Blue Holes

A New Jersey "Blue Hole" is a sand quarry that has filled with water from the aquifer below. These are very dangerous places. This is because, although the visible part may look like a Caribbean beach, the underwater sides of the quarry are steep and unstable, and merely walking near the edge can cause a collapse into the hole. The water is deep and cold, and the victim is quickly overcome by shock and hypothermia and drowns.

I have marked a few of the bigger and more notorious Blue Holes that might look like good places to go on a satellite image. They are not. Most Blue Holes are either state-owned or private property, and strictly illegal (and stupid) to trespass.


Shark River
( 40.18786, -74.03461 )

  1. Shark River - Belmar ( 40.17946, -74.03743 )
  2. Shark River - Marina ( 40.19101, -74.03886 )
  3. Shark River - Neptune ( 40.19364, -74.03092 )
  4. Shark River - Wall Township ( 40.19149, -74.05792 )

Shark River is not really a river, it is more of a saltwater lagoon with an outlet to the sea. The actual inlet would be a very bad place to go, with a lot of boat traffic and sometimes swift tidal current. The lagoon is much better, and I have marked two spots that are easy access and parking - both in public parks. Don't try to use the boat ramp, you might get in trouble.