New Jersey Scuba Diving

Sea Mammals

Well, it's that time of year again, time to renew the web hosting. And for those of you that don't know, that has become a lot more expensive than it used to be. Fifty dollars a year is now several hundred. Not to mention the price of domain names has gone up ten-fold.

And I just found out that the nice folks at PayPal disabled all my Support buttons, and I never got a notice (although that may be my fault.) In any case, it is all working again now, so if you would like to make a small donation to help defray these costs, it would be greatly appreciated.

Bottlenose Dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphins

All marine mammals are strictly protected by law, and may not be approached or harassed. Foxes excepted.

Harbor Seal

Harbor Seal

Phoca vitulina

by Larry Sarner

Wild seals conjure up images of northern or even Arctic climates. But few people know that more than a hundred harbor seals call New Jersey home during the winter months, coming ashore into isolated estuaries and even upstream into a few rivers.

New Jersey is near the southern limits of the range for harbor seals on the East Coast. However, these seals are frequent visitors offshore in winter and even have been reported as far south as the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and off the coast of North Carolina. The winter seal-sighting season runs from December through March. Seals generally leave the New Jersey coast by the second week in April, probably responding to rising air and water temperatures and the increase in human activity.

More: Harbor Seal ...

Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Size: to 12 ft

Habitat: oceanic

Notes: The largest dolphin in our waters. These occasionally stray into rivers and bays. There they are sometimes trapped in the winter, where they would die if not for the ensuing human rescue operations.

More: Bottlenose Dolphin ...

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

Size: to 50 ft

Habitat: oceanic

Notes:
These are most often seen from charter boats, and are certainly the most common large whales in the area. Occasionally one may even be spotted from shore. The popular notion of a whale song is actually the vocalization of these whales.

More: Humpback Whale ...

Red Fox

Red Fox

Vulpes fulva

Size: to 25" (about the size of a beagle)

Habitat: wherever there is food

Notes: Alright, this is not exactly a marine mammal. However, these rascals are becoming so common along the Jersey Shore that I thought I would mention them. They are especially common at Sandy Hook and Long Beach Island, where they live on handouts from beach-goers. It is important not to feed them, as this has caused a population explosion, and also makes them bolder with humans, and potentially dangerous. In the off-season, they prey on certain threatened shorebirds as well.

More: Red Fox ...

Portholes & Deck Lights

porthole diagram

Portholes are used to let light and air into a ship. They are usually constructed of brass for corrosion resistance, which makes them highly desirable as collector's items. The drawing at right shows all the major parts:

  • The immovable backing plate, bolted to the vessel's hull, which carries the hinges for the swing plate and deadlight
  • The glass swing plate, which is secured shut by large butterfly nuts called 'dogs'
  • The deadlight, used when it is desired to black-out the vessel, as in time of war

More: Portholes & Deck Lights ...

Disclaimer:

I make no claim as to the accuracy, validity, or appropriateness of any information found in this website. I will not be responsible for the consequences of any action that is based upon information found here. Scuba diving is an adventure sport, and as always, you alone are responsible for your own safety and well being.

Copyright © 1996-2024 Rich Galiano
unless otherwise noted

Powered by WordPress. No, really.
Cookies blah blah whatever

This website is 100% AI-free

166 // 1130941 // 1407

Printed from njscuba.net