Dive Sites (32/46) ~ New Jersey Scuba Diving

Dive Sites (32/46)

Dive Sites - pick your starting point

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Manasquan River Railroad Bridge

Railroad Bridge

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.

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Ramos

Type:: shipwreck, schooner barge
Specs:: 1208 tons
Sunk:: Friday June 30, 1933
GPS:: 40°25.505' -73°54.071' (AWOIS 1990)
Depth:: 80 ft

Nearby are the remains of several other barges.

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Ranald

Type:: shipwreck, iron-hulled screw steamer
Built:: 1878, Scotland, as Clan Ranald
Specs:: ( 305 x 34 ft ) 2008 gross tons
Sunk:: Tuesday June 4, 1901
foundered when cargo of asphalt melted and shifted - no casualties
Depth:: 40 ft

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Ranger

Type:: shipwreck, steamer
Depth:: 85 ft

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This bay is muddy and turbid, although some folks dive the several small wrecks around the inside of Sandy Hook. Bottle hunting around the old piers and pilings in Keyport harbor is also a possibility, but most of the structures along the bay shore are too small and shallow to be of interest. I have scouted the shoreline from Atlantic Highlands to Laurence Harbor, and nothing looks too promising. See also entries on Navesink River and Horseshoe Cove.

More: Raritan Bay ...

Raritan River

Dive here? You must be kidding !

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Reggie

Type:: shipwreck
Depth:: 105 ft

upside-down steel hull

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Reliable

Type:: shipwreck, trawler
Built:: 1918
Specs:: ( 104 x 15 ft ) 83 tons
Sunk:: May 25, 1949

Krotee has a rather confused listing for a wooden trawler Reliable ( which he also calls Sea Hag ) sunk in this vicinity.

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Relief Lightship WAL-505

Type:: shipwreck, lightship, USCG
Name:: Named for its job - as the "relief ship" for the other regular lightships along the eastern seaboard.
Built:: 1904, New York Shipbuilding, Camden NJ USA
Specs:: ( 129 x 28 ft ) 631 gross tons, 9 crew
Sunk:: Friday June 24, 1960
collision with freighter Green Bay - no casualties
GPS:: 40°27.144' -73°49.070' (AWOIS 2003)
Depth:: 105 ft, main deck at 90

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Remedios Pascual

Type:: shipwreck, sailing ship, Spain
Built:: 1885, J. Urquhart, Canada, as Stalwart
Specs:: ( 216 x 40 ft ) 1605 gross tons, 21 crew
Sunk:: Saturday January 3, 1903
ran aground in bad weather - no casualties
Depth:: 25 ft

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Dive Sites

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The Season

The diving season in New Jersey begins in June for most of us. Hardy souls in drysuits will dive all year long, but with a good 7mm wetsuit, early June is still chilly. By late July the ocean has warmed up nicely, and it keeps getting warmer through September and doesn't really get cold again until October or even later.

So the peak dive season is June through November, right? Well, not quite. Early August starts hurricane season, and by late August it is in full swing. A couple of good storms and everything is so roiled up that there is almost no point in trying to dive anymore. That's not to say that there can't be a good year with no hurricanes. Barring storms, with a drysuit you could reasonably expect to dive from late April to early December.

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