any NJ snorkelers?

Are any members here NJ snorkelers? I'm in Ocean County.

Chris

cherry hill area

Where in NJ do you snorkel?

Chris

There is some interesting snorkeling around shallow structure just inside the Shark River inlet, Manasquan inlet, etc., and on almost any jetty when the sea is flat and calm. The stanchions and rubble around RR bridges and roadways like Rt 35 can be fun, but watch out for strong currents. Stay shallow and close to shore, wear gloves, and try to keep in physical contact with the structure you are exploring. The hour of quiet water around peak high tide is best. Don't snorkel anywhere that you have not first carefully observed during tide changes.

Dock pilings and sea walls that are close to the ocean offer excellent snorkeling, when the water is reasonably clear. Beware of boats: use a flag, but don't depend on it. Snorkel defensively and stay out of open water. Stay away from fisherman, and expect to encounter old fishing line and hooks, so carry at least one small sharp knife. Be prudent and alert.

This time of year there are lots of small tropical fishes that came up on the Gulf Stream. I saw many Butterfly Fish, a few damsels and one Blue Angelfish over the past few weks, mostly under docks.

Shark River Inlet and Manasquan Inlet are nice areas to snorkel in. I have seen some tropical fish in these spots, but I haven't even gotten in the water this year. Those spots are also pretty good spearfishing spots too, with plenty of stripers and blackfish.

Chris

Hi all...new to the forums...I'm in somerset co NJ....I see this thread is years old but for anyone still looking I'd like to know of anymore spots in NJ for snorkel

Thanks

I live in Morris County NJ, if I ever make it south I'll look you up I've only lived in Jersey for 2 years now, and I've still never made it to the shore!

An old post. How well can you see? I've always wondered about snorkeling in NJ. How is the visibility? Can you see much off of the beach? I used to visit Long Beach Island years ago and I always wondered if you could just go out in the water and see fish etc. If there was better than 20 feet of visibility that would be something.

You won't get great visibility, but if you can get in around some of the jetties then you'll get to see some nice stripers and blackfish.

Chris

Old thread but thought I'd Chime in. I took my daughter to Round Valley Reservoir over the weekend. My daughter is only 7 but I've taken her snorkeling when we're on vacation and she loves it. But the warm clear waters of the Pacific are hard to come by here in NJ. We had a great time in Round Valley though. When you enter the water there it will get stirred up, and some guy let his 2 huge Rottweilers loose right by us and they made a huge mess in the water. So initially the water looked like a soup with ZERO visibility. But after we swam out a little bit and got past the stirred up mud it was really clear. We swam over to an area of about 6-8 feet deep and saw plenty of fish. Another spot of maybe 15 feet deep I was looking straight down at a sandy bottom that looked vacant of any life, but I swam down close to the bottom and there were fish all over the place that blended in with the bottom so we couldn't see them from up top. A highlight was seeing a school of Yellow Perch, maybe 20 fish and also a bass that was pretty big.

Since I live only 25 minutes away I'm glad I have somewhere local to go snorkeling. I guess there's always Dutch Springs but that's another 30 minutes away. There's a specific spot that you have to snorkel or Scuba in. For snorkeling you need a buddy, an inflatable vest, and a dive flag. You also need to register, which is free, and check in and out at the park office. But there were people who were fishing or walking their dogs who were jumping in the water. But better to be prepared going there in case they enforce. We will be going back next Summer since it was worth it.