Buddy or a group of divers to spearfish in New Jersey (maybe Long Island)

[adriani99]

Hello everyone,
I am an open water diver with about 60 dives and I would like to start spearfishing.
I am looking for someone who has done it before, and has experience with the sport. My regular buddy wants to do it, but he also has never done it before, and I don’t believe in “learning the hard way”.

I prefer shore dives since boat trips are kind of expensive (for my budget), and I would like to go maybe once a week or more as the water temperature will go up.

I dive semidry 7mm, with single 80cc and 40cc pony.
I guess I could go up to one 120cc if I need to.
I have a drysuit, but I would like to do about 20-30 dives at Dutch Springs before I take it in the ocean.

I would love to hear about a club or a group of divers that are doing this on regular basis.

I live central/northern New Jersey, and I assume I need to drive a little to the diving sites.

I can be contacted directly at:

adriani99@yahoo.com

 

[jhupka]

well for the most part the only shore dives in NJ are the inlets which have to be time correctly so most of the spear fishing will be from boats on wrecks.

 

[agilis]

I don't spearfish, but most of my local diving is in NJ inlets and tidal basins. Most inlet diving is limited to the approximately one hour long period just before, during and just after peak high tide, but these occur twice each day, and precise tidal timetables are available on line for every possible shore entry location. They are exact as to location and time, and extremely accurate. You can get tide data days and weeks in advance, and plan accordingly. It's easy, really. NJ inlets and tidal basins are great fun, along with being easily accesible, free, and shallow. Currents and visibility are an issue, along with fisherman. Boat traffic is another problem, and some locations prohibit daytime diving during busy summer months. There's lots of information and a couple of message boards on line specific to New Jersey diving.

 

[adriani99]

Thank you Agilis for all the info. I was wondering if you would allow me to dive with you sometimes. I never dove Jersey shore before. All my dives were Dutch Springs, Fort Lauderdale, and Hawaii.
I guess here is a little different, and I believe I could learn a thing or two from you.
You could email me directly at:

adriani99@yahoo.com

 

[NJDiverMark]

me and my buddy do shore dives all the time and are very active in spearfishing. its loads of fun and very challenging. you need to know the proper sizing and catch limits in nj as well as register with the state. this applies to fishing and spear fishing. we mostly dive the manasquan inlet, shark river, and manasquan train bridge. before you start spearfishing i would do a couple shore dives to familiarize yourself with the areas and environments. viz is a major factor up here as it is usualy 10' or less. also boat traffic is an issue and of course the pesky fisherman. you want to do your shore dives at high tide, otherwise the tide is ripping and diving is extremely hard or impossible. i will be going thursday morning if you are interested in tagging along. i will be taking photos as the water is too cold anyways to spearfish right now (no fish).

 

[adriani99]

Mark, thaks for all the info. I am not trying to rush into spearfishing, I don't mind taking it slow. Thanks for invite for Thursday, but I am working until 3:00pm. Please, let's keep in touch, I would love to tag along and dive with you sometime. My schedule will be very liberal after May 1st.

 

[adriani99]

Jeremiah, rather than pay for the boat fee, I rather spend the money to take my wife out for a nice dinner. That way, she may allow me to dive .
I prefer shore dives even if I end up with no fish at all. I love diving, and I just want to add the trill of hunting.

 

[NJDiverMark]

shoot me a pm anytime!

 

[kingkong072]

Hi Mark,
How was the visibilty and the condition at the dive sites you went to?
I normally, go up to RI or LI sound or boat dive off NJ. I've always wanted to try local NJ shore, but never got the chance to. If you don't mind, I would love for an opportunity to tag along with someone experienced in local waters.
Thnks

Kyung