Derek Graham and his two scuba buddies, Martin Smithson and Nicole Brown recently dove the Humber Bay, Toronto in December 2020.
Humber Bay, located south of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a bay on Lake Ontario. It is situated between Ontario Place and Mimico Creek on the east side and Mimico Creek on the west side. The Humber Bay neighborhood in Etobicoke is named after the bay.
Richard Wilson started a ferry service to cross the Humber River in 1802. The Humber River Ferry Company Limited, established in 1882 by a group of hotel owners, began ferry service between the Humber and Toronto. This service ended in 1886, but later separate ferry services to Bathurst Street and York Street continued into the 1890s. From the Humber River east to Wilson Park Avenue, the Toronto Harbour Commission reshaped the waterfront by infilling the shoreline by 100 yards. As a result, Lake Shore Boulevard was extended to the city, eliminating the need for ferry service since hotel guests from Toronto would be able to arrive by car.
The western riverbank of the Humber, where it meets Lake Ontario, was the location of an unofficial settlement of homes in Etobicoke Township at the time. The Queen Elizabeth Way highway, the railway, and other projects were eventually built through this neighborhood. The area was settled, then cleared for motels, and now cleared for condominium towers along Lake Shore Boulevard West in the same vicinity. Humber Bay is still the informal name for the town.
The crescent-shaped area between Humber Bay and the Western Channel entering Toronto Harbour (from Fort Rouillé to Strachan Avenue) is known as Half Moon Bay.
During the Battle of York on April 27, 1813, the area was the location of an American troop landing. Today, infill along Lake Shore Boulevard and Ontario Place have partly covered Half Moon Bay.
Dive Report
Derek Graham, a NAUI Instructor for 17 years has been diving Humber Bay for over 20 years. This dive was videotaped on December 5th, 2020.
Derek reported to us, a water temperature of 41 Ft (5 C), a maximum depth of 40 Ft (12 M) and a total dive time of 30 minutes. Visibility was excellent at 100 Ft (30 M) plus.
Derek Graham
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