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Artificial Reef Locations

Try our new and easy to use Artificial Reefs Interactive Map (leaves DEC website) to find out more about reef site characteristics, materials used, coordinates of patch reefs, and the history of deployments.

On This Page:

New 2023 Reef Material Deployments

Atlantic Beach Reef:

  • June 2023: Concrete Buoy Sinkers - 40°31.631'N / -073°42.688'W

Huntington/Oyster Bay Reef

  • January 2023: Concrete Buoy Sinkers - 40°57.469'N / -073°27.569'W

McAllister Grounds Reef

  • June 2023: Concrete Buoy Sinkers - 40°32.168'N / -073°39.759'W

Yellowbar Reef

  • May 2023: Concrete Forms - 40°37.966'N / -073°14.516'W

Map of Artificial Reefs

DEC manages 16 artificial reefs in the marine district. All sites are located near harbors or inlets for easy access to fishermen and divers. New York's artificial reefs are found on both the north and south shores of Long Island:

  • Five reefs in Long Island Sound
  • Two reefs in Great South Bay
  • Nine reefs in the Atlantic Ocean off the south shore of Long Island.

Map of New York State Artifical Reef Sites

Coordinates and Details of Artificial Reef Sites

Site details and GPS coordinates can be found in the table below. The latitude and longitude coordinates pinpoint the corners of the artificial reef sites.

Artificial Reef Site Coordinates and Details
SITE NAME LATITUDE/LONGITUDE COORDINATES SITE DETAILS
NW Corner NE Corner SW Corner SE Corner
Atlantic
Beach
Reef
40°32.020
73°43.700
40°32.020
73°42.400
40°31.530
73°43.700
40°31.530
73°42.400
Location: Atlantic Ocean, 3.0 nautical miles south of Atlantic Beach.
Size: 413 acres (2000 yards x 1000 yards).
Depth: 55 to 64 feet.
Materials: 2 vessels, 9 barges, surplus armored vehicles, 404 auto bodies, 10 Good Humor trucks, 16 steel center beam railcars, steel crane and boom, rock, concrete slabs, pipes, culvert, decking and rubble.
Comments: Auto and truck bodies have disintegrated. Rock drop along north boundary of site.
Fire
Island
Reef
40°36.100
73°13.500
40°36.100
73°11.500
40°35.440
73°13.500
40°35.440
73°11.500
Location: Atlantic Ocean, 2.0 nautical miles south of the Fire Island Lighthouse.
Size: 850 acres (3085 yards x 1335 yards).
Depth: 62 to 73 feet.
Materials: 5 vessels, 13 barges, 2 boat hulls, 6 pontoons, surplus armored vehicles, 2 drydocks, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, 16 steel centerbeam railcars, 2 steel miter gates, 1 steel tainter gate, steel bridge girders, steel lift bridge sections, steel pipe, steel lifting towers, rock, concrete cesspool rings, slabs, and rubble.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*

