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#10632
NJ diving
m_grieco - 11/22/2015 5:59 PM
Category: Buddy Wanted
Replies: 21

Just saw the forecast for Thanksgiving and Black Friday...I kid you not; 60’s for both says (Friday mid to upper 60s). The Black Friday dive needs to happen, let’s nail down a location and make it happen. I say we stick closer to home, I’d do Randolph again or even try the beer train. If (big if) conditions were right I’d do Shark River Inlet, but I don’t want to kill the whole day either.
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DiverfromBaskingRidge - 11/22/2015 7:43 PM
I will know if I can take Wednesday off - I would like to dive once or twice this week or weekend...

Wednesday may be pot luck - fresh or salt - tide is early - 6:47am on Weds. Friday would be 8:06am or 8:39pm... But if it is still warm outside - diving wet won’t be so bad (day time I think would be warmer)...
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KDAD - 11/22/2015 7:53 PM
Keep me posted. I was going to take off Monday and Tuesday but if any dives are happening on Wednesday I should be able to switch although the forecast later in the week is promising.
#10632
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m_grieco - 11/22/2015 9:10 PM
I am only able to dive Friday...an 8:06 am dive could work Friday morning for Shark River, the evening is do-able, but I have to work Saturday morning, so driving home afterward would make for a rough late night. I’m also open to something fresh water on Friday (between 10 and 12).
#4400
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BeekeeperGreg - 11/22/2015 9:48 PM
Friday is best for me.
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DiverfromBaskingRidge - 11/23/2015 2:20 PM
I have Weds off now - and I am more than happy to dive on Friday as well - and maybe a Sat or Sun...

Friday - NJ Shore - inlet or Maceariie, Randolph Pond or PA Gap off Route 80 Exit 310 Train Wreck seem like the alternatives for Friday...
#10632
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m_grieco - 11/23/2015 6:01 PM
To narrow down the field, I’m up for either the Train Wreck (as I have never dove it) or Shark River Inlet in the morning (that 8ish high tide. We need to check the marine forecast and see if the conditions are good. I’m sure Divers 2 will be closed that day, so I’ll try and remember to give them a call Wednesday to see what current conditions are, assuming the warming of Thursday and Friday will work in our favor (keep those winds at bay). If we did the beer train, could do it a bit later, maybe a 10 or 11 am dive? Any other thoughts?
#4400
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BeekeeperGreg - 11/24/2015 8:04 AM
Marine forecast for this week has settled down.
Forecast for Friday is good right now, light S winds.
We should be able to find a vis report tomorrow or Thursday.
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DiverfromBaskingRidge - 11/24/2015 10:36 AM
I am game anywhere we want to dive (Beer Train can be dove anytime - not tide dependent) - I am heading to RI on Weds for a low tide dive at Beavertail - AfterDark from SB may show to give me a tour of the site - either way I am up for a dive on Friday as well.
#4400
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BeekeeperGreg - 11/24/2015 7:20 PM
Beavertail is on my list. Work prohibits going up.
You are brave to mess around the 95 corridor on Thanksgiving eve.
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DiverfromBaskingRidge - 11/24/2015 7:28 PM
:-) Turns out it was Fort Wetherill not Beavertail he recommended for low tide... But a good dive on a rocky back drop is what miss about MA diving... So I am hoping for decent viz and relatively tame currents - taking the GoPro so if I see some good sea life I will pull together a video...
Tom is going so even if it is the dive is a mess it will be fun to get him in the water...
I want to try Long Island too at some point but maybe not this year...
#10632
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m_grieco - 11/24/2015 8:11 PM
I want to do both RI and Long Island...but not this year, next season. I’ll call divers 2 tomorrow to see how it looks, anticipating it will continue to clear with this shifting southerly wind. I say if they give me a report of "fair" we dive it Friday morning. If I didn’t have to work, I’d do the morning and evening and just hang with my family in Belmar for the day since both tides are dive-able.
#10632
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m_grieco - 11/25/2015 8:36 PM
Spoke to Joe at Divers 2, he said the water coming into the inlet today looks nice and clear and went as far as saying if he didn’t have plans in the morning, he’d be diving it. Mentioned another group was looking to dive by the bridge in the morning. So it’s Shark River inlet the definitive pan now? My tank is full, I’m ready to go.
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DiverfromBaskingRidge - 11/25/2015 9:02 PM
Did two dives at Fort Wetherill - water was clean and calm - dove Bull Point and to the island off the point and the second dive at the boat ramp out to the end of the cove. A few fish but all small - a few crabs and 3 or 4 lobsters - one looked like a keeper but you need a license to fish and lobster...
Anyway worth diving again next year - nice rocky cliffs that go to the sand and up out of the water... Just a different type of dive environment than NJ.
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DiverfromBaskingRidge - 11/26/2015 12:42 AM
Video of the dive

youtu.be/yimNxOBU4ZQ
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DiverfromBaskingRidge - 11/27/2015 1:23 PM
Good Shark River Inlet dive - A Street.
I had 29 minute dive - 53F min temp - 18 foot max. Weather wise it was beautiful - and I never expected to find Butterfly Tropicals in the inlet... Great dive for a good year of diving.
Thanks and lets do this again next year.
#10632
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m_grieco - 11/27/2015 4:49 PM
Agreed Carl, great dive to end the season, I still can’t get over how nice it was today. We’ll do more diving next year and keep me posted if you want to do any RI or Long Island dives next year because I will be game for sure.
#4400
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BeekeeperGreg - 11/27/2015 8:13 PM
Another good last dive of the year.
I wonder if really will be the last dive of the year.
Hopefully next year my body will will be back to normal, thanks for your patience.
#10632
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m_grieco - 11/27/2015 10:23 PM
This is what I found this past summer on RI diving...I actually had a thread on the forum for this topic but it got limited responses. We will absolutely do this next spring/summer...I might need to buy a second tank to make sure I get my money’s worth driving all that way. Here’s the post from over the summer:

Not sure if any of my local NJ buddies are interested (or any local Rhode Islanders) in doing any shore diving before the water gets too cold. I was checking out a dive shop’s website (Giant Stride Dive Shop) and they have some nice looking shore dives that they are offering guided tours of (just tip the guide when done). Here’s the link to some of the upcoming scheduled dives (there are three pages of dives) let me know if anyone wants to trek up there with me and maybe we could split a room, I think that would be too much driving for me to do in one day. giantstridediveshop.com/events/
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DiverfromBaskingRidge - 11/28/2015 8:47 AM
Greg - It may not be the last dive but I think it is starting to get chilly - so I was thinking this may wrap it up... For me this is the latest I have been diving - we were skiing the Friday after Thanksgiving at Killington...
So not sure how much longer this weather will hold out and be on a weekend where we can dive...
Although just to plant a seed maybe a Dec 31 or Jan 1st dive? :-)
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DiverfromBaskingRidge - 11/28/2015 8:48 AM
One thing about this page is you can not edit your post - Last year we were skiing...