Bellingham and Whatcom County have no shortage of waterways to explore. Whether it is Bellingham Bay, Lake Padden or Whatcom Falls, there is plenty to discover beneath the water’s surface. For one diver, those hidden landscapes have become a place to uncover history, explore forgotten places and share the stories he finds along the way.
Underwater Adventurer Adam Haunreiter
Hailing from Vancouver, Washington, Adam Haunreiter has been diving since he was 7 or 8 years old. While he has spent much of his life around the water, he said he has taken his passion for diving to another level over the past four years, exploring new locations and documenting his experiences.
The Bellingham area has quickly become one of his favorite places to dive because it combines natural beauty and history hidden below the surface.
“Bellingham has been great because there’s lots of history and old shipwrecks in the area, as well as beautiful landmarks that are cool to dive and filled with marine life,” Haunreiter said.
Bellingham’s waterways do not have an official, comprehensive count of all shipwrecks, but the region is home to several historic wrecks and notable maritime sites that continue to attract divers and history enthusiasts.
Lake Whatcom’s Charlotte
For Haunreiter, one wreck stands above the rest: the Charlotte, a historic tugboat resting beneath the waters of Lake Whatcom.
“The Charlotte is probably my favorite just because of how haunting it is,” he said. “It sank mysteriously on Halloween night in 1975 and lies on its side about 35 feet down in the dark waters of Lake Whatcom.”
According to research by podcaster AJ Barse, who has also completed the dive to the wreck, Charlotte was built at the Larson Mill site on Lake Whatcom and was named after Charlotte Bloedel of the pioneering lumber family. The 65-foot steam-powered tug was built in 1911, although its rare steeple compound engine dates back to about 1880 in Victoria, British Columbia.
Before being installed in the Charlotte, the engine powered two other vessels on Lake Whatcom, Prentice and the Ella. The tug spent nearly half a century towing logs across the lake before the mill burned in the 1950s. Steam enthusiasts continued maintaining the vessel until it sank at its mooring on the south end of Lake Whatcom on Halloween night in 1975.
Today, Charlotte remains one of the area’s most unique underwater historical sites, offering divers a glimpse into Whatcom County’s maritime past.
While Haunreiter enjoys exploring the region’s underwater environments, he knows diving in Bellingham also comes with challenges.
“The cold water and poor visibility can definitely make diving more difficult,” he said.
An Aquatic Influencer
Despite those obstacles, Haunreiter continues returning to the water with a camera in hand. He documents his dives through video and shares the footage on social media, allowing viewers to experience underwater locations they may never see themselves.
Haunreiter’s interest in creating videos started with a lifelong dream of becoming an influencer while showcasing places from a different perspective.
“I got started making videos because it has always been a dream of mine to be an influencer,” he said. “I get drawn to a lot of popular areas to show people, oftentimes, a different underwater world they aren’t used to seeing when they travel to these spots.”
That approach has helped Haunreiter build a growing online audience. Currently, he has nearly 8,000 followers on Instagram @surferdude_adam and more than 1,500 followers on Facebook.
While his videos showcase underwater scenery and marine life, Haunreiter said his biggest interest comes from uncovering the history behind each location. Shipwrecks, lost treasures and forgotten stories continue to fuel his curiosity.
Those discoveries have also led to memorable encounters, including one artifact that became a reminder of the personal connections created through his dives.
“I also am heavily drawn to old shipwrecks and locations with lost treasures,” he said. “I’ve found some cool stuff, and my favorite is a watch I found. When I got in contact with the owner, he said he loved my videos and wanted me to keep it.”
For Haunreiter, each dive is about more than exploring what is underwater. It is about preserving stories, sharing history and showing people a side of the Pacific Northwest that often goes unseen.
