“Blame it on Mother Nature.”
According to City Manager Bruce MacLeod the sudden disappearance of the Cove beach is the direct result of “astronomical [literally] extreme high tides” over the last month and particularly during the full moon July 7. MacLeod said the Cove was never part of the state and federal Beach Replenishment program which has been pumping sand back into the beaches of Cape May since 1991. He said the sand was only pumped up to the jetty at what is commonly referred to as Third Avenue. The Cove is considered part of Cape Meadows. The fact that the Cove beach expanded to the point where city officials in 1995 felt compelled to put a lifeguard stand in has all been part of a natural evolution. And, it seems, what Mother Nature giveth, she has decided to take back. City officials are also worried about a mass of salt water that invaded the Mt. Vernon section of the beach and headed into the South Meadows. MacLeod said a swab of salt water some “30 to 40 feet wide” found its way into the Meadows last Thursday. MacLeod said representatives from the Army Corp of Engineers and the Bureau of Coastal Management are coming to Cape May in the next few days to inspect that site.
Locals say the Cove is just going back to the way it was 20 or 30 years ago. In fact, MacLeod said longtime Cape May Beach Patrol lifeguard Lt. Harry Back predicted city officials would start seeing another jetty by the Mt. Vernon beach entrance reappear. “Sure enough, after the weekend, we spotted it,” said MacLeod.
According to MacLeod, Cove beachgoers will have to check the tide charts and make sure their bathing is at low tide until Mother Nature again decides to shine down on the little strip of beach at the end of Cape May. Don’t forget, at one time that area was the site of another borough, known as South Cape May. There’s a reason why it isn’t there anymore – Mother Nature.
Aerial view of the Cove beach in 2006
Learn more about beach replenishment and erosion in Cape May
Rebuilding a Beach
Nature Meets Nurture at Saint Mary by the Sea
Cape May Beach Replenishment Project
What happened to South Cape May?
Fantastic article and you make a point I wish more people would understand. I remember being a kid and walking out to the lighthouse by the meadows. I had to go at low tide otherwise there would be no beach to walk on for the return trip.
You never had to watch the tides to walk down the Cape May Meadows beach from Cape May to the Lighthouse. Where do people get their information? It was a very popular walk for exercise, recreation, sight-seeing and viewing of an all-natural beach long before the "Cove Beach" was ever created. The beach could be accessed 24/7 no matter the tides. An this is not ancient history either. When were lifegaurds placed at Cove Beach, 1995? There you have it; things changed about 1995.
My jaw dropped when I saw how much of Cove Beach had disappeared in a little over two months. I was there at the beginning of May and then again two weeks ago. At least I discovered the other way to access the beach to walk toward the lighthouse other than by the pavilion. Thank you for an interesting and informative article. We just can't take things for granted, especially when we're dealing with Mother Nature. I am curious, though. If the salt water found it's way into the Meadows, and if that poses a threat to the flora and fauna of the area, would the Army Corps of Engineers consider including Cove Beach as part of the Cape May Beach Replenishment Project?
This is a great article, thank you Susan. I still wonder why removing the 'jetties' isn't considered a potential option to restore the beaches. If I understand correctly, it is those man-made creations that at least some of the experts believe has created the constant washing-away of the beaches that has to be repeatedly addressed by the Army Corp of Engineers. Seems like it would make more sense to put things back the way they were, and probably in the long run it would be cheaper.
I surf at the cove every summer and if i cant surf there…. well thats just not cool. this is like the only time in the year i get to surf and i dont want anyone taking that away from me. i think all the surfers will still surf until totally kicked out and even then i dont think they will all go. mother nature might be taking my beach but shes just adding water and thats all i need my board and the ocean.
