Sea Girt Reef — public NJ reef 3.5 nm off Sea Girt
Sea Girt Reef is a public NJDEP artificial reef about 3.5–3.6 nautical miles off Sea Girt. The August 2021 map lists 1.4 sq mi and 57–72 ft, with ships, subway cars, and concrete — not a secret wreck.
By Sebastian · Published September 14, 2026
Public-source briefing only. We have not surveyed this water. DEP reef maps are marked not for navigational purposes. Confirm corners, depths, and deployments on the current NJ Fish & Wildlife reef PDFs and a live NOAA chart before you leave the dock.
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What the state published
- Official name
- Sea Girt Reef Site
- Distance offshore
- 3.6 nm off Sea Girt on reeflocs.pdf; 3.5 nm on the August 2021 map
- Reef area
- 1.4 square miles (August 2021 map)
- Depth range
- 57–72 ft (August 2021 map); depth bands 50–80 ft on the legend
- NE corner (DGPS)
- 40°08.220′ N, 73°55.520′ W — reeflocs.pdf
- NW corner (DGPS)
- 40°08.630′ N, 73°55.730′ W — reeflocs.pdf
- ME / MW corners (DGPS)
- 40°07.300′ N, 73°56.670′ W and 40°07.480′ N, 73°57.150′ W — reeflocs.pdf (six-corner site)
- SE / SW corners (DGPS)
- 40°06.130′ N, 73°57.120′ W and 40°06.170′ N, 73°57.570′ W — reeflocs.pdf
Sea Girt Reef is the public Monmouth County reef between Shark River and Manasquan traffic. NJDEP has posted the maps. Treat them as a briefing, not a chart.
Official box
reeflocs.pdf titles it “SEA GIRT REEF SITE — 3.6 Nautical Miles off Sea Girt NJ.” The August 2021 three-map PDF says 3.5 nm, 1.4 sq mi, 57–72 ft, and not for navigational purposes.
This site is a six-corner polygon on the DGPS sheet (NE, NW, ME, MW, SE, SW). Do not invent a simple rectangle.
What’s on the bottom (named, not complete)
The 2021 legend lists concrete, dredge rock, military vehicles, ships, steel, and a subway car. Named table rows we can cite without dumping hundreds of IDs:
- 85-foot tug Spartan, January 31, 1986
- 95-foot tug Rockland County, February 14, 1986
- 70-foot clam boat Carlson II, June 1, 1973 (state table)
- 51-foot Response 1 (Trevor Dixon Memorial), January 8, 2008
- Former FDNY fire boat Smoke II (Ed Bogaert Memorial), August 8, 2008
Open the Sea Girt PDF for the rest. PDF OCR also shows a 1905 date on one barge row — confirm on the live file before you treat that as history.
Seasons
Reef program habitat language: black sea bass, tautog, lobster. 2026 keep-windows live on NJ saltwater seasons 2026 and the Attention Anglers PDF. Fish in the water ≠ fish you may keep.
Next door: Manasquan Inlet Reef, Axel Carlson.
Sources checked
Electronics and comms, not $10 staples
9-inch sonar/plotter for marking rubble
Lowrance Elite FS 9
$1,099 on Lowrance for SKU 000-15692-001; Amazon 9-inch listing $1,079 when checked
Fixed-mount VHF with GPS/DSC
Icom IC-M330G
$228.12 when checked on Amazon for the black GPS model
Backup if VHF is busy
Garmin inReach Mini 2
$349.99 on Garmin when checked; Amazon listing for the Mini 2 also live