Shark River - A Street
Yet another place to dive the Shark River is on the south side, near the intersection of 1st Avenue and A Street, behind the apartments. There is limited but very convenient free parking. A small cement stairway leads down to a concrete ledge above the water. Climb down between the big rock and the bulkhead, where you will find more steps underwater. ( Whoever B.M and M.M. are - thank you! )
The bottom here is much like the rest of the river - sand and mussels. The rocks in this sunny spot are covered with orange sponges, red and green seaweeds, and anemones - very pretty. Depths are in the 10-15 foot range, although you may want to stay higher where the light and colors are better. The rocks are large and not closely packed, so you can swim in and around them. Tropical fish seem to favor this spot.
The bulkhead is not very interesting, which is ok because you are not supposed to go that way anyway. The topside ledge at the water's edge goes almost all the way to the bridge and is quite walkable and not too bad a climb out of the water so that you could ride the tide downstream and then climb out and hike back.
As of 2006, mussels have completely overgrown the bottom at this site, and only small patches of sand can be found between the rocks.
Dive Sites, Manasquan Dive Sites, New Jersey Coast Dive Sites, New Jersey Dive Sites, Sandy Hook Dive Sites,
- Type:
- smallish tidal river inlet with stone jetties or bulkheads on both sides
- Depth:
- 15 ft
The Shark River is your best bet for shore diving in the northern half of the New Jersey coastline, far better than the Manasquan River. Shark River offers at least four different locations to dive: either side of the inlet, with rock jetties to explore, slightly upstream at A Street in Belmar, and upriver in the back bay area at L Street, Belmar. The wreck of the Malta is also just a few blocks south on the beach, but hardly worth diving.
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- Type:
- smallish tidal river inlet with stone jetties or bulkheads on both sides
- Depth:
- 15 ft
This inlet has an L-shaped jetty on the north side and a longer straight jetty on the south side. Both jetties are made of loose stones - hardly any concrete - and the bottom is sandy and usually clean. You can walk over the bridge from one side of the inlet to the other in about five minutes.
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- Type:
- inland tidal bay
- Depth:
- 20 ft max, 15 ft in most places
This dive site, formerly known as 'L Street' has changed completely, and for the better. The town of Belmar has done something really nice for us divers and installed wide wooden steps down the bulkhead in Maclearie Park. This more than makes up for the loss of the boat ramp area, which is off-limits to all swimmers since it was rebuilt. I suppose the little cove by the ramp is still accessible from the beach, but the new site is much better, and far from all the dangerous boat traffic around the ramp and marina.
More: Shark River - Back Bay ...
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