Deepwater Reef — public NJ reef 23.6 nm off Ocean City
Deepwater Reef is a public NJDEP offshore site. reeflocs.pdf says 23.6 nm off Ocean City NJ; the August 2021 map says 23 nm, 1.0 sq mi, and 93–135 ft. This is not a bay-boat trip.
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
- Deepwater Reef Site
- Distance offshore
- 23.6 nm off Ocean City NJ on reeflocs.pdf; 23 nm on the August 2021 map
- Reef area
- 1.0 square miles (August 2021 map)
- Depth range
- 93–135 ft (August 2021 map); legend bands 90–140 ft
- NE corner (DGPS)
- 38°59.000′ N, 74°10.500′ W — reeflocs.pdf
- NW corner (DGPS)
- 38°59.000′ N, 74°11.500′ W — reeflocs.pdf
- SE corner (DGPS)
- 38°58.000′ N, 74°10.500′ W — reeflocs.pdf
- SW corner (DGPS)
- 38°58.000′ N, 74°11.500′ W — reeflocs.pdf
- Mantank barge (2002)
- 224-foot barge Mantank, September 5, 2002 — 38°58.690′ N, 74°11.410′ W (Deepwater Reef PDF)
Deepwater Reef is the far-offshore public box off Ocean City, NJ. If you only have a bay boat, this is the wrong page.
Official box
reeflocs.pdf: 23.6 nm off Ocean City NJ. August 2021 map: 23 nm, 1.0 sq mi, 93–135 ft, not for navigational purposes. Legend: ships, subway cars, tires. When the two files disagree by six-tenths of a mile, trust the PDF you download today.
| Corner | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|
| NE | 38°59.000′ N | 74°10.500′ W |
| NW | 38°59.000′ N | 74°11.500′ W |
| SE | 38°58.000′ N | 74°10.500′ W |
| SW | 38°58.000′ N | 74°11.500′ W |
Named drops (sample)
From the Deepwater Reef PDF. We are not inventing GPS for rows the extract did not print cleanly.
- 224-foot barge Mantank (thebassbarn.com Reef), September 5, 2002 — 38°58.690′ N, 74°11.410′ W
- NYC Transit Redbird subway cars, July 16, 2003 — sample Redbird Reef I at 38°58.560′ N, 74°10.650′ W
- 244-foot tanker Vincent Tibbetts (Capt. Walt Hendee) is named on the same PDF. The table wrap did not give us a clean date/coordinate pair, so we are not copying a third-party number. Use the current DEP PDF.
Cape May County MUA tire units (March–May 1994) start the table. We are not pasting every subway-car ID.
Comms
This is not Ocean City Reef. Twenty-three nautical miles is a VHF + inReach trip: fixed-mount DSC radio, current charts, fuel margin, PFDs. Cell coverage is not a plan.
Seasons
Statewide 2026 windows: NJ saltwater seasons 2026. Distance does not write you a new season.
Inshore of this box: Ocean City Reef, Townsends Inlet Reef.
Sources checked
Electronics and comms, not $10 staples
Chartplotter for an offshore box
Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv
$999.99 when checked on Amazon for the GT54 transducer bundle
Fixed-mount DSC VHF
Icom IC-M330G
$228.12 when checked on Amazon for the black GPS model
Satellite backup ~23 nm out
Garmin inReach Mini 2
$349.99 on Garmin when checked; Amazon listing for the Mini 2 also live