You are at Lake Como, stop #50 on our Belmar Treasure Trail. Three neighboring towns, Belmar, Lake Como, and Spring Lake, share ownership and oversight of the lake. Belmar only has a small portion of the lakefront, less than 20% of the actual shoreline. If you continue up to B Street, that is the transition from Belmar to Lake Como’s portion of the lake. Spring Lake’s portion starts at its Ocean Avenue border by the brick arches. Many millennia ago, this lake, like Silver Lake and others up and down the coast, were all connected as part of an ancient bay. Today, the lake hosts a number of anadromous fish – that means species that can live in both fresh water and salt water. The lake is also home to dozens of mute swans. Indigenous to Asia, a few pairs of these beautiful swans were introduced to Belmar in the early 1900’s. These Belmar Swans gained a national reputation as the first flock bred in America, and the New York Zoological Garden was among several places that requested and were given a pair of breeders by the borough.

You are at stop #49 on the Belmar Treasure Trail, near the end of the Belmar boardwalk, although Belmar continues until the brick arches, which mark the boundary of our neighbor, Spring Lake. In the summer, the 20th Avenue beach is a haven for ocean kayakers and you’ll see some impressive wave-riding feats. This is also a good spot to mention the rock-like piles seen along the oceanfront that most people call jetties. Jetties, however, are the rock barriers found on the sides of inlets, like those along Shark River Inlet between Belmar and Avon. The other rock formations you see along the oceanfront are actually called “groins.” These groins are manmade formations originally built like solid rock walls jutting into the ocean to protect the beach from erosion. But in 1990, following a massive beach replenishment, the groins were notched near shore to allow for the sands to follow their natural south-to-north drift. The full length of the groins can be seen at lower tides, but the rocks mostly become submersed during high tides.

You are at 19th Avenue beach, stop #48 on the Belmar Treasure Trail. Surfers enjoy Belmar’s ocean waves year round and in the summer months, the 19th Avenue beach is dedicated just to those with their boards. Every September, thousands of people come to watch our annual Belmar Pro, where the wave-riding performances get better each year. The Pro features top surfing athletes from Central America, Australia, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Europe, South Africa and all over the United States. Plus, there are always a few local favorites in this fun-filled post-Labor Day surfing extravaganza.

The tour would not be complete without mentioning D’Jais, the well-known establishment across the street. D’Jais has featured countless entertainers who have gone on to make a name for themselves. But ask co-owner Frank Sementa what happened when he hired a young, aspiring singer-songwriter back in the 70s. Turns out he was so good, that patrons were too busy listening to the music to buy any food or beverages, so Frank had to let the musician go. In case you haven’t already guessed, it was none other than Bruce Springsteen!