Absecon Creek is located of Absecon Bay about five miles northwest of Atlantic City and 10 miles southwest of the LIttle Egg Inlet. Although Absecon Creek is primarily used by local boaters and the approach is shallow, if you draw less than three feet, there are a couple of marinas that sell gas and have lifts for haul-outs and related repairs. The town of Absecon is located 1.5 miles upstream from the mouth.

Use NOAA Chart 12316.

The approach channel to Absecon Creek through Absecon Bay is marked with privately maintained aids to navigation, and while the chart shows one-foot and half-foot depths, local powerboats with shallow drafts do use the channel. Absecon Creek has a charted controlling depth of 5.5 feet once you reach it and the two aforementioned marinas are about three-quarters of a mile upstream. As always, if you are not confident about making it, or you don’t think you can, don’t try.

To approach Absecon Creek from the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway (NJICW), exit the NJICW route at Mankiller Bay just north of statute mile 65 at flashing red (2+1) light “AB.” From here, set a course toward the west to intercept flashing green “1” a little farther up the Absecon Channel. Next, flashing red “2” appears to the northwest.

After you have cleared flashing red “2,” run northwest to pick up flashing white “9” at the end of the Absecon Channel in Absecon Bay. Keep in mind that from flashing red “2” to flashing white “9,” you may find some uncharted private aids to navigation, and again from flashing white “9” to flashing white “11” at the mouth of Absecon Creek.

Use this route only with advanced local knowledge from one of the local marinas.

Local Notices to Mariners are now exclusively available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.