New Jersey Kayaking

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 to trespass.

Advice for Beginners,

Prospertown Lake - Jackson

Prospertown Lake - Jackson
( 40.13520, -74.44842 )

This is a nice clean lake that straddles the border between Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The neat thing about it is, if you scroll the map to the upper-right corner, that is not some industrial park, that is Great Adventure! This is the lake that is at the back of the park. At the east end of the lake, you are looking up at all the rides, while to the south is the Safari Park. You can see more water from there, but I wouldn't jump any of the dykes, as that would put you on Great Adventure's property, or maybe in the lion pen. It's not a big lake, but there is plenty of shoreline to inspect. There is a small dam at the western end. No real facilities, just parking.

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