Revision 7/18/2012 12:34 PM
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Fort Wetherill
 One Fort Wetherill Road, Jamestown, RI 02835
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Max Depth: 21-25ft/6-8m
Average Viz: 11-15ft/3-5m
Entry Type: Shore
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
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Spring: Under 50°F/10°C
Summer: 71-75°F/22-24°C
Fall: 66-70°F/19-21°C
Winter: Under 50°F/10°C
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Two entries. A cliff-like rocky entry on one side. And an easy entry on a boat ramp on the other. Protected cove, small waves. Used by a lot of dive shops for training. It’s where I did my cert dives for OW. Low vis, especially when there’s trainees mucking it up, but a great place to get wet if you’ve been dry for too long. Pretty vegetation if you like mauve, pink, wine and brown. Some sea life, starfish and crabs mostly, but other fish as well. They are as surprised to see you as you are to see them. Some people spear fish there. I usually get out of the water when I see them go in.
There are actually four entries: right cove (easy boat ramp entry), left cove (more challengingif it’s choppy), Bull Point and the Goat Path. The latter two are more advanced dives. If you stay within the coves you’ll probably max out around 30’ but if you dive around the point you can hit 90’. I have never done this particular dive but some of my more advanced buddies enjoy it and there is an old submarine net and a sea anchor between 90-100’(maybe one of them will join this site and give more info). You should be very familiar with the dive site and with navigation if you dive around the point because the current can be strong and you don’t want to end up out in the bay. Bull Point has some really nice anemones at about 45’. There are wonderful inverts at any part of this park all year but sometimes squid and nudibranches can be found. There are also torpedo rays and this site is very popular for collecting lost juvenile tropical fish in the late summer and early fall. I have personally collected two spotfin butterfly fish from this site. Diving on the tide is recommended for the best visibility. This is also a good site to practice lobstering (RI residents with permits only) but the big bugs are usually picked over pretty fast. The spearfishers usually stay over near the Goat Path or go out around the point looking for skittish striped bass.
More info with pictures at;
http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/USA_East/Rhode_Island/Fort_Wetherill/index.htm