Manasquan Inlet

Picture this. You’re standing out in the Atlantic Ocean without a boat and there’s nothing in front of you but tons and tons of water, and maybe a few red and green lights from the boats ahead. You tilt your head back and see nothing but the shining stars and moon above you. You turn around and about a half mile back you can see the beach lit up by the glow of the moon. There’s a series of gigantic rocks with crevices and trenches leading back to towards the shore. Inside the cracks is nothing but ocean water and maybe a few crustaceans. Your skin is moist from the ocean spray coming from the creases and you can hear the crashing of the waves against the rocks. You can even smell that faint smell of salt that the tide has left behind.

How did you get there? Well the idea may sound crazy. Remember when I mentioned that huge series of rocks just leading to nowhere? Well you have to climb and jump over the rocks to get to what is called the Manasquan Inlet. Although the idea may sound dangerous and a little extreme, it’s actually very invigorating. I advize that you don’t sprint down the rocks... that is if its your first venture to the inlet. The rocks get pretty slippery and sometimes there’s even hooks and other fishing equipment left behind. And at night… Well its dark… And well… You get the point.

The Inlet is a port on the Jersey Shore that allows boats to come in from the Atlantic Ocean to the Manasquan river. Its actually more of an “out-rock” if you want to think of it that way. Directly across from the Manasquan Inlet is the Point Pleasant Inlet, which is almost identical to the Manasquan side. By day the inlet is home to the surfers of the surrounding towns and throughout the night many fishing boats use the inlet to take advantage of the tides. So really, you can take advantage of the inlet from dusk ’till dawn. If you’re really feeling ambitious, go down to the inlet around 430 am, give yourself ample time to climb the rocks, and sit and watch the sunrise. Also, Thursday nights in the summer, fireworks are launched from Point Pleasant; if you want a front row seat, you know where to go.