New Jersey Scuba Diving

2 miles off Manasquan Inlet, 0.99 sq miles
Depth: 67-74 ft [download]

Manasquan Artificial Reef

The Susan Rose is a secret reef, sunk with no public notice or announcement. It will no doubt be used for another completely scientific prolonged "study of successional development and monitoring" like the Carrabassett since 2024 New England Coast since 2023. Here is the NJDEP contact form if you would like to inquire about the progress of these studies:

• https://dep.nj.gov/contact-form

The Manasquan Inlet Reef site is located 1.7 nautical miles southeast of the inlet, which is just north of Ocean County’s Point Pleasant Beach. When fully developed, it will occupy nearly one square mile of seafloor in water from 67 feet to 74 feet deep. The reef is part of a compromise reached in 2015 that settled fishing gear use and access to artificial reefs between recreational and commercial fishermen and restored federal funding to New Jersey’s artificial reef program.

The Manasquan Inlet Reef makes up for the approximately 0.85 square miles that were "given back" to the commercial fishermen from the Axel Carlson and Sandy Hook reefs. I don't know if creating fishing spots directly in the approach to one of the busiest inlets on the East Coast is a good idea; time will tell. Note the location of the marker buoy in the chart above. On the other hand, it is probably the most convenient reef site in the whole program, and fuel isn't getting cheaper.

Putting a fishing reef directly in the approaches of one of the busiest inlets on the East Coast doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but I guess I am wrong about that, because there it is. I think my "Pinta Reef" would have been a much better idea.