Recent Edits
- Type:
- ~100 "Brightliner" subway cars - NYC Subway system
- Built:
- 1963-1964 - Budd Company - Model R32 # 3350-3949
1966-1967 - St. Louis Car - Model R38 # 3950-4149
1967-1969 - St. Louis Car - Model R40 # 4150-4349
1969-1970 - St. Louis Car - Model R42 # 4550-4949 - Specs:
- ( 60 x 10 ft ) 10 tons ( all, typical, body only )
- Sunk:
- 44 cars were sunk on Atlantic City Reef on April 3, 2008
more in Cape May reef and Delaware reefs - Sponsor:
- New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority ( MTA )
- GPS:
- too many to list, and all gone anyway
- Depth:
- Depths vary by location
More: Brightliner Subway Cars ...
Depth: 70-90 ft
More: Delaware #11 Artificial Reef ...
Why Do We Build Reefs the Way We Do?
Over the years, our reef-building tactics have been challenged by fishermen through comments like: don't put that concrete on top of good structure; don't spread out tire units, pile them up, it's easier to fish on; why don't you sink some ships on the Sandy Hook Reef? Believe it or not, there are well-thought-out strategies behind our reef-building efforts. Let's examine some of them.
More: Artificial Reefs Materials ...
- Type:
- 250 "Redbird" subway cars - NYC Subway system - steel bodies / frames
- Built:
- 1959-1960 - American Car & Foundry - Model R26 # 7750-7859
1960-1961 - American Car & Foundry - Model R28 # 7860-7959
1962-1963 - St. Louis Car - Model R29 # 8570-8805
1962-1963 - St. Louis Car - Model R33 # 8806-9345
1963-1964 - St. Louis Car - Model R36 # 9346-9769 - Specs:
- ( 51 x 9 ft ) 15,000 to 18,000 pounds (body)
- Sunk:
- 50 cars - Cape May Reef on July 3, 2003
50 cars - Deepwater Reef on July 16, 2003
50 cars - Atlantic City Reef on July 25, 2003
50 cars - Garden State North Reef on Sept 3, 2003
50 cars - Shark River Reef on Oct 14, 2003
619 cars - Delaware Reef 11 from Aug 2001 to Nov 2003 - Sponsor:
- New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
- anti-
Sponsor: - Environmental group Clean Ocean Action lobbied aggressively and almost successfully to prevent the use of these subway cars as artificial reefs in New Jersey, resulting in most of the cars going to other states.
- GPS:
- too many to list, and all gone anyway
- Depth:
- Depths vary by location between 80 ft and 130 ft.
More: Redbird Subway Cars ...
Depth: 85 to 103 feet
13 nautical miles southwest of Fire Island Inlet
More: Sixteen Fathom Artificial Reef ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, tanker, US Navy
- Built:
- 1945, RTC Shipbuilding, Camden NJ USA
- Specs:
- ( 174 x 33 ft ) 1390 tons
- Sunk:
- Monday June 25, 2007 - Delaware #11 Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 38°40.590' -74°43.957'
More: YOG-93 ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, tanker, US Navy
- Built:
- 1944, RTC Shipbuilding, Camden NJ USA, as YOG-58
- Specs:
- ( 174 x 33 ft ) 1390 displacement tons (full)
- Sponsor:
- GPPCBA, Crown Beer Distributors, Budweiser
- Sunk:
- Friday June 9, 2000 - Sea Girt Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 40°07.103' -73°41.479'
- Depth:
- 130 ft
More: Captain Bart YOG-58 ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, tanker, USA
- Built:
- 1958, RTC Shipbuilding, Camden NJ USA
- Specs:
- ( 264 x 48 ft )
- Sponsor:
- Morania Oil Company, Army Reserve, Navy EOD
- Sunk:
- Monday November 18, 1985 - Atlantic City Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 39°14.133' -74°12.154'
- Depth:
- 110 ft
More: Morania Abaco ...
- Type:
- shipwreck, clam dredge, USA
- Built:
- 1951, RTC Shipbuilding, Camden NJ, USA, as Maidstone
- Specs:
- ( 120 ft ) 227 gross tons, 5 crew
- Sunk:
- Thursday January 16, 1992; winter storm - no casualties
- Depth:
- 70 ft
More: John Marvin ...
