Things to do / Travel Guide
“Get wrecked!” Jersey Shore diving shops and clubs barb; “They'll wreck you,” experienced Jersey Shore divers warn. And with an estimated 4,000 shipwrecks littering the Jersey Shore ocean floor, their words should be taken seriously. Diving along the Jersey Shore isn't for people with cold feet. The Atlantic Ocean's water conditions and temperatures change rapidly, and waves often rise to nearly four feet. That being said, with such a satisfactory selection of sites to choose from excellent-visibility dives for novice, intermediate, and advanced divers are easily arranged.
Preferred diving sites are located near Atlantic City, Avalon, Barnegat Inlet, Bay Head, Belmar, Cape May, Island Beach State Park, Long Beach, Manasquan, Point Pleasant Beach, Sandy Hook, Ship Bottom, and Spring Lake, among others. Dive shops with scuba gear for sale and rent are located in many Jersey Shore areas and diving charter boat companies are primarily located in Shark River Inlet, Manasquan Inlet, Barnegat Inlet, and Atlantic City.
There are also 15 artificial reefs in the Jersey Shore's Atlantic Ocean waters, which make for great scuba diving. Old ships, barges, and dredged rock team with shellfish, crustaceans, lobster, sea bass, and black fish, among countless other species to form a true underwater spectacle. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has created a map of the artificial reef sites.
Some high-visibility Jersey Shore shipwreck dives suitable for divers of all skill levels include:
- Stolt Dagali - Lying 18 miles east of Point Pleasant, this is considered one of the best Jersey Shore wreck dives. The tanker sunk in 1964 after colliding with a passenger liner, and the 150-foot stern section lies at around 130 feet below the surface. The visibility at the Stolt site is usually between 30 and 50 feet and blues, cod, tuna, sharks, whales, and sea turtles are often spotted there.
- The 120 - This 200-foot-long vessel is an old schooner barge that sunk about eight miles from Manasquan Inlet in nearly 80 feet of water. A chain pile, the sides of the hull, and the keel are all visible. Large lobsters make their home in the wreck.
- Brunette - One of the Jersey Shore's best artifact dive sites, this was an iron-hulled steam freighter that sank in 1870. Given the moniker the “home depot wreck,” Brunette's artifacts consist largely of hardware store merchandise, including rulers, marble doorknobs, brass skeleton keys, and even gunpowder flasks. Visibility ranges from about 10-20 feet, and divers can expect to see a giant, steel four-bladed propeller, as well as an anemone-covered steam engine. Brunette is located about three miles from Manasquan Inlet.
- Pinta - This freighter, sunk in 1963, is another of the Jersey Shore's top diving sights, with visibility of up to 40 feet. Located eight miles offshore from Asbury Park, lobsters lurk in Pinta's cargo area, her wood cargo litters the clay bottom, and because she is only 194-feet long newer divers can swim the length of the wreck at a depth of 60 feet.
Atlantic City, Wildwood, Cape May, New Jersey Shore
Scuba-Diving
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