Barnegat Bay

Barnegat Bay is a long, brackish lagoon behind the barrier islands of the New Jersey coast. Small rivers and creeks enter along its inner shore, while Barnegat Inlet connects it to the Atlantic. Dutch explorers named the inlet Barendegat, or “inlet of the breakers,” for the turbulent water and shoals at its mouth. During the American Revolution the sheltered bay served as a refuge for American privateers operating against British shipping.