Hurricane Sandy

Jersey Shore Summer 2013: Beach Guide

Planning a vacation or just a day trip? Patch has all the information on the Shore's best beaches

More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented damage to the Jersey Shore region, the beaches will be open for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer. While certain access points and facilities might be closed as municipalities continue to work on restoration, for the most part, the beaches will be operational. The only beach that remains off limits to the public is Mantoloking. The borough was home to a breach that split Ocean County's northern barrier island in half and was one of the hardest hit communities in New Jersey during the storm. So as you prepare to stick your toes in the sand, are you wondering what will be accessible after Sandy? Need to know how much it will cost to buy badges to your favorite beach? Curious …

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Special Section: Counting Down to Memorial Day

Less than one week until major tourist season

Beach Sweeps Set For Saturday Along the Coast

Clean Ocean Action's twice-yearly event is in its 28th year and still welcoming volunteers young and old

Another summer has come and gone, filled with days of laughter, sunshine and relaxation at the beach. While the parties have gone, the reminders of them -- caps from water bottles and soda, straws from drinks, and hundreds of other bits of debris -- remain behind. This Saturday, hundreds of volunteers will be hitting the state's beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May to pick up plastics, Styrofoam, cans and much more, left behind by humans and the tides, as part of Clean Ocean Action's fall Beach Sweeps event. (Belmar is holding two at the Belmar Fishing Club/First Avenue beach and 16th Avenue beach. Manasquan crews will assemble on Main Beach. All begin at 9 a.m. See below for a complete list of sites.) Since the first sweeps in 1985, more …

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State Officials Approve New Beach Access Rules

The rules side with special interests by blocking access to beaches and waterfronts, Sierra Club says.

State environmental officials have approved a revision of the state's public access rules for beaches, bays and tidal waterways, the Associated Press reported Friday. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin says the new rules maintain existing public access, while granting more power to local communities to write their own access plans, subject to state approval, the AP reported. The Public Access Rule was signed Wednesday, and will take effect Nov. 5. Jeff Tittel, head of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter, wrote a blog post for Patch Friday saying the rules "side with special interests by blocking people from getting proper access to beaches and waterfronts." "When they first proposed the rule it was a major roll…

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Sierra Club Leading Belmar Beach Cleanup Saturday

Annual International Coastal Cleanup starts 10 a.m. at 12th Ave. beach

The New Jersey Sierra Club is scheduled to hold its annual coastal cleanup Saturday, Sept. 15, at Belmar beach from 10 a.m. to noon, organizers said.  The Sierra Club's International Coastal Cleanup runs every year on the third Saturday in September, and this year more than 75 concerned citizens will gather at 10 a.m. on Belmar's 12th Avenue beach to collect trash and other harmful debris, according to a release from the organization.  Last year cleanup crews in Asbury Park collected 564 cigarettes, 492 bottle caps and 417 straws, among other trash, the release says.  "Plastic trash and pollution is not only an eye sore, but harms our marine ecosystem, marine animals, and birds," the release says.  Dedicated individuals along with …

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Belmar Pro Surfing Contest Opens Thursday

Some of the world's best surfers will gather on 16th Avenue beach this weekend

The Foster's Belmar Pro surfing competition kicks off Thursday, Sept. 13, at 16th Avenue beach in Belmar.  The event, which lasts through Sunday, features several heats including Jr. Pro, Womens Pro and Masters Pro, and will also include parties and live musical performances each night from local and regional favorites at area bars.  Musical acts scheduled to perform live on the beach during the competition and at various after-parties include Barry & The Penetrators, P-Dub Assassins and Paul Cilinski, according to the event's website.  Surfing begins 8 a.m. Thursday and concludes Sunday with an awards ceremony scheduled for 3:15 p.m.  Last weekend, the Belmar Pro held its amateur competition.  Here is the official schedule of events of …

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Amateur Leg of Belmar Pro This Weekend

First heat kicks off 8:30 a.m. Saturday at 16th Ave. beach in Belmar

As Hurricane Leslie heads north this weekend, likely creating some of the year's biggest swells, dozens of surfers will be hitting the water for the amateur leg of the Annual Belmar Pro.  And the fun is just getting started, as next weekend some of the world's best surfers will ascend on the Jersey Shore for the Belmar Pro competitions at 16th Avenue beach and the 20th Annual Manasquan Longboard Classic at the Manasquan Inlet.  This weekend's amateur categories are as follows:  Surfers and bodyboarders can still sign up by downloading a registration form here. Here is this weekend's schedule of events:  SATURDAY:  8:30 AM – Junior Men’s Heat 1 / Round 1 8:50 AM – Junior Men’s Heat 2 9:10 AM – Junior Men’s Heat 3 9:30 AM – Junior Men’s Heat…

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As Leslie Creeps North, Rip Current Risk 'High'

National Weather Service warning in effect through evening

Although Hurricane Leslie is hundreds of miles away and out at sea, the risk of rip currents along the New Jersey coastline on Thursday is high, according to the National Weather Service.  Wind and wave conditions will support the development of "very strong rip currents," the NWS says.  Swells from Leslie's large, slow-moving circulation are producing elevated surf along along most of the eastern seaboard, experts say.  And that elevated surf has caused an abnormally high risk of rip currents, they say.   "The rip currents will be life threatening to anyone who enters the surf," according to the NWS warning.  As current surf conditions are three-to-five feet high, the high risk warning will remain in effect through tonight across all New …

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Christie to Promote Shore Economy in Asbury Park Today

Governor to appear at 3 p.m. on the boardwalk

Editor's note: Read coverage of Christie's visit here.   Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to appear at the Asbury Park boardwalk at 3 p.m. today to discuss the importance of clean beaches and waterways to the Jersey Shore economy, organizers said.  The governor's "Promoting the Jersey Shore" press conference will be followed at 3:30 p.m. by a boardwalk and beach walk, according to a release from Christie's office.  During the walk, Christie is expected to meet and greet boardwalk patrons and beachgoers, the release says. The press conference will be held on the boardwalk near Convention Hall, 1300 Ocean Avenue, the release says.  Check back with Patch later today for full coverage of the event. 

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Manasquan-Belmar Tide Table for the Week

Atlantic Ocean and Manasquan Inlet Tide Table

Here is the tide schedule for Belmar from Aug. 13 to Aug. 24, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NOAA is a science agency and a division of the United States Department of Commerce that provides daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration, and supporting marine commerce. For real-time surf conditions, check out these live beach cameras:  Daily surf and swell reports for Monmouth County can be found here, courtesy of SwellInfo.com.    Belmar: Manasquan:

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