Hello - LI NY diver

[LI-er]

I'm only in the area in summer. What is Clark's beach like (where, parking, uw topography & depth?). Thanks.

Hello I am from LI as well and have dived at least 20 different shore sites around Nassau and Suffolk County over the past years.

For easy parking you've got OBI in Babylon, and the Montauk Point jetties at the southeast tip of the island.

Ponquogue Bridge requires a seasonal permit, its $25 and I think anyone can get one besides town residents although I'd double check on that. I was unaware that divers could park on the North side of the new bridge without a permit (there's not much room there for cars) but the diving isn't nearly as good- you could conceivably drop gear on the south side then someone drives across and leaves a car on the north side and walks back. The bridge has been sporadically closed during repairs this summer. Although diving is tide dependent, if you know what you're doing you can enter earlier and stay later than the 35 minute window commonly advocated. You won't be blown out to sea or into the channel if you've got good navigational skills and are a proficient diver.

Clark's beach runs about 8-10' in depth, it's a typical LI shore dive with rocks, crabs and small fish. Depending on the local political climate parking is either right there or very restricted with a chain across the entrance which requires a long walk.

One of my favorite sites is Bayville in Nassau County. Easy beach entry with depths of around 25' and it's got a wreck of a barge or an old dock (no one is quite sure) and the remains of what is supposedly an old 2 man recon sub from many years ago placed there as a breakwater. Parking can be at the restaurant if you patronize it, good place for lunch, or possibly on the side street at the beach. Or do it as a night dive- after the restaurant is closed- it's a blast.

Old Dock in Port Jefferson is an easy dive in about 17-22' of water with wreckage of an old pier, sometimes a good sized fish and old bottles can be found. Parking is limited but free if you can grab a spot.

Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai and Shoreham nuclear power plant jetties in Suffolk county are nice easy dives in relatively shallow water.

Bayville Oyster Barge in Nassau for easy parking, easy entry and some wreckage if the vis is good.

HMS Culloden as a second dive in Montauk Pt- an old wreck in shallow water you can sometimes see the cannons in the sand.

I have a boat and dive off of it to reach inshore wrecks and jettyies that are not reachable from shore because of private property. I figure there's a good month left this season. Vis hasn't been great in the Sound, anywhere from 1-5' but that's all you need if you're used to it.

PM me if you want to dive with me.

 

[TMHeimer]

Hello I am from LI as well and have dived at least 20 different shore sites around Nassau and Suffolk County over the past years.

For easy parking you've got OBI in Babylon, and the Montauk Point jetties at the southeast tip of the island.

Ponquogue Bridge requires a seasonal permit, its $25 and I think anyone can get one besides town residents although I'd double check on that. I was unaware that divers could park on the North side of the new bridge without a permit (there's not much room there for cars) but the diving isn't nearly as good- you could conceivably drop gear on the south side then someone drives across and leaves a car on the north side and walks back. The bridge has been sporadically closed during repairs this summer. Although diving is tide dependent, if you know what you're doing you can enter earlier and stay later than the 35 minute window commonly advocated. You won't be blown out to sea or into the channel if you've got good navigational skills and are a proficient diver.

Clark's beach runs about 8-10' in depth, it's a typical LI shore dive with rocks, crabs and small fish. Depending on the local political climate parking is either right there or very restricted with a chain across the entrance which requires a long walk.

One of my favorite sites is Bayville in Nassau County. Easy beach entry with depths of around 25' and it's got a wreck of a barge or an old dock (no one is quite sure) and the remains of what is supposedly an old 2 man recon sub from many years ago placed there as a breakwater. Parking can be at the restaurant if you patronize it, good place for lunch, or possibly on the side street at the beach. Or do it as a night dive- after the restaurant is closed- it's a blast.

Old Dock in Port Jefferson is an easy dive in about 17-22' of water with wreckage of an old pier, sometimes a good sized fish and old bottles can be found. Parking is limited but free if you can grab a spot.

Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai and Shoreham nuclear power plant jetties in Suffolk county are nice easy dives in relatively shallow water.

Bayville Oyster Barge in Nassau for easy parking, easy entry and some wreckage if the vis is good.

HMS Culloden as a second dive in Montauk Pt- an old wreck in shallow water you can sometimes see the cannons in the sand.

