Cape May Point's New Beach

Posted 01/03/05
CAPE MAY, NJ – Where once there was just sea - lots of it, there is now sand - tons of it. While everyone was out doing their holiday shopping, dredgers were hard at work scraping up the ocean floor just off Cape May Point.

The results are nothing short of astounding. The deeply eroded beaches by Cape May Point State Park have quadrupled in size, almost overnight.

To show you the changes - just look at St. Mary's by the Sea, that picturesque convent on what used to be a cove.

Before:

Before the new beach replenishment program, St. Mary's was precariously close to the sea.

After:

Now, there's a brand new beach stretching for close to a hundred yards into what used to be the ocean.

Before:
From the south side - just a rocky cliff.

After:
a sandy beach.

Before:
Fishing jetties jutted way out into the ocean.

After:
Little bits of rock are all that's left of the two Cape May Point jetties near St. Mary's.

The beach replenishment now is moving on up the shoreline, towards Cape May.

Watch out - Cape May's famous cove may not look the same in a few weeks.