Hempstead Reef

40°31.250
73°33.350
40°31.500
73°31.370
40°30.553
73°33.555
40°30.808
73°31.583
Location: Atlantic Ocean, 3.3 nautical miles south of Jones Beach State Park.
Size: 850 acres (3085 yards x 1335 yards).
Depth: 50 to 72 feet.
Materials: 14 vessels, 2 barges, 3 steel power plant turbines, 16 steel centerbeam railcars, surplus armored vehicles, 1 drydock, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, City Island Bridge materials, Mill Basin Bridge materials, steel bridge trusses, and concrete rubble.
Huntington/Oyster Bay Reef 40°57.653
73°27.819
40°57.649
73°27.496
40°57.408
73°27.820
40°57.407
73°27.499
Location: Long Island Sound, 1.16 nautical miles northeast of Lloyd Point.
Size: 50 acres (500 yards x 500 yards).
Depth: 47 to 53 feet.
Materials: Undeveloped.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*
Kismet Reef 40°38.110
73°13.060
40°38.280
73°12.450
40°38.090
73°13.050
40°38.260
73°12.440
Location: Great South Bay, 120 yards north of the South Beach, between Kismet and the National Seashore dock.
Size: 10 acres (1000 yards x 50 yards).
Depth: 16 to 25 feet.
Materials: 2 barges, concrete blocks, concrete slabs, culvert, and rubble.
Comments: Charted dimensions are different from permitted ones.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*
Matinecock
Reef
40°54.580
73°37.740
40°54.690
73°37.250
40°54.480
73°37.700
40°54.580
73°37.210
Location: Long Island Sound, 0.5 nautical miles north of Peacock Point.
Size: 41 acres (800 yards x 250 yards).
Depth: 30 to 40 feet.
Materials: 1 barge and 7 pontoons.
Mattituck Reef 41°03.500
72°34.414
41°03.491
72°34.087
41°03.257
72°34.415
41°03.252
72°34.098
Location: Long Island Sound, 2.37 nautical miles northwest of Mattituck Inlet.
Size: 50 acres (500 yards x 500 yards).
Depth: 72 to 100 feet.
Materials: Undeveloped.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*
McAllister Grounds
(Fishing Line)
Reef
40°32.547
73°40.209
40°32.488
73°38.892
40°32.045
73°40.265
40°31.985
73°38.942
Location: Atlantic Ocean, 2.8 nautical miles south of Long Beach.
Size: 425 acres (2036 yards x 1020 yards).
Depth: 48 to 53 feet.
Materials: 4 vessels, 4 barges, 7 pieces of a 100' scow, 2 steel miter gates, 3 steel dam gates, 1 steel power plant turbine, rock, concrete barriers, and concrete bridge rubble.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*
Moriches
Reef
40°43.700
72°46.820
40°43.700
72°45.500
40°42.700
72°46.820
40°42.700
72°45.500
Location: Atlantic Ocean, 2.4 nautical miles south of Moriches Inlet.
Size: 850 acres (2025 yards x 2025 yards).
Depth: 70 to 80 feet.
Materials: 12 vessels, 5 barges, surplus armored vehicles, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, 4 steel centerbeam railcars, steel floorbeams, and concrete pipes.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*
Port Jefferson/Mount Sinai Reef 41°00.035
73°04.156
41°00.030
73°03.838
40°59.791
73°04.156
40°59.787
73°03.841
Location: Long Island Sound, 1.79 nautical miles northeast of Port Jefferson Inlet.
Size: 50 acres (500 yards x 500 yards).
Depth: 88 to 94 feet.
Materials: Undeveloped.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*
Rockaway
Reef
40°32.780
73°51.380
40°32.780
73°49.670
40°32.200
73°51.380
40°32.200
73°49.670
Location: Atlantic Ocean, 1.6 nautical miles south of Rockaway Beach.
Size: 635 acres (2639 yards x 1173 yards).
Depth: 32 to 40 feet.
Materials: 1 barge, 60 steel buoys, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, rock, concrete slabs, pipes, culvert, decking, and rubble.
Comments: Rock rubble is scattered throughout the reef site.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*
Shinnecock
Reef
40°48.600
72°28.930
40°48.600
72°27.600
40°47.600
72°28.930
40°47.600
72°27.600
Location: Atlantic Ocean, 2.0 nautical miles south of Shinnecock Inlet.
Size: 850 acres (2025 x 2025 yards).
Depth: 76 to 84 feet.
Materials: 8 vessels, 5 barges, surplus armored vehicles, 7 steel centerbeam railcars, 1 drydock, rock, Tappan Zee Bridge materials, a steel and concrete tower, steel and concrete bridge rubble, steel pipes, steel beams, and steel bridge trusses.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*
Sixteen Fathom Reef 40°26.430
73°22.255
40°26.430
73°20.935
40°25.430
73°22.255
40°25.430
73°20.935
Location: Atlantic Ocean, 13 nautical miles southwest of Fire Island Inlet.
Size: 850 acres (2025 yards x 2025 yards).
Depth: 85 to 103 feet.
Materials: Undeveloped.
Smithtown
Reef
40°55.990
73°11.195
40°56.052
73°10.872
40°55.845
73°11.145
40°55.909
73°10.823
Location: Long Island Sound, 1.6 nautical miles northwest of Stony Brook Harbor entrance.
Size: 31 acres (511 yards x 299 yards).
Depth: 30 to 40 feet.
Materials: 2 vessels, 6 barges, steel pipes, and concrete-filled steel cylinders.
*Fish pots banned by NYS law*
Twelve Mile
Reef
40°37.250
72°32.250
40°37.250
72°30.930
40°36.250
72°32.250
40°36.250
72°30.930
Location: Atlantic Ocean 12.0 nautical miles from Moriches and Shinnecock Inlets.
Size: 850 acres (2025 yards x 2025 yards).
Depth: 123 to 143 feet.
Materials: 2 vessels, and 16 steel center beam railcars.
Yellowbar
(Fisherman)
Reef
40°37.930
73°14.640
40°38.040
73°14.390
40°37.900
73°14.630
40°38.010
73°14.370
Location: Great South Bay, 900 yards east of the Robert Moses Fixed Bridge.
Size: 7 acres (400 yards x 85 yards).
Depth: 25 to 40 feet.
Materials: 3 vessels, 1 barge, 100 concrete Reef Ball units, and concrete pipes.
*Fish pots banned by State Law*

Print a copy of New York's Artificial Reef Map and Coordinates (PDF) to bring along on your next diving or fishing trip. You can also download the locations as a .csv file from NYS Open Data portal (leaves DEC's website).