I have a boat and dive off of it to reach inshore wrecks and jettyies that are not reachable from shore because of private property. I figure there's a good month left this season. Vis hasn't been great in the Sound, anywhere from 1-5' but that's all you need if you're used to it.

PM me if you want to dive with me.

Thanks for the tips. I was replying when we lost power (30 hours) due to Hurricane Dorian (the eye past right over us). Guess that's one time I wished it were a month ago when I was still in NY...
I'm in Westchester each summer 7 weeks, so will keep track of your e mail for next year.
I've done Bayville 3 times. In 2018 my brother & found they don't really let you park on that street next to the café anymore, and we had already eaten. Found out from a cop there is no place anywhere in Bayville to legally park on the street. He showed us a spot where he said he'd let us stay a couple of hours anyway.
Last month we drove out to Montauk (where we spent many a trip as kids 50 years ago) to do the Culloden wreck dive. Found the dirt road to the site chained off with a fence. So we went to the parking lot neat Ft. Pond Bay to dive. Amazing that's there and it's actually free to anyone. I posted on the Aqua Explorers, Inc. site that the gate was there after a 3+ hour drive. That parking lot at Fort Pond Bay wasn't there in the 60s/70s, even later. The road just stopped in the woods.

 

[LI-er]

Thanks for the update. Yeah the shore dive sites are getting less accessible which is why I finally caved and got a boat which I pretty much use only for diving. Was hoping to get out yesterday but winds were up.

 

[Mezzy]

Hello,

I'm just new to this.

I would love to learn more about diving

 

[Rich Keller]

Hello,

I'm just new to this.

I would love to learn more about diving

Best thing to do is start with an open water course.

 

[TMHeimer]

Thanks for the update. Yeah the shore dive sites are getting less accessible which is why I finally caved and got a boat which I pretty much use only for diving. Was hoping to get out yesterday but winds were up.

Yeah, too bad it's like that. We grew up enjoying almost all of the L.I. beaches. Here in Nova Scotia you pull off the road, gear up and walk into the water. No badges/county permits, parking fees, life guards, etc.

 

[LI-er]

Did a nice wreck yesterday, ventured a bit further out into the LI sound, just past the Middle Ground Lighthouse to an unidentified wreck in about 70' that Squalus Marine Divers refer to as "The Singer Wreck" on their youtube page. It's an old steamship with a huge boiler that lit up my sonar with up to 20' of relief. Dropped the anchor right on top and it made for a very interesting dive.

 

[Bluegill']

I'm only in the area in summer. What is Clark's beach like (where, parking, uw topography & depth?). Thanks.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. As I understand it, Clark's beach was closed some years ago due to vandalism and attracting people dumping garbage.

It is gated and locked. It was opened back up only to divers due to the advocacy and influence of LIDA. Their website has the access requirements (found here Long Island Divers Association, LIDA):

• You must contact LIDA to gain access to Secret Beach. Please email Barry Lipsky at info@lidaonline.com or call him at 631-495-4471 and he will provide the access code for the gate lock. If Barry is unavailable, please contact Bob Auteri at 516-768-7990.
• In order to gain access to Secret Beach, all divers must first sign a Secret Beach Liability Release form and return it via email to LIDA at the following address: info@lidaonline.com
• Please be advised that the Village of Greenport requires that a Dive Master or Dive Instructor be on-site at all times while diving is taking place.
• Dive flags must be used when diving or snorkeling.

 

[Bluegill']

Did a nice wreck yesterday, ventured a bit further out into the LI sound, just past the Middle Ground Lighthouse to an unidentified wreck in about 70' that Squalus Marine Divers refer to as "The Singer Wreck" on their youtube page. It's an old steamship with a huge boiler that lit up my sonar with up to 20' of relief. Dropped the anchor right on top and it made for a very interesting dive.

Li-er, sounds interesting. Do you have GPS coordinates or is it relatively easy to find off of Middle Ground Lighthouse?

 

[LI-er]

Li-er, sounds interesting. Do you have GPS coordinates or is it relatively easy to find off of Middle Ground Lighthouse?

Both. The wreck is located just NE of the lighthouse and is on most maps including those that come with the Navionics App. I can provide them if you're looking to head out there.