Old Garden Beach

Old Garden Beach

Massachusetts, USA East
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Entry Map
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Directions
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Photos
Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 8138h ago)
Max Depth
20 ft

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Old Garden Beach

Old Garden Beach is in a small and very scenic residential area of Rockport. It used by divers of all skill levels due to its ease of entry. This is a small, secluded beach with a sandy shore near Rockport Harbor. By swimming 100 yards or so straight out from the beach you can reach depths of 50', and the bottom topography includes huge boulders. Following the shoreline to the right, depths are considerably shallower – around 15-25 feet max – and the bottom is rocky. Both areas are home to many lobsters. This site has a very easy entry – there is a ramp from the street to the beach. There is a lot that is residents only during the summer, but parking is available on Old Garden Street during weekdays. On weekends, you can drop your gear off at the top of the ramp, and then park the car on adjacent streets (Atlantic Ave. is unrestricted). They will tow cars that are parked illegally. There is a "No Night Diving" sign posted – this contradicts MA state law and is unenforceable. At high tide the water level is right at the base of the ramp, and low tide reveals a stretch of sand. There are no restrooms or other amenities here. This site generally has very good visibility. Exposure is Northeast. At the end of SR 128 in Cape Ann, turn Left on SR 127A (Cross Street). In one half mile, turn left (following SR 127A) onto Thatcher Road. After 4.3 miles, turn right onto Calebs Lane, and travel almost to the end (.25 miles), turning left on Old Garden Rd. The Beach will be on your right.
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4.5
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LobstaMan
LobstaMan
Nov 13, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
Finally got to dive OGB on Veterans' Day '06. Parking wasn't bad (for Cape Ann)--drop your gear at site, park about 1/8 mile up road on Atlantic and walk back. The entry, walking down the ramp across the sandy beach, is about as easy as it gets. Bit of surge, surf and slight current until about 20fsw, then it lessened. Viz (15') was acceptable given the conditions. Not much marine life on this day, but nice u/w topography with lots of large and XL boulders strewn about the bottom. Max'd out at 32fsw with 49F at depth. You can get as deep as 55fsw or so. I was advised to head out to the green buoy on the right side of entry point (about a 240 heading), but many go straight out from the entry. Overall, this is a recommended site for beginner, refresher and intermediate divers, but not much for the advanced/tech types (unless trying out new gear).
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