Old Ponquogue Bridge Boat Ramp Hampton Bays, NY 11946

"Wonderful place to watch the sunset. You can park here and walk up for a view of the Bay from the bridge."

"A good idea gone even better, the Bay Men need more of this, and so do we . Best, gpallen."

"Great location and very easily accessible. What some may not realize about this site is it is a spectacular site for scuba diving (listed even on the town website for the marine park at same site). The site can be tricky for catching slack tide and the length of the slack tide each day can cause for a quick dive or nice long ones with great visibility. The visibility, though like much of LI waters, can range like any other LI shore dive from 1 foot to 20+. While fishing and launching your boat at this location please be mindful of scuba divers and their flags/locations. Also be mindful of the laws and distance required to keep them safe while boating (100 feet min.)Section 448.9. A typical diver will swim under and around the pylons of the old bridge and occasionally parts of the new bridge. Excerpt: "All boat operators should be aware of the two flags which indicate the presence of divers in the water. Always be on the look-out for the “diver down” flag, which is red with a white diagonal stripe, as shown to the near right. It will be attached to a float or a boat. This flag indicates that there is a diver in the vicinity, and that boats should keep at least 100 feet away. Be aware that while the diver should be within 100 feet of the flag, divers can drift with the current and they may be further away. Pass these flags as widely as possible, and be on the lookout for air bubbles indicating the divers’ position. You may also see the blue and white “alpha flag,” which is required to be flown by the operator of a dive boat when conducting dive operations. Boats flying this flag have restricted maneuverability. Other boats must keep at least 100 feet away from either flag unless the boat is actively servicing divers on the surface or below. It is the diver’s responsibility to stay within the 100 foot buffer zone of the divers flag. Boaters must give a wide berth to boats displaying the alpha flag. If it is necessary that you must come within the safety area, approach the flag or boat with caution and communicate with anyone you see.""

"This is one of the best places to launch your boat in Hampton Bays. It is a concrete ramp with a floating dock. You can get in and out during low tide. The floating dock is great for tying your boat up while others use the ramp ahead of you. There is ample parking, I’ve never been unable to park my truck after launching my boat. The best wind directions to launch/haul are East, southeast, and north East, the west winds get in there creating a bit of a chop. It’s not that bad though, Ponquogue bridge acts as a buffer. The channel is a little tricky. After launching your boat you have to go outside of the bridge to avoid the floating fishing dock. There aren’t any signs and that is the proper way to do it."