- Type:
- shipwreck, clam dredge, USA
- Built:
- 1949, RTC Shipbuilding, Camden NJ, USA
- Specs:
- ( 120 ft ) 177 GT
- Sunk:
- August 1990
- Depth:
- 65 ft
intact, upright, steel hull
More: Sea Girt ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, purse seiner, clam dredge, USA
- Built:
- 1949, RTC Shipbuilding, Camden NJ USA
- Specs:
- ( 125 x 21 ft )
- Sponsor:
- Gifford Marine Company, Fish America Foundation, Artificial Reef Association
- Sunk:
- Thursday August 6, 1992 - Atlantic City Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 39°15.340' -74°14.017'
More: Beach Haven ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, clam dredge, USA
- Built:
- 1948, RTC Shipbuilding, Camden NJ, USA, as Brigantine
- Specs:
- ( 122 x 24 ft ) 178 gross tons
- Sponsor:
- Gifford Marine Company, Ocean City Marlin & Tuna Club, Fish America Foundation
- Sunk:
- Saturday April 23, 1989 - Atlantic City Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 39°13.610' -74°13.045'
- Depth:
- 90 ft
More: Nils S ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, trawler, purse seiner
- Built:
- 1948, RTC Shipbuilding, Camden NJ, USA, as Absecon
- Specs:
- ( 130x25 ft ) 198 gross tons
- Sunk:
- Wednesday May 19, 2021 - Manasquan Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 40°05.010' -73°59.632'
- Depth:
- 75 ft
More: Carter's Creek ...
Omega Protein with fishing partner Ocean Harvesters have a long history of collaborating with government agencies and non-profit organizations to offer retired vessels to artificial reef programs. The vessels that have been submerged act as a habitat for marine life, promoting biodiversity and creating recreational fishing and diving opportunities. The former vessels that have been sunk include the F/V Reedville off of the coast of Delaware in 2020, the F/V Barataria Bay off the coast of Mississippi in 2015, the F/V Great Wicomico in the Gulf of Mexico in 2009, and the F/V von Rosenberg off the coast of Mississippi in 2000.
More: Omega Protein Artificial Reefs ...
Susan Rose Sunk in February
The Susan Rose was re-sunk as an artificial reef in February. At present there still has been no public announcement. Here is the NJDEP contact form if you would like to inquire:
If you would like to visit this or any other of New Jersey's new unpublished reefs, contact New Jersey Artificial Reef Coordinator Peter Clarke at Mad Hatter Charters in Neptune City.
More: New Jersey Artificial Reefs ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, trawler
- Built:
- 1977, Bayou La Batre AL as Margaret Rose
- Specs:
- ( 77 ft ) 142 gross tons
- Sunk:
- Thursday Feb 13, 2025 - Manasquan Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- UNPUBLISHED
- Depth:
- 75 ft
The Susan Rose is a secret reef, sunk with no public notice or announcement. It will no doubt be used for another "period of successional development and monitoring" like the Carrabassett since 2024 and the New England Coast since 2023. Here is the NJDEP contact form if you would like to inquire about the progress of these studies:
More: Susan Rose ...
The Susan Rose was re-sunk as an artificial reef in February. Over two months later there still has been no public announcement. Here is the NJDEP contact form if you would like to inquire:
If you would like to visit this or any other of New Jersey's new unpublished reefs, contact New Jersey Artificial Reef Coordinator Peter Clarke at Mad Hatter Charters in Neptune City.
I finally added two "new" artificial reefs, the Carrabassett on the Axel Carlson Reef and the New England Coast on the Shark River Reef. I have been waiting patiently for the numbers to be released, and was just informed that these two sites are undergoing "a period of successional development and monitoring" before publication. These studies were never announced at the time, in fact the New England Coast was kept out of the newspapers entirely, obviously so the science would not be tainted by the public. I imagine this study is a lot like this one, conducted by NJDEP fisheries biologists Jennifer Resciniti and Bill Figley over the course of 8 years, published in 2003.
More: "New" Artificial Reefs ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, tugboat, Dann Marine, USA
- Built:
- 1966 - Houma LA, as New England Sun
- Specs:
- ( 105 x 30 ft ) 184 gross tons
- Sunk:
- Friday July 7, 2023 - Shark River Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- UNPUBLISHED
- Depth:
- 125 ft
More: New England Coast ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, trawler
- Built:
- Bayou La Batre AL, 1979, as Cowboy
- Specs:
- ( 90 ft ) 159 tons
- Sunk:
- April 2024 - Axel Carlson Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- UNPUBLISHED
More: Carrabassett ...
