L Street Beach
Being in the back basin the current is less from tidal changes than in the inlet so you can get in a longer dive. The trade off is there is less to see but it is a good place to practice skills or test equipment. The site is used by some instructors for classes on weekends and can get silted out in the shallows. Best time is early evenings during the week, check the tide tables for high tide. All diving is west of the boat ramp, between the boat ramp and Rt. 35 is a low wall perfect for putting on the tank. Walk down the beach, not the boat ramp! Since you'll be diving next to a boat ramp, in front of a floating fishing pier or west under the sailing school a flag is a must! The second choice for an entry are the steps at the sailing school. In the shallows are sea grasses, as you go deeper (max 20') and under the boat channel it's sand. Things you'll see besides things lost by student divers, fishermen and boaters are the usual Jersey crabs, blueclaws, stone, hermits and horseshoe. Seabass, Sea Robins, Flounder, starfish, some shrimp and the occasional Seahorse. In late summer and into fall we get tropical's, mostly butterflies, some damsels, triggers, small frogfish and I have seen squid. After the dive there is a hose near the boat ramp for washing down boats but it works for divers too. At the west end of the beach near the sailing school is a beach shower but it's not always on and a bathroom that maybe locked if the lifeguard is off duty. If you like this and would like to explore east of the boat ramp contact DiversTwo in Avon about doing the clean-up dive one Saturday morning in October when the USCG closes down all boat traffic. L street beach is located at L street and Rt. 35 on Shark River in Belmar NJ.
