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Scuba Diving off Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
The Point Pleasant Beach area offers divers a diverse
ecological underwater experience. Here are a few helpful tips that
will make your adventures here more enjoyable.
"The Railroad Bridge" section of Gull Island Park is an
area commonly used for training by a few dive shops. This area is
good for the novice or for someone who just needs to get their fins
wet. To dive this area, high tide is strongly recommended. The visibility
generally runs from under a foot to eight feet.
The Manasquan Inlet offers some of the best shore diving
around. One problem can be the challenge of entering the water.
Diving is only permitted east of an imaginary line drawn from Ocean
Avenue across the inlet. Be advised, this area should only be entered
by competent shore divers. Some enter the water where the cement
bulkhead ends and the dolis rocks begin but many others enter closer
to the fenced area. Again, the tide here is extremely important.
You will find that the true slack tide of this area is about 1 hour
after the published tide timetables. Divers should only enter the
water here just prior to slack high tide and keep close to their
flag. There are some great crevices between the dolis area that
holds a variety of sea life year round. Remember to use extreme
caution when diving this area.
The NJ Shore offers Beach divers many wrecks and obstructions to
dive. Point Pleasant Beach is one of the lesser-used areas. There
is a wreck lying about 100 yards off the beach in the southern section
of town. This dive can be disappointing to those seeking a traditionally
thought of "wreck". The outline of the hull of the wreck can be
seen but is often missed. Location and information can be found
at most local dive shops.
What to do on your dive? Spear Fishing is slowly becoming
a popular sport. A spear allows the fisherman to selectively choose
his fish. There are three popular types of spear guns available.
Each style has its advantages and disadvantages. For larger fish
a pneumatic gun provides power and accurate shooting. One disadvantage
to this type of "gun" is the difficulty of reloading in the water.
For medium sized fish, a band spear provides sufficient power. One
distinct advantage to band spears is the ability to reload. For
smaller less aggressive fish you can't beat a pole spear. A pole
spear is always ready to use and can be very useful in rocky areas.
When spearing use common sense and follow these rules.
SPEAR FISHING SAFETY MEASURES
- Always keep your gun on safety until ready to fire.
- Never point your gun toward other divers.
- Always look to see what is beyond the fish
- Never shoot a fish you do not recognize.
- Never shoot a fish of questionable size.
- Pull the trigger as you breathe in.
- Follow all rules of diving.
- Be careful not to ascend quickly.
Thanks to New York Harbor, the Jersey Shore is famous for its wreck
diving. During a wreck dive, you will experience a variety of sea
life. There are a few boats that offer diving departing from Point
Pleasant Beach. Typically offered are weekend two tank dives and a
mid week one tank night dive.
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