Cove Beach Erosion Moves Swimmers

CAPE MAY — Winter storms and high tides have taken a bite out of one the city’s most popular swimming, kayaking and surfing spots: Cove Beach.
Mayor Edward J. Mahaney Jr. said conditions on the beach seem to worsen day by day.
City Manager Bruce MacLeod met with Beach Patrol Captain Buzz Mogck and Public Works Superintendent Robert Smith.
MacLeod said Cove Beach, which is located west of the Third Avenue rock jetty, was experiencing severe erosion reaching into the area of dune line to the point where a cliff has been created. Astronomical high tides have further eroded the beach, he said.
Sunbathers were setting up their chairs and umbrellas too close to the dune line presenting a danger if the dune collapsed, said MacLeod. Stakes and yellow ropes have been placed to move sunbathers.
Where the stone jetties come together in an “L” shape with one section going into the ocean and the other towards the west, a strand of beach is now marked with signs discouraging use by the public. That area is also referred to as the surfer’s beach, said MacLeod.
The erosion has made it difficult to place lifeguard stands for proper spacing for protection, he said.
Mahaney said a number beachgoers were using a ramp to the beach at the end of Mt. Vernon Avenue and using the beach further to the west. Beachgoers are also using First and Second avenue beaches that have been underutilized, he said.
Beach Patrol vehicles can no longer use the thin strand of beach from Second Avenue to Cove Beach. Walkers will find only a sliver of beach at high tide in the same area, said the mayor.
He said steps taken by the Beach Patrol and Public Works have addressed safety problems at Cove Beach.