High Tide Shock: Ortley Beach Oceanfront Completely Submerged in Nor’Easter

The recently-replenished beaches in Ortley Beach are completely underwater as waves from the nor’easter offshore pound the New Jersey coast.

Water was knee-deep at beach entrances, foam blew across what little sand was visible and currents of water ran into tide pools that quickly filled. Some snow fencing failed and, in some areas, the water was nearly up to the railings beachgoers use to access the sand all summer.

Ortley Beach during the Oct. 10, 2019 nor’easter. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

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Ortley Beach during the Oct. 10, 2019 nor’easter. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

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Last week, Shorebeat detailed how sand is often lost after replenishment, and how the engineered dune system is designed to lose some sand which forms a bar offshore. The good news is that the dune system itself has remained completely intact. Not even an inch of the dune line had been breached and the force of the waves were not strong by the time they reached the dune.

The storm produced little rain in the Shore area Thursday – the sun came out from time to time – but winds remained strong and the back bay, likewise, was seeing very high tides. Water from the ocean constantly poured over the bulkhead at Manasquan Inlet as onlookers took photos and videos with their phones.

Ortley Beach during the Oct. 10, 2019 nor’easter. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Ortley Beach during the Oct. 10, 2019 nor’easter. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

According to the National Weather Service, a coastal flood warning will remain in effect until 12 a.m. Saturday, meaning the unusually high tide cycles exacerbated by the offshore storm will continue to affect water levels on both the bay and ocean sides.