Information pertinent to boaters in the Barnegat Bay area will be posted here as it becomes available.   Please send in your tips and comments.  Please use the "Contact Us" link on the main menu above.

Oyster Creek Channel Dredging

Dredging Operations will be conducted from Sept 8, 2016 to Oct 1.  Click here for details from the Waterway Guide. 

June 29, 2016 Clinging Jellyfish Warning

http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2016/06/charity_event_cancelled_due_to_dangerous_clinging.html

September 1, 2015 Oyster Creek Channel Update

Jack Reppy received the following soundings from USGS.   Keep about 50 feet off of marker 38.  There is also a Google Earth version that could not be loaded to this site.  If you would like that, please use the Contact Us link. 

August 11, 2015 Oyster Creek Channel Update

Note: Channel Marker 39 was back in place on Aug 14

A key channel marker recently went missing.  The marker was green 39, which was added in April to help boaters avoid shoaling.   In the absence of green 39, our recommendation is to keep within 50 feet of the red markers (40, 38A, 38).  You might want to add the green 39 to your chart plotter.  The location was 39-47-31.494N  074-09-16.466W.  The format is dd mm ss.sss.

There is also a new marker, red 40A between the main bay marker, BI, and red 40 at the entrance to the channel.

The chart belows shows a Aug 8, 2015 trip up the channel and back.  The water was deeper closer to the reds.

April 3, 2015 News about navigating the Oyster Creek Channel 

The US Coast Guard Barnegat Light has issued an alert about shoaling at the beginning of the  Oyster Creek Channel from the bay between markers 40 and 36.  They installed two new markers, 38A and 39 to help navigate the channel. 

You can get coordinates of the channel markers at: Coast Guard Weekly Light List Corrections. We are District 5.  Search the pdf for "Oyster Creek Channel". 

Sea Tow of Central NJ has posted more detail and a nice map.  Click here to access it.

The Army Corp of Engineers expects to dredge the area "by July".  In the meantime they are working with the Coast Guard to make sure the channel is well marked. 

The two files below are depth soundings taken by the Army Corp of Engineers on April 1.