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FALL 2012
LOCAL DIVING
When I arrive at the locomotives’
coordinates, I mark the spot with an
empty milk jug or bleach bottle tied
to a weight with enough line to reach
the bottom. The area is not known for
great visibility, so we’re never sure what
we will find. The first time I dived the
site, I arrived at the bottom a few feet
from the locomotives, and the visibility
was about 15 feet. It was the first time
I can ever remember standing on the
bottom and just staring at the beautiful
site before me. The locomotives were
covered in frilled and lined anemones,
tubularian hydroids and blue mussels.
Black sea bass swam in and around
the carriages. It was one of the most
mesmerizing sights I have seen in all
my years diving; I can’t imagine these
historical treasures looking any more
beautiful than they did that day.
A Tribute
My hands-down favorite dive site is a
110-
foot tugboat on the Axel Carlson Reef
site. When my wife turned 50, I asked her
to pick something special and told her I
would get it for her if I could. She chose
“
a tugboat sunk on the artificial reef and
named after me.” My first reaction was,
“
Don’t make this too hard!” It took three
years, but it is now a reality. On Nov. 10,
2004,
a McAllister Towing tugboat was
named the Veronica M and sent to the
bottom. It lies in 75 feet of water, and it’s
a haven for marine life. My first visit was
in the summer of 2005; the wreck was
covered with blue mussels, tubularian
hydroids and frilled anemones. Black sea
bass, cunner (bergall) and tautog patrolled
every part of the Veronica M. The tug is
everything my wife hoped it would be and
more. This beautiful wreck will provide for
its marine inhabitants and surface dwellers
for many years, and it will be the final
resting place for Veronica and me.
AD
Conditions:
Water temperatures range from 37°F in the winter to 70°F in late August and September.
Average visibility is 15 to 20 feet, but there are days when it exceeds 50 feet. Visibility is often better on
offshore sites. Most wrecks, artificial reefs and rock piles are in 50 to 130 feet of water; many are in the
60-
to 90-foot range. A drysuit is recommended, but many divers use 7mm wetsuits.
Recommended Equipment:
Many N.J. scuba divers use pony tanks with separate regulators,
line reels for navigation in low visibility, lift bags for doing safety stops or bringing goodies to the
surface, mesh bags for harvesting and dive lights.
General Recommendations:
N.J. diving is not Caribbean diving. When signing up for boat
dives, ask the staff about conditions and depths, and make choices to match your skill level.
More Information:
Charter dive boats operate out of most inlets along the N.J. coast. Information
about boats and dive clubs can be obtained from the New Jersey Council of Diving Clubs
(www.
scubanj.org)
or the Eastern Dive Boat Association
(www.edba.com
). Find more information about div-
ing at
www.njdive.com
and the New Jersey Scuba Divers Message Board
(members3.boardhost.com/
Modiver). For information about shipwrecks, artificial reefs and marine life, visit njscuba.net.
HOW TO DIVE IT
Check out Segars’ book, Beneath the Garden State: Exploring Aquatic New Jersey,
now available from Schiffer Publishing. Visit
www.gotosnapshot.com/njgarden.html.
see more
New Jersey
Toms River
Manasquan Inlet
Atlantic
City
Long Branch
Lana Carol
Veronica M
Mohawk
Sea Girt Wreck
Dykes
Locomotives
Stolt
Dagali
Trenton
Maldives
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