Waterfront Diving Center

10/09/2026

250 years ago today, on October 9, 1776, the British invasion of Lake Champlain began. After sailing south from their base in Canada for a few days they arrived on the lake on October 9 and began scouting the lake for the Patriot fleet.

By this point the British had gathered a large fleet made up of a sloop, two schooners, more than two dozen gunboats as well as a variety of other ships. By contrast, the fleet the Americans had built over the summer consisted of only sixteen vessels, leaving the Patriot fleet outnumbered nearly two to one in their coming confrontation with the British.

Want to deep dive into the types of ships the Americans would soon use to defend Lake Champlain against the British? This presentation from Executive Director, Chris Sabick, is a great resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xLSLqq0PDo

Image: “View of the Battle of Valcour Island, 1776,” Henry Gilder, circa 1776. Pencil, pen, ink and watercolour on paper. Wikimedia Commons.

10/09/2026

🎃🤿 UNDERWATER PUMPKIN CARVING & CHILI COOKOFF! 🌶️🏆
Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 31st! Join us for one of our favorite annual traditions—carving pumpkins underwater and warming up afterward with some incredible homemade chili.
Whether you’re diving in to create an aquatic masterpiece or bringing your best secret-recipe chili to feed the crew, come hang out with us!
🗓️ When: Saturday, October 31, 2026
📍 Where: Waterfront Diving
📞 Registration: Give us a call to sign up!
Gear up, bring your appetite, and let’s see who takes home top honors this Halloween! 🌊🎃🌶️
📞 802-865-2771
🌐 waterfrontdiving.com

10/08/2026

Friendly reminder! 🤿❄️ In case you missed our last update, winter hours kick in next week.
We will be closed Monday, October 12th for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Starting Tuesday, October 13th, our winter schedule is officially live:
🗓️ Tue – Fri: 10 AM – 6 PM
🗓️ Sat: 9 AM – 5 PM
🗓️ Sun & Mon: Closed
Stop by 214 Battery Street or call us to get gear serviced or prepped! 🌊⚓
📍 214 Battery St, Burlington, VT
📞 802-865-2771
🌐 waterfrontdiving.com

10/07/2026

10/04/2026

Ready to master the science behind the dive? 🤿📊
Our Middlebury class is crushing it today! Dive tables and the indirect effects of pressure are on the menu, and everyone is powering through like pros.
Building smart, safe divers step by step! 🌊⚓
📍 Waterfront Diving Center (214 Battery Street)
📞 802-865-2771
🌐 waterfrontdiving.com

10/04/2026

10/02/2026

Winter hours are right around the corner! 🤿
We will be closed Monday, October 12th for Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend. Starting Tuesday, October 13th, our new winter schedule kicks in:
Tue – Fri: 10 AM – 6 PM
Sat: 9 AM – 5 PM
Sun & Mon: Closed
Stop by 214 Battery Street or give us a call to gear up! 🌊⚓
📞 802-865-2771
🌐 waterfrontdiving.com

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

250 years ago today, on October 1, 1776, after working throughout the summer to build a fleet to defend Lake Champlain, the Patriot fleet now consisted of sixteen different vessels. The laborers in Skenesborough, NY (modern-day Whitehall) had built one small galley built from timbers taken from a British shipyard, eight new 54’ long gondolas, and four 72’ row galleys. With this untested fleet, the Americans planned to face down a much larger, more professional British force.

Building so many ships in just a few months exhausted the workers to their breaking point. As we uncovered in our research for our new exhibit, “Fragments: Voices of the American Revolution on Lake Champlain,” a man overseeing the construction of the fleet named Jeduthan Baldwin, said in his journal that “I have my hands & mind constantly employed night & Day except when I am a Sleep & then sometimes I dream.” Now, with his labors complete, Baldwin would have to hope his boats could defend Lake Champlain.

If you would like to learn more about the ships in the American fleet, how they were built, and what happened to them, check out this lecture with our Executive Director, Chris Sabick, on Revolutionary War gunboats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xLSLqq0PDo

Image: “Jeduthan Baldwin,” Devyn Cabral, 2026. Drawing. Courtesy of the artist.