Vickie
- Type:
- artificial reef, trawler, USA
- Built:
- Specs:
- ( 76 ft )
- Sunk:
- Friday June 18, 2004 - Moriches Artificial Reef
- Depth:
- GPS:
- 40°43.382' -72°46.562'
I started this site way back in 1996 for my new hobby. In all that time, I gladly carried the annual cost of hosting and domain name. But it's time to admit that my diving years are over, and my interest has waned.
I have kept the site up as a service to the diving community, but I don't know how much longer that makes sense.
If you would like to make a small donation to help defray that cost, it would be greatly appreciated, and help to keep the site online.
Simply click the PayPal button below or anywhere else you find it:
More: Support NJScuba.net ...
- Type:
- inland tidal bay
- Depth:
- 20 ft max, 15 ft in most places
This dive site, formerly known as 'L Street' has changed completely, and for the better. The town of Belmar has done something really nice for us divers and installed wide wooden steps down the bulkhead in Maclearie Park. This more than makes up for the loss of the boat ramp area, which is off-limits to all swimmers since it was rebuilt. I suppose the little cove by the ramp is still accessible from the beach, but the new site is much better, and far from all the dangerous boat traffic around the ramp and marina.
More: Shark River - Back Bay ...
- Type:
- shipwreck, steamer, USA
- Built:
- November 1864, by S.M. Pook (see below), Fair Haven, CT
- Specs:
- 500 tons
- Sunk:
- Wednesday April 30, 1873
foundered after losing a propeller shaft - no casualties - Depth:
- 75 ft
More: Emerald - USS Hibiscus / Frances Wright ...
1980 - 2021: The End of an Era
Sadly, 2021 is Dutch Springs' final year of operation. The owner has retired after 40+ years of building and running the facility, and the property has been sold to a developer to become warehouses. See the link in the sidebar.
lakehydra.com
More: Dutch Springs (Lake Hydra) ...
Lake Hydra, formerly Dutch Springs, has re-opened. However, it is strictly for certification classes, and all the land-side facilities are gone. Still, much better than nothing!
- Type:
- shipwreck, steamer, USA
- Name:
- San Saba is a river in central Texas, a tributary of the Colorado River of Texas.
- Built:
- 1879, Chester PA USA, as Colorado
- Specs:
- ( 306 x 39 ft ) 2458 gross tons, 37 crew
- Sunk:
- Friday October 4, 1918
struck mine laid by U-117 - 30 casualties - Depth:
- 80 ft
More: San Saba ...
- Type:
- major ocean inlet with strong current, surf, and heavy boat traffic
- Depth:
- 45 ft
More: Barnegat Inlet ...
- Type:
- tidal river / inlet
- Depth:
- 30 ft max
More: Navesink River ...
Yet another place to dive the Shark River is on the south side, near the intersection of 1st Avenue and A Street, behind the apartments. There is limited but very convenient free parking. A small cement stairway leads down to a concrete ledge above the water. Climb down between the big rock and the bulkhead, where you will find more steps underwater. ( Whoever B.M and M.M. are - thank you! )
More: Shark River - A Street ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, tugboat, USA
- Built:
- 1939 Wilmington DE USA
- Specs:
- ( 70x18 ft ) 65 tons
- Sunk:
- Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - Hempstead Artificial Reef
- Depth:
- GPS:
- 40°31.030' -73°31.800'
More: Jane ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, tugboat
- Built:
- 1950 - Gulfport Shipbuilding Corp, Port Arthur, TX USA
- Specs:
- ( 102 ft ) 197 gross tons
- Sunk:
- Tuesday November 26, 2019 - 12-Mile Artificial Reef
- Depth:
- 125 ft
- GPS:
- 40°37.104' -72°31.388'
More: Relentless ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, tugboat
- Built:
- 1936 - Jakobson Shipyard Inc, Brooklyn, New York NY USA
- Specs:
- ( 80x24 ft ) 146 gross tons
- Sunk:
- Tuesday November 26, 2019 - 12-Mile Artificial Reef
- Depth:
- 125 ft
- GPS:
- 40°37.073' -72°31.094'
More: Dauntless ...
