New Jersey Dive Sites

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New Jersey Dive Sites


Type:
shipwreck, barge
Depth:
95 ft

This wreck seems to be one or more wooden barges, possibly garbage barges from the 1920s. There is an anchor in one spot near a machinery pile, and in other spots, the old walls rise perhaps 10 ft off the bottom. But otherwise, everything is pretty broken down. This forms many hiding holes for lobster and rock crabs, and there is one in almost every hole, and some quite large. The Sea Bass are also good-sized. Yellowish natural sponges and bottles are easy to find.


Type:
shipwreck, barge
Sunk:
March 2004
foundered under tow
Depth:
60 ft

This medium-sized crane barge sank under tow in March 2004. The barge is upside-down, but propped up at a 30-degree angle by the crane, rising 30 feet off the bottom at the highest point. The crane is a large rotating affair that is permanently mounted on the barge. It is not the crumpled arm of the crane that supports the hull, but the central cab, so the wreck is stable, and it is safe to explore the cavernous dark space below. The bottom is coarse sand and pea gravel. Eventually, the wreck will crush flat, but that will probably take several years, and until then this is a fun and interesting site. Big eels, Sea Bass, and even one or two lobsters can be found here.


FE327SS/89 -- OPR-C147-HE-89; CONTACT #15 FROM SURVEY H-10284/88; DIVER INVESTIGATION FOUND A 45 FT STEEL WRECK RESTING KEEL UP ON A HARD, SANDY BOTTOM; WRECK WAS INTACT BUT NO NAME OR MARKINGS COULD BE LOCATED; HIGHEST POINT ON WRECK WAS THE STERN ON ONE OF THE TWO SKEGS; TWIN PROPS REMAIN ON THE WRECK; WRECK RISES 4 FT OFF THE BOTTOM; 44 FT PNEUMATIC DEPTH GAUGE LEAST DEPTH. (REV. 3/22/96, SJV)



Shipwreck Joan La Rie III
Type:
shipwreck, party boat
Specs:
( 47 ft ) 22 crew & passengers
Sunk:
Sunday Oct 24, 1982
foundered in rough weather - 6 casualties
Depth:
80 ft

probably nothing left but the engine, and that is probably buried


from AWOIS: 1607

NM47/66 -- DANGEROUS WRECK OF DREDGE DRYLAND, 62 FT. LONG. 22 FT. WIDE REPORTED SUNK IN ABOUT 90 FT. COVERED ABOUT 55 FT.

CL1540/78 -- MAR, OPR-C622-RU/HE-78; ITEM 4; INVESTIGATION BEGAN 30 AUGUST AND WAS COMPLETED ON 18 SEPTEMBER. EFFECTIVELY CLEARED TO MIN. OF 45.5 FT., (38.5 FT. ON A 40 FT. SHOAL), WITH NO HANGS ENCOUNTERED.

FE221/78-79 -- OPR-C622-RU/HE; ITEM 4; REQUIRED CLEARANCE TO 45 FT. DUE TO POSSIBLE HAZARDS ON THE BOTTOM. 1 MILE, RADIUS CIRCLE DRAGGED TO 45 FT. EXCEPT TO 38 FT. ON 40 FT. SHOAL (SEE AWOIS NO.00752) NW OF AMBROSE LIGHT TOWER. NO HANGS ENCOUNTERED. RECOMMENDED THAT CLEARED AREA BE CHARTED WITH GREEN TINT WITH 45 FT. CLEARANCE NOTE WHERE APPROPRIATE.

H10224/86-87 -- OPR-C121-WH-86-87; WRECK FOUND DURING MAIN SCHEME HYDROGRAPHY AND SIDE-SCAN SONAR OPERATION 850M EAST OF REPORTED POSITION; SIX DIVES PERFORMED; 2-15 FT VISIBILITY; PNEUMATIC DEPTH GAUGE LEAST DEPTH OF 86 FT TAKEN ON TOP OF A 20 FT LONG DREDGE PIPE FLOAT FOUND 841.6M EAST OF AWOIS POSITION; WRECK SITE REVEALED PIPES, FLOATS, AND DREDGING EQUIPMENT. (UPDATED MSD 4/91)


squirt bottle

A small spray bottle of soap solution is an extremely useful item to have in your kit.

Much better than soap is baby shampoo. A solution of roughly 50% baby shampoo and 50% water is useful for many things:

  • Lubricating dry suit seals
  • Lubricating gloves and boots
  • Finding leaks in suits, hoses, etc
  • General cleaning-up

This is also the best mask defogger I have yet found - much better than anything you can buy, and it won't sting your eyes ( although it doesn't taste too good. )