New Jersey Scuba Diving

Clearnose Skate

Raja eglanteria

Size: to 31" long

Habitat: Soft sandy bottoms, in depths from shallows to 300 ft.

Notes:
The Clearnose Skate has a noticeably pointy nose compared to the Little Skate, with a semi-transparent patch on either side of the snout.

Note the more pointed snout than the Little Skate.

Fishes of the Gulf of Maine

Skates & Rays

Skates and rays are related to sharks. Unlike flounders, these fish are flattened and lie on their bellies. Skates are harmless. Stingrays have one or more dangerous barbed stingers in the tail and will use them if molested. Finally, the Torpedo is an electric fish and can generate enough voltage to be dangerous. Some skates give birth to live young, while others lay their eggs encased in a horned Mermaid's Purse.

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January 16, 2026

Charts

January 16, 2026

The New York Bight

In the last few weeks I have re-written pretty much the entire WordPress plugin that generates the charts. In addition, I created a new chart style that is truly marine, with color depth contours and boundaries, in place of the old one that was basically just a stripped-down land map. The result is much more useful, and, I think, quite beautiful, with a lot of transparency effects.

All the charts now have secondary styles, generally road maps or satellite imagery, whatever is most appropriate. The alternate style for this chart is the full undersea rendering. Mine is stripped-down to focus on the shallows and run faster. Be warned: you can bog-down or even hang your computer messing around here!

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