It was never a thought in my life time the "Cove" would be gone. I have travled to Europe and my thoughts were when I get back home I am going to Cape May, meaning the Cove, walk the beach,collect shells, watch the dolphins frolic in the surf, and the sand pippers running along the shore line.Plus walk toward the light house. I will place my chair and just sit and let the world go by. The Cove has always been a place where I can up plug from my stress,and my mantra has been Cape May, Cape May. I would tell hubby,no matter the weather rain or shine, being at the Cove is better then being any other place on earth. Hubby took me down to the Cove on Saturday and I took a few photos. I had read about the Cove on this sight. I look every morning for the photo of the day, I called to tell him all abut it and he knew I needed to see this my self. We never come to the Cape in the summer. We are spring and fall visitors. I am transplanted to the state of Pennsylvania, born and raised in Bridgeton, N.J., and my heart and soul has always been at the "Cove".
Julia is mistaken, the Cove beach was actually restored as a by-product of beach replenishment. It's not a case of my 'getting my information' somewhere, I have been walking that route for over 30 years. I remember seeing the old brick and concrete foundations from the borough of South Cape May at low tide and I also remember having to take a much longer walk through the Point and West Cape May back home, because there was no beach to access.
I also have family pictures from the cove dating back 60 years and plenty of pictures that were used in my research of 'The First Resort'. I assure you, the cove beach was not a bathing beach prior to beach replenishment.
Ben, The old Cove Beach, 60's, 70's and 80's was small at high tide. At low tide the water would recede behind the small East, west jetty. Also at low tide the longer east, west jetty which is partially buried now had a minnow pool behind it.
To get to the backbeach (Lower Cape Meadows Beach) at high tide, you had to walk along the 3rd ave. jetty. That was not hard to do, it is fairly flat.
The Cove Beach back then was where the 3rd ave. jetty and the longer east, west jetty intersected. People used to bring their dogs back there to swim. There was no interference from the lifeguards. Kids would pull up to the beach in their jet skis.
I meant to post these earlier…
This picture is an aerial shot of Cape May's beachfront in the early 1940's, before the 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane and the 1962 Nor'Easter wrought havoc on the area of Cove Beach- http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq106/amodernp…
And this one from 1963 shows the Cape May beachfront after both the hurricane nor'easter. This picture was taken at low tide (note that the water is not under the Convention Hall pier) and you can see the very small strand of sand near the cove. Consider that it continued to erode until the 1990's brought beach replenishment- http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq106/amodernp…
Ben is correct about the tides. I've been coming to Cape May for 25 years and I stay at that end of the beach. I've walked that beach many mornings and not knowing much about tides years ago, I walked too far and almost had to walk home the long way. I remember when the cove filled in with sand. Then people were saying it was the sand that had washed down. I guess it was the sand that had been replenished from other beaches. The first year and maybe the second year, there were no lifeguards. People were going there because it was free – no life guard – no beach tags. That didn't last too long. I hope it doesn't disappear altogether It's a magical place. Ben, I loved your aerial view of Cape May from the 40s.
I remember surfing the South Cape May meadow beach around 1970. At low tide there was a minnow pool behind the Jetty that runs east to west where the present day dune line is. We used to dive off the poles that are now buried in sand. At high tide , the water was about 8 feet ehere the poles are. At low tide, the warer used to recede out past the small jetty.
I remember surfing the South Cape May meadow beach back around 1970. There was at low tide a minnow pool behind the east, west jetty that is partially exposed now. We used to dive off the poles at high tide. There was 8 feet of water there. At low tide, the water would recede beyond the small jetty runnig east to west. The Jetties were built in 1952. Lou Rodia , the sports fisherman writer, wrote about fishing off the jetties as they were being built. The Jetties must be 16 to 20 feet deep. As kids, we used to dive off of the jetties to. We used to dive off the poles and moon the blue haired ladies who would sit at the boardwalk bench and knit. The police would be called and we would run and hide behind the dune near Mr. Lippi's land.
Many years ago I remember reading about an experiment to help stop erosion, I think it was off the coast in Cape May. Concrete traffic barriers were sunk and placed in a criss-cross pattern a few hundred yards out.
Did this ever happen or is it my faulty memory.
I was just in Cape May 6/12/10 and took a walk to check Cove Beach. To my surprize the beach is back. I asked the lady selling tags what happen and she say the storms brought the beach back.