The Shark River Inlet is an

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ma ...

that connects the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

with the Shark River, located entirely in Monmouth County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The Shark River Inlet acts as a border between the towns of Belmar and Avon-by-the-Sea at the

. The Shark River Inlet is the only river inlet exclusively in Monmouth County that drains directly into the Atlantic Ocean; the

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'S ...

and Navesink rivers drain into

Sandy Hook Bay The Raritan Bayshore region of New Jersey is a subregion of the larger Jersey Shore. It is the area around Raritan Bay from The Amboys to Sandy Hook, in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, including the towns of Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy, ...

(part of the much larger

Lower New York Bay Lower New York Bay is a section of New York Bay south of the Narrows (the strait between Staten Island and Brooklyn). The eastern end of the Bay is marked by two spits of land, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Rockaway, Queens. The waterway ...

), and the

Manasquan River The Manasquan River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from western Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold To ...

is shared with

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River. The inlet provides access to a

marina A marina (from Spanish language, Spanish , Portuguese language, Portuguese and Italian language, Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a Dock (maritime), dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina dif ...

where commercial, charter, and private fishing boats are

moored A mooring is any permanent structure to which a vessel may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to forestall free movement of the ship on the water. An ''an ...

History

Despite its name, sharks swimming in the Shark River Inlet are a rare occurrence. The origin of the name Shark River is unknown. Some locals will claim the inlet got its name from a shark found in the river during the 1800s, while others believe the name is from the shark teeth commonly found upstream. The bridge above the estuary was constructed in 1933, costing around $400,000 to build. The electric powered bridge is lifted several times a day to let boats pass through it.

Activities

The inlet is also a popular fishing spot, often used to catch blue fish and stripers. During the summer months, fishermen can be found at the inlet from sunrise to sundown. Divers also use the inlet to spearfish. Swimming in the inlet is not advised due to its dangerous currents and rough waters. Many people have lost their lives in the river as a result of swimming. If one is interested in diving at the inlet, they should consult the New Jersey Scuba diving site to read up on reports. Diving is also restricted from 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM from October 1 to May 1. On July 6, 2008 a small four seater plane crashed into a shallow area of water in Shark River. The single occupant was killed immediately on impact.

References

{{Authority control Bodies of water of Monmouth County, New Jersey Inlets of New Jersey