Atlantic Beach Artificial Reef

Atlantic Beach Artificial Reef

Depth: 55 - 64 ft
3.0 nautical miles south of Atlantic Beach


M60 tanks reef
M60 tanks undergo a thorough cleaning before use as reefs

The Artificial Reef Program used four types of obsolete Army armored vehicles as artificial reef materials off the New Jersey coast. These were cleaned at local military bases, loaded onto barges for transport, and pushed off at their final destination. Once the Army had disposed of its excess inventory, the program ceased, around 1999. The Artificial Reef Program has sunk almost 400 tanks altogether, far too many to list them here in this website.


80 ft steel barge
Type:
artificial reef, barges
Depth:
55 - 64 ft
Name Description Sunk GPS
80 ft steel 40°31.884'
-73°43.297'
85 ft steel 40°31.942'
-73°42.894'
100 ft steel 40°31.631'
-73°43.029'
140 ft steel 40°31.736'
-73°42.736'
150 ft steel 40°31.903'
-73°43.166'
150 ft wood 40°31.762'
-73°43.306'
75 ft steel Thursday
Nov 14, 2019
40°31.604'
-73°43.611'

Fran S reef
Type:
artificial reef, tugboat
Built:
1899
Specs:
( 84 ft )
Sunk:
early 1970s - Atlantic Beach Reef
Depth:
80 ft
GPS:
40°31.711' -73°43.438'

sank during dredging operations

later raised, moved, and re-sunk as part of reef

intact, upright


rock reef
A hopper barge full of rock

All manner of concrete, steel, and stone rubble from dredging, demolition projects, and other construction is used as artificial reef materials. This material is generally available at very low cost or free from construction companies who are more than happy to get rid of it. Transportation costs determine where this material is used by the Reef Program.


By Alex Brylske
Reprinted from Dive Training
Sept. 1996

PARALLELS ARE OFTEN DRAWN BETWEEN DIVING AND FLYING. Both take place in an environment where the ambient pressure is different than the earth's surface - where we spend most of our time breathing - and both require formal training to qualify as a participant. Yet, on one point the two activities diverge completely. In flying, the highlight of a pilot's life is his or her first opportunity to solo - to operate the aircraft alone. In fact, after earning a private pilot's license, aviators commonly fly with no one other than God as their copilot.

Not so in diving; the admonition to "never dive alone" is considered the hallmark of safe diving.

To most divers, entering the water without a buddy is tantamount to a pilot taking off without doing a preflight check of the airplane. But to assume that buddy diving is an absolute universal practice would be a mistake. Lots of divers dive solo. Some do it intentionally, but most end up sans buddy completely by accident.

Printed from njscuba.net