- Type:
- inland tidal river
- Depth:
- 20 ft, mostly a lot shallower
This spot is upstream on the Manasquan River. The diving area is rather small and not very deep. Visibility tends to be poor, and this is worsened whenever an O/W training class is in session, which is often. Also, the current under the bridge becomes very strong, so slack water is essential. For a long time, a dredge barge has been anchored in the channel, but otherwise, there is no boat traffic.
More: Manasquan River Railroad Bridge ...
- Type:
- smallish tidal river inlet with stone jetties or bulkheads on both sides
- Depth:
- 15 ft
This inlet has an L-shaped jetty on the north side and a longer straight jetty on the south side. Both jetties are made of loose stones - hardly any concrete - and the bottom is sandy and usually clean. You can walk over the bridge from one side of the inlet to the other in about five minutes.
More: Shark River Inlet ...
- Type:
- helicopter, heavy-lift transport
- Sunk:
- 1995
- Depth:
- suspended between 25 and 40 ft
- Sponsor:
- Keystone Helicopter
More: Dutch Springs S-56 Helicopter ...
A tugboat is a small sturdy and powerful vessel designed to push or tow other vessels and barges
You will see them in every sizable port; smart, businesslike small ships, low in the water and surging out to a large inbound ship. Tugs represent power for pushing and pulling, an engine with just enough hull for adequate buoyancy. Thick fenders for close-quarters work, pushing a big ship alongside the quay against the wind, hauling her off at the end of a towing wire.
More: Tugboat ...
The dive site is between 8th and 9th Streets (marker at upper-left)
Atlantic Beach bridge at right, inlet and ocean to the left (west)
In Queens borough, New York City!
East Rockaway Inlet is also known as Deb's Inlet, while New Yorkers optimistically, or perhaps ironically, call the Beach 8th Street dive site Almost Paradise. (Actually the name of a long-defunct dive shop there.) It is also referred to as Beach 9th Street. If that's not enough names for the same place, the waterway is officially called Reynold's Channel. So I suppose you could make six different entries in your logbook.
Beach 8th Street is the only part of the inlet that is accessible to divers, the rest is either private property or state park land where diving is prohibited. You can zoom, pan, and maximize the map above. The inlet is off to the left, marshland to the right, and Kennedy Airport above.
More: East Rockaway Inlet / Beach 8th Street ...
- Type:
- smallish tidal river inlet with stone jetties or bulkheads on both sides
- Depth:
- 15 ft
The Shark River is your best bet for shore diving in the northern half of the New Jersey coastline, far better than the Manasquan River. Shark River offers at least four different locations to dive: either side of the inlet, with rock jetties to explore, slightly upstream at A Street in Belmar, and upriver in the back bay area at L Street, Belmar. The wreck of the Malta is also just a few blocks south on the beach, but hardly worth diving.
More: Shark River ...
Don't know how I missed this, but back in August, Stu retired and sold Dutch Springs to a developer who plans to put two warehouses on the property:
As you can see, one warehouse fills the small wooded area (lower-left) that was basically unused, while the other obliterates the entire area between the quarry and the road. This leaves no room for parking or facilities. The property is approximately 95 acres, but more than half of that is water.
Sad, but Stu built the place and ran it for 40 years, and he has a right to retire. As we all know, anything having to do with diving brings insurance into the mix, and thus far no other solution has been found.
The quarry will be fenced-off, and Dutch Springs will enter the history books.
More: Dutch Springs - The End of an Era ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, tugboat, US Army
- Built:
- 1945 - Orlando CA USA, as ST-842, R.J. Wales
- Specs:
- ( 80 x 23 ft )
- Sponsor:
- Artificial Reef Association
- Sunk:
- Sunday July 27, 1997 - Shark River Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 40°06.320' -73°41.855'
- Depth:
- 125 ft
More: Billy D ...
Depth: 55-95 ft
More: Atlantic City Artificial Reef ...
Depth: 65-80 ft
More: Axel Carlson Artificial Reef ...
Depth: 50-60 ft
More: Barnegat Light Artificial Reef ...
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