The Eatons Neck Oyster Barge Shipwreck
New York and New Jersey's (Wreck Valley)
Historical and current New York and New Jersey Shipwreck Information and images for scuba
divers and fisherman.
EATONS NECK OYSTER BARGE
DIRECTIONS: (Eatons Neck, Suffolk County)
Take the Long Island Expressway to Exit 51 North, Deer Park Avenue.
Bear right at the fork on Deer Park Road East and take this to
Jericho Turnpike and turn right. Then make the first left onto
Elwood Road. Drive north on Elwood to Route 25, Forth Salonga Road.
Make a left, then a quick right on Reservoir Avenue, and continue to
drive north. Reservoir will change into Church Street, then into
Ocean Avenue that you will follow to the end. Turn left on Eatons
Neck Road; this will turn into Asharoken Avenue, then back into
Eatons Neck Road. (Be careful: the speed limit on Eatons Neck Road
is 30 mph, and it is strictly enforced.) Make a right turn on Tudor
Drive, then a right onto Birmingham. Birmingham will take you into a
town beach. Go to the far end of the parking lot and park. The wreck
is located on the bay side about a quarter mile down the beach.
(Metal Detecting see below)
CONDITIONS: The Oyster Barge rests on a sloping bottom where depth ranges from a
mere five feet close to shore, to almost 40 feet at the wreck's deep
end. According to Glen Williams, a local Scuba Instructor, the
barge is mostly intact with one wall collapsed. The bottom is
composed of muddy silt which can, and usually does reduce visibility
to zero when kicked up. When I was first brought to this site, I
dove with a group of divers. The first two were the only ones to
see the wreck while the rest of us literally had to feel our way
around.
I would recommend only small groups dive here at one time, with all
divers making a conscious effort not to stir up the bottom. If
kicking is kept to a minimum, and the wind and tide are right, I'm
told diver scan see all sorts of crabs, small invertebrates,
mussels, oysters, and even mantis shrimp.
Spear fishermen can even enjoy this site by lying down near the edge
of the barge on the top deck. Here they can enjoy better visibility
by not kicking up the silt and can wait for passing black fish to
swim within range.
A word of caution to all divers: Since this wreck is heavily fished
and holds a good amount of monofilament line, a sharp knife should
always be carried. Also, when visibility is zero, a diver could
unknowingly swim inside the collapsed wall. Just remember that
caution is always the key to a safe and enjoyable dive.
Metal Detecting
Although this site is best know for the wreck the beach
here is quite popular and as a result can be a
productive site when looking for lost jewelry. Most of
the beach slopes into deep water rather quickly so water
hunting and diving with a metal detector is much more
productive. I never seem to find many coins here but
have found quite and assortment of gold rings.
Sketch of Eatons Neck Oyster Barge Area. Dan Berg Long Island Shore Diver Collection
Sketch of Eatons Neck Oyster Barge Area. by Glen williams courtesy Dan Berg Long Island Shore Diver Collection
Aerial photo of Eatons Neck. Photo by Dan Berg
Capt. Dan Berg on the Oyster Barge. Photo by Joe Koppelman.
Shipwreck
Expo Free Newsletter
Sign up for our free e-mail shipwreck, diving and Treasure
Hunting newsletter. Capt. Dan Berg has designed this e-mail
service for all wreck divers, maritime historians and
treasure hunters.
DIRECTIONS: (Eatons Neck, Suffolk County)
The Oyster Barge rests on a sloping bottom where depth ranges from a
mere five feet close to shore, to almost 40 feet at the wreck's deep
end. According to Glen Williams, a local Scuba Instructor, the
barge is mostly intact with one wall collapsed. The bottom is
composed of muddy silt which can, and usually does reduce visibility
to zero when kicked up. When I was first brought to this site, I
dove with a group of divers. The first two were the only ones to
see the wreck while the rest of us literally had to feel our way
around.
I would recommend only small groups dive here at one time, with all
divers making a conscious effort not to stir up the bottom. If
kicking is kept to a minimum, and the wind and tide are right, I'm
told diver scan see all sorts of crabs, small invertebrates,
mussels, oysters, and even mantis shrimp.
