The Shark River Inlet is an inlet

Inlet

An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...

 that connects the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 with the Shark River

Shark River (New Jersey)

The Shark River is a river in eastern New Jersey that rises in eastern Monmouth County and flows southeast for , continuing through Neptune Township and Wall Township...

, located entirely in Monmouth County

Monmouth County, New Jersey

Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The Shark River Inlet acts as a border between the towns of Belmar

Belmar, New Jersey

Belmar is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,794. The Borough of Belmar is governed under the Faulkner Act system of municipal government....

 and Avon-by-the-Sea

Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey

Avon-by-the-Sea is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,901...

 at the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. The Shark River Inlet is the only river inlet exclusively in Monmouth County that drains directly into the Atlantic Ocean; the Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury River

The Shrewsbury River is a short stream and navigable estuary, approximately 8 mi long, in central New Jersey in the United States....

 and Navesink

Navesink River

The Navesink River is an estuary, approximately 8 mi long in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. It is surrounded by the communities of Middletown, Red Bank, Fair Haven and Rumson....

 rivers drain into Sandy Hook Bay (part of the much larger Lower New York Bay

Lower New York Bay

Lower New York Bay is that section of New York Bay south of the Narrows, the relatively narrow strait between the shores of Staten Island and Brooklyn. The southern end of the bay opens directly to the Atlantic Ocean between two spits of land, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Rockaway, Queens, on Long...

), and the Manasquan River

Manasquan River

The Manasquan River is a waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from central Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold Township, to the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties between the communities of Manasquan and Point Pleasant via the Manasquan Inlet. It widens greatly as it nears the ocean, making...

 is shared with Ocean County

Ocean County, New Jersey

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²...

.

The inlet provides access to a marina

Marina

A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....

 where commercial, charter

Yacht charter

Yacht chartering is the practice of renting, or chartering, a sailboat or motor yacht and travelling to various coastal or island destinations. This is usually a vacation activity, but it also can be a corporate event....

, and private fishing boats are moored.

On July 6th, 2008 a small four seater plane crashed into a shallow area of water in Shark River. The single occupant was killed immediately on impact.