Most Excellent Shore Diving Reviews of Ray Clark!

Review Date       AVG       ShoreDiving Site

12/26/2007        3.15      The Manesquan Railroad Bridge New Jersey, USA East

Diving at this site now requires a permit good for one year. Call 732-506-9090 ext.5955 and have them mail or fax you the request, fill out and return. You must then call them again before each dive.

05/10/2007        3.44      Amphitrite Cayman Islands, Caribbean

Good news, bad news; this is a great site but if the resort is busy there will be a sign up near the entrance saying "No shore diving". There is a wall at the right height for slipping into your BC, but if that entry is busy waddle up to the right and there is another pool you can jump into and then swim out. The shallows are beat up by the surf but you will find peacock flounder, squid and trunkfish all looking for dinner. There is also a resident octopus living in a ball of chain. At about the 28' line you start finding sponges, fans and anemones. As you get deeper there is more life. Straight out from the entry is a landing craft and to its right is the mermaid. The Atlantis sub visits both so if you hear whining be prepared to entertain the pod people. Be careful, this whole reef is under the mooring field for Sunset House's fleet and right next to their dock. There are three ladders to get out, but two I wouldn't go near in a surge.

03/21/2006        3.13      Lizzie Braytom Wreck New Jersey, USA East

This wreck may have sanded over, as we were unable to find it in Nov 2005.

03/21/2006        3.00      Sea Grape Honduras, Roatan, Caribbean

Update on Sea Grape: they now have a dive shop if you need gear (all ScubaPro) or air. It opened 10/2005. When you enter the Plantation follow the road (what passes for roads on Roatan) to the right keeping the new Sea Grapes rooms (yellow and orange) to your left. DO NOT dive in the bay where the dive boats are, as this is where the West End dumps its raw sewage! I was unable to check out the shore diving as I had a flight out in the morning to Utila.

09/08/2004        3.91      Lauderdale by the Sea Florida, USA East

Disclaimer, no diving is allowed within 300' of the Commercial St. Pier but this was a clean-up dive, well at least 1 of the 3 I did here! Ask a LDS about doing a clean-up dive here, it's definitely worth it! Under the pier were bait fish being worked by Jacks, Permit, Blue runners and Cuda waiting. A moving wall of Lookdowns. There are sandcastle looking blocks that are home to cleaners, Arrow crabs and at least one Scorpion fish. On the Swiss cheese reef I saw Sharptail Eels, Turtles and Glassy Sweepers. Near shore are Southern Stingrays. The three blocks south are pretty much the same but without the big schools of fish. Instead of feeding the meters park at the Commercial St. Pier lot, $5 a day during the week and $7 on weekends. There are showers at the end of every street.

08/04/2004        2.75      Adonis Wreck New Jersey, USA East

The Adonis and the Rusland are known as the dual wrecks. The Adonis is a wood wreck with a cargo of grinding stones all lined up. The Rusland was a steel steamer that came to rest on top of the Adonis, all that remains are the boilers and prop shaft. Good news/Bad news, this is probably the coolest NJ beach dive BUT it has the longest walk. Beach access is a path just north of 717 Ocean Ave. Drop off your gear already set up, have someone stay with it while you find a parking spot, I use a church a block south on the west side. Slep your gear toward the ocean; a little red wagon would be nice here but there are steps at the end of the path. The good news is there is a wall to sit on and rest if you are wearing the gear. Walk out to the ocean and turn right, climb over the first jetty and walk south halfway to the next. This beach belongs to the church so do not litter, because some divers did we can't shortcut through the church anymore. Swim out lining up the cross and the statue, enjoy!

08/04/2004        2.89      Allenhurst Jetty New Jersey, USA East

Off season the parking and walk are easy. There is even a wall/curb just the right height for putting on your tank. The entry on the inside of the jetty is a shallow beach but I would not do this jetty in anything but flat seas, the surge on the outside will put you into the rocks before you see them in the normal vis for here.

08/04/2004        2.95      Western World Wreck New Jersey, USA East

This is the only NJ wreck I know of where you must file a dive plan with the police. Easy walk from the car. If vis is bad this can be hard to find. A lot of china has been found here, just never by me!

07/29/2004        3.15      Shark River Inlet New Jersey, USA East

Two Choices here. At a Street entry one block inland on the Belmar side, there are narrow steps going down to the water. All diving is east to the ocean. The other choice is park on the Avon side and entry is a giant stride off the bridge base; exit is climb back over the rocks, but the plus is showers next to the boardwalk. Both sides, all diving from Memorial Day to Labor Day is dusk to dawn, a flag is a must, watch out for fishing lines and stay out of the channel. Best diving is high slack tide when vis is best, and lately that has been 15-20'. The usual mix of Jersey marine life is among the rocks. Once you get comfortable with this site and the ocean is flat you can ride the tide out from the Avon side, the north running current will take you up the beach and you walk back up the beach to the showers.

07/28/2004        2.86      Bluff's Wreck New Jersey, USA East

Can sometimes be a difficult entry through the surf and hard to locate. Other than the boilers and some other steel there isn't a lot here.

07/28/2004        3.31      The Manesquan Railroad Bridge New Jersey, USA East

Easy entry and to avoid the silt out caused by the hoards of students, let the current take you under the bridge and explore the brick pile along the RR causeway. Stay away from the marina; it's shallow and nothing to see. On the right side of the park you will now find a port-a-john.

03/16/2003        3.20      Front  Porch Honduras, Roatan, Caribbean

A better option here would be to get permission from AKR to swim from the dive shop dock to the plane (DC3?) buoy, this is in the boat channel between Anthony and Bailey Keys so a dive flag is a must. This is used by AKR as a night dive a few times a week.