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Long Branch "The Dual Wrecks" Adonis-Rusland
 717 Ocean Ave., Long Branch, NJ
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Max Depth: 26-30ft/8-9m
Average Viz: 11-15ft/3-5m
Entry Type: Shore
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Might See Something
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Rating: 3.00 by 3 divers
Spring: 50-55°F/10-13°C
Summer: 66-70°F/19-21°C
Fall: 71-75°F/22-24°C
Winter: Under 50°F/10°C
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Long Branch "The Dual Wrecks" Adonis-Rusland is a shore accessible salt water dive site, located at 717 Ocean Ave., Long Branch, NJ. This dive site has an average rating of 3.00 out of 5 from 3 scuba divers. The maximum depth is 26-30ft/8-9m. The average visibility is 11-15ft/3-5m.
The "Dual Wrecks" consists of a low debris field of interlocking wreckage, millstones, and ballast stones, no longer accessible from shore.
(Long Branch, Monmouth County) Take the Garden State Parkway to Exit 105 East. Take Rt 36 to the end and turn right on Ocean Ave. Drive south for 2.5 miles, you will see a red church on the right. The retreat house is opposite the church.
(You can not park at the retreat or cut thru their property since divers left trash behind, since Sandy the beach access path has been washed away, this is now a boat dive and much more has been uncovered) RayC/LatitudeAdjustment
The Adonis was built in Bremen, Germany in 1853, and displaced 550 gross tons. She was owned by F. Best & Company and valued at $20,000. The Adonis was en-route from Newcastle, England to New York, and under the command of Captain Bosse when she struck the beach at 11:00 PM during a heavy fog on March 8, 1859. The wood hulled vessel was carrying a cargo of 124 grindstones, 600 lead ingots, 39casks of ground flint, 100 casks alkali, 501 casks of soda, 170 casks of powder, 130 casks of carb soda, 200 casks V. red and 500 kegs C. soda. Her entire crew was taken off by rescuers from lifesaving station number four. The wrecking schooners Ring old and Nora were dispatched to the scene. Steam pumps were fitted into the vessels hold to try to reduce the water and re-float the Adonis but these efforts were soon abandoned due to rough weather. On March18th of the same year the vessel broke up in the pounding surf. In the 1960’sdivers recovered over 300 of the lead ingots she was carrying. Each weighed 115pounds and had the name Locke Blackett & Co. embossed into them. These early divers also found grindstones ranging in size from two feet to six feet in diameter. This wreck coupled with the wreck of the Rusland, which ran aground on the same spot in 1877 and now sits at a right angle to the Adonis, are more commonly known as the Dual Wrecks. Today divers can easily navigate to the Dual Wrecks. All that’s left of the Adonis are low lying wood ribs. Still visible are the remaining five and six foot diameter grindstones and occasionally a diver can recover brass spikes from the site. Howard Rothweiler reports that by digging in the sand just inshore of the grindstones he has located some of her cargo barrels. One barrel contains what appeared to be red dye. The wrecks sits in 25 feet of water and are one of the more interesting beach dives in the area.
The Rusland might have been pulled off the beach and saved, had it not run aground directly atop the old wreck of the little Adonis and become impaled on her cargo of large millstones. The Rusland now lies along the beach, with the smaller Adonis perpendicular to it. The French steamer L’Amerique went aground in the same storm nearby, but was successfully gotten off the beach.
Best viz here is at high tide and with a west wind.
This is my favorite Jersey shore dive HOWEVER doing it from shore becomes an expedition with a high Sherpa factor. There used to be easy access thru San Alfonso’s Catholic retreat but some rowdy divers ruined that. Now you need to drop off a scout at the hidden beach access path between the two condos just north of the retreat Beach access path just N of 717 Ocean who goes to the beach to see if the surf is doable. IF when he gets out of the car you can hear the surf booming you can eliminate this step and move on to plan B. The advent of online beach cams has saved me some long drives. If the surf is doable drop the gear at the beach access path, I have a beach cart for this. There is no parking on Ocean Ave., if nothing is going on at the church on the west side two blocks south I have used their parking lot. The beach access path is about 500’ long, there is a wall to sit on and rest at the beach. There is a step going down to the beach, you will need someone, that Sherpa to help lower the cart to the sand. Head south on the beach and over the rock jetty, set up on the beach directly in front of San Alfonso’s, swim straight out from the statue to the wrecks. That was the easy part, now you need to haul that wet gear back and it’s all uphill. RayC