Stonington Point

Stonington point is a pretty easy dive, especially if done during the day. At night, it's a bit more challenging, but still a relatively easy dive if you're comfortable underwater at night. The maximum site depth is about 20 feet, and that's if you bring a shovel and start digging while the tide is in. Really, it's more like 18 feet, unless you go way, way way out into the channel (which is not advisible). In close to shore, and all allong the parking lot, until you hit the channel, it's a nice rocky bottom. Big, granite boulders litter the bottom. And of course, when you get lots of nooks and crannies combined with the mouth of Long Island Sound and easy access to the Atlantic, you get lots of lobster. Make no mistake about it, this is one of the premier scuba diving sites in Connecticut if you've got your current Connecticut Personal Use Lobster License. Make sure what you grab is legal, as the DEP and the Stonington Police frequent the site. We were given a hard time on February 15, 2003 by both the Coast Guard and the Stonington police because they thought we had to be lobstering, as no one in their right mind would do a night dive in 32 degree water (they were right about us not being in our right minds, anyway). The marine life here is abundant. In addition to lobster, you will find tons of jellyfish, red gilled nudibranch, lots of fry, the occassional cod, blackfish, striped bass, flounder, skate, and even the elusive wolf eel. Take your dive slow, control your buoyancy, enjoy the dive, and you will be amazed at what you see at this site. The town of Stonington has some bunk about saying you can't dive there during the day. Not that I'd want to risk a ticket or arrest, but the way that the laws on beaches and ocean acces read, it's not likely that this is enforcable. However, people will give you a hard time if you try to access from the beach while the beach is open. Again, this goes against all the laws about what you can own (you can't own the beach), but use your own discretion here.