Ocean Wreck Divers

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Toms River, NJ
Ocean Wreck Divers

Ocean Wreck Divers was originally organized in 1978 by a small group of friends who wanted to dive Non-profit Dive Club located in Toms River, NJ.

05/20/2024

The club made its first dive for the 2024 season Saturday, visiting the wreck of the San Saba off Barnegat inlet. Conditions were not exactly ideal- not surprising given all the lousy weather we had right up to the day before we set out. The nonexistent surface visibility opened to 10 feet (at best) at the bottom. We measured 51 degrees at the bottom which is pretty good for this time of year, but cloudy skies and a steady cool breeze made for a rather chilly surface interval and kept a few (non OWD) divers from making their second dive. Topping things off was a strong surge which made navigating the dark murky wreck even more challenging. Fortunately, all of our divers were simply looking for a chance to get out- to dust off the rust and get dialed-in for what we hope will be a great summer of Jersey diving.

08/07/2023

We had a beautiful day on the Gypsy Blood Saturday morning, where we visited the wreck of the “Gulf Trade”, an oil tanker sunk by a German U-Boat in 1942. It was Caribbean-like conditions: A flat ocean with scant current, mild temps (80 on deck, 60 at the bottom) and stunning surface viz that reduced to around 15 feet on the twisted metal wreck that sits at 90 feet. Some fluke, flounder, seabass, and mussels came up, as did an old grapple hook which demonstrated yet again the adage “one man’s junk is another s man’s treasure! “

07/10/2023

The club made it to the Stolt on Saturday, an early morning trip onboard the OL' SALTY II Sports Fishing Charters on a flat ocean that allowed some divers to catch up on sleep and with just enough cloudiness to the day to make being on deck in a dry suit bearable. Unfortunately, the visibility wasn’t as good as it was last year (when we enjoyed better than 50’!). This time conditions were more typical of diving in NJ- i.e., less than 20’ viz, dark, low 60's, and some mild current, with conditions slightly improving for our second dive. Everyone was content to just poke around the big old wreck, which was covered with mussels, cunners, sea bass, and an occasional monster (but out-of-season) tog. A couple of items got lost on the first dive, but everything was eventually recovered thanks to the search and recovery skills of fellow club members. The great crew of Salty treated us to some blue fin sashimi and hot dogs for those not into fish. All in all, it was another great day on the water.

05/27/2023

The club got out last Saturday, on our first trip for 2023 visiting the Tolten in less than ideal weather but perfect diving conditions. Well, almost perfect- it was a little cold: 45 degrees at the bottom and 50 at the surface. (50 degrees never felt so warm!) The visibility was great- at least 20 feet at the bottom. We saw loads of big sea bass in the many hiding places the Tolten offers, but no one was fishing- Most all divers were simply using this trip to knock the rust off and get dialed-in for the season.

10/12/2022

The Ocean Wreck Divers Club of New Jersey is proud to announce that we will resume our annual flea market next year!

It has been a difficult hiatus, but we plan to continue our tradition of bringing the Scuba Diver Community together for this annual event. We have scheduled the flea market to be held Sunday March 5th from 8AM to 1 PM at the InfoAge Science and History Museum in Wall New Jersey. This is a new location for the flea market and the home of New Jersey Historical Divers Association shipwreck museum, providing the opportunity for attendees and vendors to visit the museum itself. (https://infoage.org).

Tables are expected to cost $45 and thus far we have planned for 40 tables but can grow that if demand exists. We are soliciting input from potential vendors to ensure we have enough space to accommodate all who are interested in attending.

Please RSVP to [email protected] by December 1St if you are interested in attending as a vendor and if so, how many tables you would like.

09/04/2022

Club members got out to visit the Tolten Saturday for the last regularly scheduled trip for the season. Conditions were ideal, with surface visibility greater than 40 feet of turquoise water and bottom viz around 20 feet, limited only by darkness. Monsters loomed large over this trip, especially lobsters: Ryan lost a glove to a stubborn bug determined not to come up while Joe successfully wrestled giant out of his hole and into Gary's game bag. That lobster was huge as the pictures show, and it looked even bigger underwater- Those of us who were hanging on the line as Joe whipped past us were left wondering how he was going to get it onto the boat!

08/07/2022

Back on the Ol’Salty Saturday, we visited the Stolt for two dives where we found amazing visibility and slightly warmer water than recent dives at similar depths. The pictures attest to the great visibility, which was easily 25-30’ at 75-100’ below which it started getting a little dark. The day started off calm, but the wind picked up as the morning went on and we just got our second dive in as things turned sporty. But it was still a nice ride back despite lumpy conditions- the advantage the comfy 62-foot Ol’Salty provides us. Some slept soundly in the cabin, while others sat outside taking in the view and maybe thinking about how fortunate we are to be able to do this.

08/01/2022

Club members got out on the Venture III Saturday to visit a favorite inshore wreck where the first-in found better than 15-foot visibility before the digging started. It was a chilly 49 degree at 77 feet making a few of us who decided to go wet regret that decision-until we got up to 25 feet, were temps were in the 60’s. Hammers, chisels, metal detectors, and pole spears were the tools of choice for the dedicated divers who attempted to free this wreck from the grip of sand and sea bass. A few lobsters came up, some fish, as well as a couple of trinkets from years ago. Overall, it was a great day to be on- and in- the water!

07/18/2022

The club got out to the Algol Saturday morning on a beautiful day of flat seas and relatively cool temperatures. We tied off at the bow and were greeted with decent visibility-initially at 25’ before dropping to around 15’ after some current picked up in time for our second dive. There was a distinct thermocline at around 45 feet that separated comfortable 68-degree surface water from a chilly 48 degrees at 100 feet and below. At least one sea bass came up as a few hearty souls searched for the deep pockets-150’ was the deepest reported. As always, the crew of the Ol' Salty were a pleasure to be with and the Captain made a point to complement our divers which was nice to hear.

01/10/2022

NOTICE: THIS HAS BEEN CANCELLED

OCEAN WRECK DIVERS FLEA MARKET is returning!!
Sunday, MARCH 6, 2022
TOMS RIVER INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL SOUTH
1675 PINEWALD ROAD BEACHWOOD, NJ 08722
*SCHOOL RULES MANDATE WEARING FACE MASKS*
JOIN US AT THE BIGGEST AND THE BEST
SCUBA FLEA MARKET IN NEW JERSEY!
NEW AND USED GEAR FROM LOCAL DIVE SHOPS AND DIVERS AS WELL AS OTHER GREAT DIVE-RELATED MERCHANDISE!!!
LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF DIVING AND EQUIPMENT FROM NJ HISTORICAL DIVERS & NEW JERSEY MARITIME MUSEUM.

Go to Oceanwreckdivers.com and click on the FLEA MARKET tab at the top, to book a table and for more info.

Address

Toms River, NJ
08753

Website

http://www.OceanWreckDivers.com/

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