SHELL CREEK

DIRECTIONS:                               (Island Park, Nassau County)

Take the Southern State Pkwy to Exit 20 South (Grand Ave). Stay on Grand to Sunrise Hwy and turn right. Go west on Sunrise to Long Beach Rd then turn left. Stay on Long Beach Rd south into Island Park. Take the left fork onto Austin Blvd. Make a left onto Empire or Nevada, then take Jamaica to the end.

Note: Parking is private and can be a problem at this site. Divers have in the past been able to utilize street parking between C&S Marina and Shell Creek Marina. One group obtained permission to use one of the boat yard parking lots. Others access the site by boat.

CONDITIONS:

Shell Creek is actually a nice protected beach dive. Located on the east side of Island Park, conditions here are not usually affected by even strong winds. I would advise diving here during an incoming or high tide for the best conditions. The bottom is silty but divers will find the remains of six small wrecks including a wood barge. According to Darryl Steinhauser, many of the wrecks, are attached together by a cable. Darryl reports that divers can find the cable by starting between C&S and Shell Creek Marinas and than just heading due south for 100'. Once the cable is located if you go east the cable will bring you to a 30' and a 20' long wreck. By heading west the cable leads to broken down wreckage. Divers should note that boat traffic in Shell Creek can be very heavy.