Since starting the site, I used charts with white water and gray land, and when I re-built all the charts in OpenLayers, it was easy enough to duplicate that. But I noticed that when you print a page, the gray land disappears. I have never found any documentation on the OpenLayers json map specifications, but I picked-apart some examples and eventually hacked-together a solution where the land is green and it does print. So hooray for that.
More: One Last Change to the Charts ...
Editor's Note:
The New Jersey fishing community owes a world of gratitude to Bill Figley for his tireless service on behalf of recreational angling in the state. Considered the patriarch of the artificial reef program, his model of excellence created over two decades in New Jersey has since been emulated by other states along the East Coast.
New Developments in Artificial Reefs
By Evelyn DeWitt Myatt & Bill Figley, 1986
It's hard to imagine anything that could have looked more forlorn than the rusty old freighter whose proud seagoing days were a thing of the past. Floating idly at her berth awaiting her fate, she was a victim of nature's ravages that had left her beautiful only in the eyes of her old captain and crew. The Pauline Marie, however, was not destined to be the victim of a cutting torch that would turn her into a tangle of scrap steel. Instead, she was acquired by the New Jersey Artificial Reef Program and went down with dignity as an artificial reef in March 1985. She now provides continuing services from her watery grave in the Atlantic, some twelve miles off Atlantic City, and her appeal to marine life is undeniable. Her interior compartments now shelter fish and crustaceans; her decks now provide substrate for mussels, soft corals, and plant life; and her newfound productivity has put delicious seafood on many tables.
More: Artificial Reefs History ...
- Type:
- artificial reef, barge, USA
- Name:
- An Indian tribe of central New York state, the Onondaga sided with the English in the French and Indian war.
- Specs:
- ( 205 x 40 ft )
- Sponsor:
- Carbon Services Corp, Philadelphia Navy Yard, Artificial Reef Association, Cape May County Party & Charter Boat Association, Sportfish Fund
- Sunk:
- Monday July 19, 1993 - Cape May Artificial Reef
- GPS:
- 38°53.770' -74°39.975'
- Depth:
- 65 ft
More: Onondaga ...
- Type:
- Adonis - shipwreck, wood-hulled bark
Rusland - shipwreck, iron-hulled steamer, England - Built:
- Adonis - 1853, Germany
Rusland - 1872, Scotland, as Kenilworth - Specs:
- Adonis - 550 tons, 12 crew
Rusland - ( 345 x 37 ft ) 2538 gross tons, ~200 passengers & crew - Depth:
- 25 ft
- Sunk:
- Adonis - Tuesday March 8, 1859 - ran aground in bad weather, no casualties
Rusland - Saturday March 17, 1877 - ran aground in bad weather, no casualties
More: Dual Wrecks ...
Depth: 25 - 40 ft
900 yards east of the Robert Moses Fixed Bridge
More: Yellowbar Artificial Reef ...
Depth: 16 - 25 ft
120 yards north of South Beach, between Kismet and National Seashore dock
This reef is very close to land, it could even be a shore dive
More: Kismet Artificial Reef ...
The Shinnecock Inlet is located in the Hampton Bays on Long Island. The inlet is one of the only major inlets on the south shore and sees a great deal of boat traffic during the summer months. With that in mind, this inlet also sees a great deal of diver traffic as well.
More: Shinnecock Inlet ...
There are two actual Ponquoque bridges, the new one and the old one. You crossed the new bridge to get to the former Foster Road. The old bridge is where you will probably dive, although nothing is stopping you from diving the new bridge. Don't get caught in the channel between the two bridges, however, because it is considered a channel and it is illegal to dive in a channel in the town of Southampton. With that in mind, there is usually good parking at the bridge, but you will have to do some walking in order to get into the water.
More: Ponquogue Bridge ...
Susan Rose Sunk in February
The Susan Rose was re-sunk as an artificial reef in February. At present there still has been no public announcement. Here is the NJDEP contact form if you would like to inquire:
If you would like to visit this or any other of New Jersey's new unpublished reefs, contact New Jersey Artificial Reef Coordinator Peter Clarke at Mad Hatter Charters in Neptune City.
- Home ...
- Dive Sites ...
- Artificial Reefs ...
- Marine Biology ...
- Artifacts ...
- Gear & Training ...
- Blog ...
- Cozumel ...
Welcome to NJScuba.net, a website dedicated to exploring the New Jersey / New York region underwater -- "Wreck Valley". Here you will find information on dive sites, marine biology, artifacts and activities, gear and training, and many other subjects.
More: Home ...
