wells on the bottom which leaves limited viewing room and can cause some motion sickness. When the water was clear and still, the top deck actually had better viewing.

My new white pants were ruined. I sat in the back of the boat with others on a red cushioned bench seat. Unbeknownst to me and another lady the water as coming up through the red bench cushion where we sat. No clue where this water originated from. Did not realize we were soaked until we stood up. I was appalled and uncomfortable. I’m soaking them and as of now the stain has not come out. I left 2 messages when I got back to where we are staying. I should have shown this to the staff as I exited the boat but that didn’t occur to me because I was upset and uncomfortable. A sign indicating to passengers the cushion will be wet so sit at your own risk should have been there. 😩. The staff were nice and the person giving the narrative was very good. All of history was interesting.

Such a great crew giving our tour. Very knowledgeable and fun. So fun looking out from the top to see the wrecks as well! Highly recommend!!

Loved the tour. Staff were very knowledgeable. Made sure everyone on the boat got to see the shipwrecks.

People with RVs like I have can safely park in the parking lot across the street (turn left if you're facing the entrance to the building and it's on your immediate left) without having issues with space or turning around. I can't wait to go back and do this again! Fun for all ages and enough to keep the kids busy while you wait for the tour! DON'T BE LATE. Above and Below deck patrons take turns in viewing thru the bottom of the boat. Bring sunscreen if you choose to start up top.

Purchased 2 tickets on line (days earlier) for 7/27 @ 9am tour, got there at 8:50 just to be told they had already pulled the ramp & were leaving early. They checked the computer & we were on the list. Seriously Alpena Shipwreck Tours?!? We were really looking forward to it. My mom is moving away & had this on her bucket list. Bummed out and disappointed.

Connected to the Thunder Bay Maritime Museum - 2 hours - well worth it - need to get lucky enough for a sunny day. Saw 4 wrecks via a glass-bottom boat; guides very knowledgeable and easy to approach. The Captain added some commentary; but we couldn't hear him through the audio. Tour is in Thunder Bay - just outside Alpena - you leave from the museum. Tours are at 10:00, 1:00 and, 4:00 My recommendation - get to the museum 90 minutes before the shipwreck tour - tour the museum, take the tour - and stop in the gift shop on the way out. We got there at 11:30 and left at 3:15.

Had a great experience and would certainly recommend if you're in the area and want to have a look at all the shipwrecks without having to leave the boat! We started in the museum, which was very informative and gave us a great background before the tour. I loved the interactive tour which allowed us to climb aboard the ship and see what people sailing in the 1800s would have experienced. You probably only need about 30 minutes to get through the museum but you could definitely spend more time there. We boarded the boat and were greeted by a large painting of a shark, which seemed a little strange for the Great Lakes, but the Captain assured us we wouldn't be seeing anything that wild! The ship was smooth sailing and even if you aren't great on boats I think you could easily stomach this ride. We saw 4 wrecks and the crew were happy to go over as many times as the needed to let everyone see through the glass bottom. If I had any criticism it would be of the boat, where the glass bottom is a bit limited, but we were still able to take turns and see everything. The boat departed and returned right on time, and although I'm sure the snorkeling and diving are great this is another awesome option to check out "shipwreck alley!"

Unless your going to be in Alpena for a week or longer DON'T plan on the Shipwreck Boat Tour, because it practically never runs. They apparently need absolutely perfect weather to go out. Two years in a row we have come across the state just to find out they weren't going out. Last year we tried to call to check before leaving but the phone would just ring, nobody would answer. They claimed the Coast Guard was doing inspections even though it was the end of the season. This year we made reservations and left my phone # so they could call us if they canceled. I left my phone on by my bed and no call during the night. In the morning to verify I checked my voice mail and no messages. We travel across the state and get there to see a sign stating they weren't going out today. When confronted they tried to claim they did call and leave a message. BS! They tried to claim bad weather. Again BS. The weather was perfect out. The bay barely had any waves. If you don't want to do the tours then just stop doing them. Don't at the last minute go nah I don't feel like working again. I'll cancel again for the 100th time this summer. It is a shame that the museum is connected to the boat tour because the museum is 4 1/2 stars. The Boat tour is 1 star because I can't leave 0 stars. They have lost a customer for life. Not planning on ever trying this again. Alpena is great. The Boat Tour people just plain suck. Lastly they have bad customer service. On the phone the guy I dealt with was hard to get through too on our problems and why we needed a call. The next day the same guy was indifferent to our plight. Across the state to do this and ehh whatever. You could offer a discount for future tickets. Half off maybe. Nope you get a whatever.

Had a perfect day for the tour. Stopped on Tuesday midday to do the 1pm tour and it was full. So we booked the Wednesday 10am. What a great plan. Our boat was only half full, so lots of time to wander and see the wrecks. It was a short ride out the channel to the first wreck. It was a bit difficult to see, since it was in deeper water. The second and third wrecks were much easier to see in shallower water. The tour folks were great in making sure that everyone had a chance to see the wreck before moving to the next wreck. It may not have been as fun if it had been a full boat.

