A diver taking in the sight of the S.S. City of Ainsworth in Kootenay Lake.
Image Credit: Brian Nadwidny
September 10, 2024 - 6:00 AM
The BC Interior isn’t really known for its shipwrecks, but a diver managed to capture some images of the intact remnants of a tragic shipwreck in the Kootenays.
More than 100 metres below the surface of Kootenay Lake lies the S.S. City of Ainsworth which sank back in 1898.
Brian Nadwidny is a seasoned diver and underwater explorer who recently captured some rare photos of the wreckage with a group of fellow divers.
“When I get down there, it's work mode. It's trying to get the shots, trying to get pictures, trying to get video. It's not until at the end when we come back up that you sit back and go, ‘wow, we actually did this,’” he said.
The small sternwheeler was caught in a storm and floundered, killing nine men aboard, according to the Nelson Museum’s online archives.
A photo of the S.S. City of Ainsworth back in its prime carrying some passengers.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Nadwidny went on the expedition with a few friends last year and again this August, but the wreck has been on his mind for nearly 30 years.
“Back in 1996, there was a scuba show called Mix 96 held in Vancouver. I went to the show, and the guys who found the wreck in 1990 were presenting it with footage that they had taken with their remotely operated vehicles,” he said. “It's always been in the back of my mind to maybe one day dive it.”
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Brian Nadwidny's diving light illuminates the remnants of the S.S. City of Ainsworth.
Image Credit: Brian Nadwidny
Recording wrecks like this is a challenge. First divers need training and experience, then they need thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and only after they pinpoint where the wreck is can they dive down and explore.
“It's not a job, it doesn't pay, but it costs a lot,” he said.
Regular air becomes toxic at such extreme depths so Nadwidny breathes in a mixture of 70 per cent helium and only some oxygen.
“Because nitrogen becomes narcotic at depth, we have to replace the nitrogen with helium. We also have to reduce the oxygen content because oxygen becomes toxic under pressure. If you're breathing pure oxygen, once you get down to 10 metres, you have a great risk of having seizures,” he said.
Deep underwater exploration takes a lot of time to get a brief glimpse of a wreck like the S.S. City of Ainsworth.
A section of the wreckage of the S.S. City of Ainsworth more than 100 metres underwater.
Image Credit: Brian Nadwidny
“Each dive takes two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours and we're only on the block for 15 minutes,” he said.
Nadwidny has explored Canadian shipwrecks from coast to coast over the last 44 years.
“We found a wreck from World War II off the coast of Nova Scotia near Halifax. It was a 10,000 ton molasses tanker that was sunk by a submarine in 1945,” he said. “We also did the Brigadier Zalinski shipwreck up between Prince Rupert and Kitimat. Only a few people had been on it, and we got footage that nobody else has ever gotten. So, that was exciting.”
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An oil light that was once used to help the S.S. City of Ainsworth navigate Kootenay Lake.
Image Credit: Brian Nadwidny
The S.S. City of Ainsworth was able to carry 50 to 80 passengers and boasted a dining room, six staterooms, a men’s saloon and a ladies saloon. The ship carried freight and passengers around the lake, but now it only serves to fascinate divers and history buffs like Nadwidny.
Prior to Nadwidny’s expeditions, the last time the ship was seen by a set of human eyes was back in 1997.
“We wanted to see what kind of shape it was in since it was dove in 1997. We report back to the province and to the Underwater Archaeology Society BC so that there's ongoing record of is it collapsing more, is it still there, things like that,” he said. “It's just the uniqueness of the City of Ainsworth that intrigues me.”
A diver exploring the wreck of the S.S. City of Ainsworth more than 100 metres below the surface of Kootenay Lake.
Image Credit: Brian Nadwidny
He said the wreck is in good shape considering it sank about 125 years ago.
“What we found out is that the wreck is all there. It's just collapsed on itself over the years,” he said.
Click here to find out more about the S.S. City of Ainsworth.
Click here for more of Nadwidny's underwater footage.
A portion of S.S. City of Ainsworth in August 2024, more than 125 years after she sank.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
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