Old Garden Beach is in a small and very scenic residential area of Rockport.  It used by divers of all skill levels due to its ease of entry. This is a small, secluded beach with a sandy shore near Rockport Harbor. By swimming 100 yards or so straight out from the beach you can reach depths of 50', and the bottom topography includes huge boulders. Following the shoreline to the right, depths are considerably shallower – around 15-25 feet max – and the bottom is rocky. Both areas are home to many lobsters. This site has a very easy entry – there is a ramp from the street to the beach. There is a lot that is residents only during the summer, but parking is available on Old Garden Street during weekdays. On weekends, you can drop your gear off at the top of the ramp, and then park the car on adjacent streets (Atlantic Ave. is unrestricted). They will tow cars that are parked illegally. There is a "No Night Diving" sign posted – this contradicts MA state law and is unenforceable. At high tide the water level is right at the base of the ramp, and low tide reveals a stretch of sand. There are no restrooms or other amenities here. This site generally has very good visibility. Exposure is Northeast.

At the end of SR 128 in Cape Ann, turn Left on SR 127A (Cross Street).   In one half mile, turn left (following SR 127A) onto Thatcher Road.  After 4.3 miles, turn right onto Calebs Lane, and travel almost to the end (.25 miles), turning left on Old Garden Rd.  The Beach will be on your right.

Old Garden Beach

Day after Thanksgiving- air temp: 40, water temp: 50!  No surf, little wind.  Great off season parking at head of the ramp.  Relatively shallow dive (30 feet), but with 15-20 ft viz, lots of interesting nooks and crannies in the rocks, with sponges and various sea-weeds.  We saw crabs and a school of young cod, but the only lobster was already in a trap.  Swam out on a course of 060M and returned on the reciprocal.  An ebbing tide and resultant current made the surface swim back seem a bit long but the dive was worth the effort.

Jim Blake's Dive Log

@jim_blake

1 dives