Great experience. There were four of us that decided it would be a nice day for a tour since it was sunny and beautiful. It was $30 for each adult and you could sit on the very top of inside. The tour guides when we went were awesome. They were funny and knowledgeable. Even gave us ideas for what to do in Alpena. Kind of hard to see the shipwrecks with all of the people, but it was still intriguing to hear about the history. The few hours is worth the money.

Great boat tour and wonderful museum. My 8 year old son is fascinated with shipwrecks and loved it all. The boat crew is friendly and very informative. Museum is free and is very well done. Highly recommend!!!

The boat ride and tour were well worth the money. The only thing was the crew seemed like they did not want to be there. There was a tall blonde and a tall dark haired girl that really did not want to be there. However Abby did a great job with her stories but she should skip the jokes. I think it is well worth the trip.

My boss chartered the boat as a Thank You for the employees. A summer party. While the conditions were not optimal--as can happen in a situation like this--the Andrew did an exemplary job of making sure we had everything we needed. The crew was pleasant and the Captain Paul was engaging and experienced. Highly recommend it for anyone who is looking for a unique experience for a large group.

Meah....I expected more and I have several suggestions (which I called and gave to them) for improving the experience. 1. The guy (Perry) who worked below was excellent. He did a great job of answering questions and making sure things were under control in the viewing area. that's the good news. 2. At the same time Perry kept telling folks to not hit their head on the TV monitor fastened to the end of one of the two stanchions (posts) at the end of the viewing area in the boat bottom. The tv (only one viewing area had a tv although the other was obviously missing as there was a mounting plate for the other one) could have been mounted up higher and the tv could have had a soft foam or other padding on the sharp corner. Problem solved better than telling "don't hit your head on the monitor" 50 times. 3. But there was no need for the tv anyway because it never was turned on....and there lies the real disappointment. The dialogue from the tour guide topside was overcome by the sound of the engines and bow thrusters as the boat was driven back and forth and side to side to keep the boat over the wreck below. And as I told the people at the Shipwreck Tour Company when I called them later, if the tv were there and turned on, they could have scrolled a description of what the hell were were supposed to be looking at on the bottom and the loss of the dude upstairs talking would not have been a big deal. As it was I still haven't got a clue as to what we were looking at. 4. And I expected to look at maybe 5 to 10 wrecks. Not! We saw one, then the couldn't find the second and drove around for a while and gave up, then they did find another. A shipwreck tour with hardly any wrecks to see is just another high priced boat ride. 2 wrecks I still don't know what they were and a 90 minute boat ride for $30....hmmmm. So I called the company a day later and suggested the above ways to improve the experience. Time will tell if they heed the advice. I wanted it to be a fun learning experience. I wanted to know more about Thunder Bay and the history of the ships that sank there. What I got was a high priced boat ride and all I learned was how it could have been improved.

A great experience for maritime and history buffs. Make sure to go on a clear day. Probably not good for younger kids.....too didactic. Glass bottom boat interesting but wrecks are far from clearly seen. Don't think youngsters will be interested. Thunder Bay is beautiful. The boat is comfortable and the tour is just the right length. Knowledgeable staff. Safe adventure.

We went on one of the last days of the season. The staff was so nice and helpful and the weather couldn't have been better. We didn't know that it was attached to the museum which has no admission fee. We wish we had gotten there a little bit earlier to enjoy the museum but was able to spend time there after the tour. The staff was extremely courteous and made sure everybody got to see the wreck before they would move onto the next site. They narrated everything but made sure every question was answered. It was an enjoyable day and well worth every penny

This is part of the NOAA Marine sanctuary program. We saw two wrecks. The staff was informative and fun. And it was amazing when we first went over the first one. Like seeing a ghost underwater. Well worth the money.

Very disappointed as we had seen this on Under the Radar and it was highly recommended. First, the boat left 15 min late. we were only out for 1 hr and 15 min, when it stated a 2 hour tour. Weather and water were beautiful. No one gave a reason Why the trip was cut short. We Only saw 2 wrecks. The Museum was more interesting then trip. The crew was friendly but then I would've been too if I was charging $30 pp.

Great time on the glass bottom boat tour! Well worth the money and the 2 hours, got to see a lot of cool wrecks, very informative!

Warning do not take kids under ten on this cruise! The glass bottom boat that I thought they would love was very disappointing. Really not much for the kids to see.....Adults will enjoy the cruise, keep the kids at home.

The staff is very knowledgeable and has deep understanding of the ship wreck history in this area. The entire tour is nicely organized and goes on for about 2 hours. Go on a sunny day when the waters are calm. Full marks.!

Great trip on a cloudy day because you can see the wrecks clearly. Lots of Great Lakes history.