New Jersey Scuba Diving

This site on the Shark River Artificial Reef consists of two long ridges of seven huge rock piles each, with one long valley east-west between them. Between piles, there are smaller valleys. Each ridge contains approximately two million tons ( or one million cubic yards ) of granite, blasted and dredged from the bottom of New York harbor between September 2002 and September 2003. Peak depths range from 85 to 105 ft, bottom depth is 130 ft. In addition, 15 Redbird subway cars were deposited on or near one of the piles. A single similar rockpile is located in shallower water on the Axel Carlson Reef.

Side-scan sonar animation courtesy of:
Army Corps of Engineers

The real blue-gray color of the granite is illuminated by the strobe. The freshly-dumped rock here is barren and clean, but that will quickly change. Note the small fish in residence already.

I was expecting large boulders, but instead, most of the material is more like gravel. This picture was taken shortly after dumping ceased on this site. A fluke perches on a high rock, not uncommon behavior.

Blues swarm around the still-barren rock pile and lobsters have already been found among the lower stones. This is going to become an incredible fishing site when the usual covering of mussels and other growth fills in.

Several more rock ridges are currently under construction nearby, along the east edge of the reef.