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Dive Review of Atlantic Divers - The Serious Wreck Divers Choice in
The Continental USA/New Jersey

Atlantic Divers - The Serious Wreck Divers Choice: "New Jersey Diving - Exciting, Challenging, Too Often Overlooked", Aug, 2015,

by Roger Cooper, DC, US (Reviewer Reviewer 4 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 8725.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations N/A Food N/A
Service and Attitude N/A Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation N/A Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments As a long-time diver and UnderCurrent subscriber, I wanted to say a few words about New Jersey diving. Like many Jersey divers, I love Jersey wreck diving and also love warm water diving. As destination diving has grown, many divers have never considered the great diving much closer to home. I have been diving New Jersey wrecks since 1988 and generally head out from Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island on board the Dina Dee ([dinadee.com link]). But there are dive boats that leave from many New Jersey ports. A good source for information about NJ wreck diving is NJ Scuba.net ([njscuba.net link]), which offers a wealth of information.
If you haven't done any New Jersey diving you will want to connect first with a good local dive shop who can make sure you rent the right equipment and set you up with a dive master who can take you on your first tour. For a number of years I have used Atlantic Divers, which is one of the oldest and most experienced New Jersey dive shops dedicated to Jersey wreck diving. Shop owner Gene Peterson is one of the most experienced Jersey wreck divers. [njwreckdivers.com link]
What about the cold? Most Jersey wreck divers migrate to drysuits and enjoy comfortable dives. But many prefer wetsuits and, even if they have drysuits, will switch to wetsuits when the water is warmest in late July, August and September. A few divers dive year round but most limit their season to May - October.
What about the visibility? I recall a few dives where you could see the dive boat from 80 feet, but that is the exception, with 20 to 40 foot visibility much more common. (Shadow Divers, a book about NJ and NY wreck diving is aptly named). But low visibility adds excitement and mystery to the sport.
While some divers take pictures or record video, the most common pursuits are catching lobsters by hand (big Maine lobsters), spearing fish, collecting huge mussels or scallops and artifact recovery.
What about the wrecks? Thousands of ships have been lost along the Jersey shore over the centuries. They range from 18th century sailing ships to modern craft. Many favorite wrecks were sunk in WWI and WWII by German U-Boats. Gary Gentile, a legendary NJ wreck diver, has written many books describing the Jersey wrecks available to Jersey wreck divers [ggentile.com link]).
I am heading to Grand Cayman after Christmas for a week of diving and began 2015 with 10 days of diving in Tahiti. They are great places to dive but when the weather warms up in May, I'll be back diving the great and exciting wrecks of New Jersey.
Websites Atlantic Divers - The Serious Wreck Divers Ch...   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Caribbean (many islands), Bahamas, Bermuda, Tahiti, Fiji, Philippines, Hawaii, California & Nova Scotia
Closest Airport Atlantic City, Philadelphia Getting There Drive to dive boat docks

Dive Conditions

Weather Seas
Water Temp 40-65°F / 4-18°C Wetsuit Thickness 6
Water Visibility 10-80 Ft/ 3-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Hire a dive guide through a local dive shop until you are comfortable with Jersey wreck diving. Jersey divers need to be knowledgeable and comfortable in sometimes challenging conditions.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales 1 or 2
Corals 1 stars Tropical Fish 1 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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