Wreck of the Ss Creole

The always visible remains of the CREOLE consist of a boiler and Steam Engine in two sections about 50 ft. apart with the bulk of the wreck better accessed by scuba as there is some sand covering. It is easily reached from shore being about 150' out in 15 ft. of water. Time your trip to low tide. Use a dive flag as boat traffic can be heavy. Best snorkeling is in the morning due to better light conditions. There are times when visibility makes the CREOLE invisible from the surface. The wreck is home to blackfish, sea bass, triggerfish, fluke in the sand, and various smaller fish like bergalls and snapper blues. Growth on the larger portions of the wreck is sparse as storm waves clean it off. The anchor and bell are long gone but it is possible to find ship fittings and every day living items scattered in the sand. The site has been worked over by the magnetometer crowd so don't expect any coins. The nice thing about the wreck is that you can go from parking to full examination and be back at the car in an hour and a half. The wreck is about 500 yards North of Egbert Street in Bay Head. It is in front of the house just South of the old Bluffs Hotel (Bay Head Hotel). There is public access at Egbert Street up the walkway on the South Side of the Hotel. Bay Head likes to keep these public access points non descript so look for a narrow sidewalk going directly to the beach. The wreck is 150' out from shore in 15' of water. Swim out in line with the flagpole just South of the Groin (jetty). An extra hint is that it is the last groin south in Bay Head.