With 130 miles of pristine coastline, the Garden State’s beaches offer some of the best places to fly a drone in New Jersey.
The white sands and gorgeous vistas of the New Jersey shore make a perfect place for drone photographers and videographers. With so many beaches, a drone pilot only has so many hours in the day to film the perfect aerial shots so we’ve made it easy. Here are the 7 Best New Jersey beaches to fly a drone.
Table of Contents
Video Credit: your5best
1. Atlantic City
No drone-tastic beach ranking would be complete without Atlantic City. Because, you know, it’s Atlantic Freaking City. When most people think of New Jersey, they think of Atlantic Beach with its historic Boardwalk, vast swathes of beachfront and of course numerous and colorful casinos.
Atlantic City offers a vast array of drone filming opportunities! Maritime history buffs may want to check out Absecon Lighthouse, the state’s tallest. Looking for a unique drone shot? Travel two miles south to Margate City and check out Lucy the Elephant, a six-story, pachyderm-shaped building.
Video Credit: Travelocation Films
2. Long Beach Island
An 18-mile stretch of beach in Long Beach Island is home to six townships offering a ton of cures for the summertime blues. Drone pilots can find awesome, wave-shredding footage during the annual 100 Waves 4 Recovery event from June to August, a surfing and boogie-board extravaganza to raise funds for seashore recovery. While it’s OK to fly adjacent to people, remember to follow FAA rules and avoid flying directly over them.
Video Credit: John Abella
3. Asbury Park
Made famous with Bruce Springsteen’s classic Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. album, Asbury Park is a short, 90-minute drive from Philadelphia and New York City. Music-loving drone photographers may want to capture the splendor of the New Jersey Music Hall of Fame. An ideal winter-sport drone subject, the annual Cold War pits hardy surfers against the frigid waves.
Video Credit: Aboubakr Lem
4. Cape May
Rated the top NJ beach by U.S. News and World Report, Cape May is known for its more than 600 Victorian-era buildings, making it a wonderful canvas for an architectural drone video. Swelling in population each season from 3,500 residents to more than 50,000 visitors, the summer frenzy of activity combined with the idyllic town’s quaint promenade means plenty of aerial possibilities.
Drone pilots interested in wildlife will delight in finding more than 400 bird species – many migratory – dotting the shoreline. In fact, Cape May is known as the best bird-watching area of the Northeast. Cape May is also home to a major U.S. Coast Guard Training Center so be aware of flight-restricted zones.
Video Credit: Enos Aerial
5. Wildwood
Wildwood offers a wild array of video/photo aerial shots for fans of roller coasters, Ferris wheels and other amusements. Although it may be tempting to shoot footage of the rollicking nighttime lights along the boardwalk, remember drone flights at night are almost always illegal for recreational drone pilots.
Wildwood is one of New Jersey’s busiest beaches, drawing an estimated 250,000 visitors during summer months. Thanks to its unique location on a barrier island, Wildwood gives nature-loving drone enthusiasts plenty to shoot. Sports videographers will find plenty to cover during the many beach racing events featuring motorcycles and hot rods.
Video Credit: Wildwood Video Archives
6. Seaside Heights
Located on the Barnegat Peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the ocean, Seaside Heights is famous (or infamous depending on your opinion) as the filming location for the classic (question mark?) reality-TV hit Jersey Shore. More importantly for drone pilots, the beach town is home to Casino Pier and Funtown Pier, both stretching 300 feet into the Atlantic—the perfect “Situation” for interesting photography ideas with several arcades, amusement rides and a water park.
Video Credit: netmagi
7. Ocean City
An easy drive from Philly, Ocean City is the self-proclaimed “Greatest Family Resort” of America and includes around 8 miles of shoreline. Looking for drone footage of pristine, untouched beachfront? Check out Corson’s Inlet State Park, one of New Jersey’s last tracts of undeveloped beachfront. Looking for something more touristy to shoot? Fly over to the 2.5-mile long boardwalk offering plenty of interesting sights. Roller coaster fans will want to grab some footage of GaleForce, a maximum-overdrive coaster that travels up to 64 mph with a 125-foot drop. But remember, don’t fly directly over people. Did we already mention that?
Before you fly
New Jersey beaches are not only popular with tourists and aquatic sports fans. Many restricted government installations may be located near any given beach. Before you fly, investigate what’s around you—wildlife refuges, national parks, military bases or other government facilities. The FAA offers a handy mobile app called B4UFLY that shows recreational drone pilots where they can and cannot fly using interactive maps.
Now hit the beach!
This article is purely for entertainment purposes only. It is the responsibility of the pilot to properly research, follow, and abide to all local, state, or federal aviation laws. FAA permission may be required for flight within these listed locations.
