Below freezing temperatures and strong winds have frozen many waterways across New Jersey. One of the areas impacted the most by the ice has been Cape May.

Encapsulated by the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the frozen water has created scenery similar to areas found in the Arctic Circle.

The ice has also allowed people to venture out into areas that typically would only be accessible by swimming or by boat.

Dom Piro took advantage of the conditions to walk across the Cape May Canal. In a nearly five-minute video he posted, Piro recorded the trek across the wind-whipped frozen canal, a distance of close to a mile.

South of the canal, the S.S. Atlantus was an attraction that some people wanted to see on the ice. The S.S. Atlantus is a concrete ship that sits off the coast and has been stuck off the coast of Sunset Beach since 1926. With the water temperatures falling below freezing, the water solidified and allowed some people to walk up to the ship and see the vessel up close.

John Cooke is a manager at the Victorian Motel, a local establishment in Cape May.

"I have lived here full time since 2004 and the last time locals I know went out there was the winter of 1978," Cooke said. "There may have been isolated incidents in between, but none that I am aware of There were quite a few people out there including a couple of photographers. Opinions vary about the conditions of the ice and the risk involved. Obviously, the Lower Township Police Department felt concerned."

The concern Cooke said the police had stemmed from an advisory issued Saturday night letting from the department letting people know the dangers of walking on the ice.

"Even though the Bay and Ocean Waters may appear frozen, please be advised that the ice is not stable on the Bay and Oceans and walking on it is NOT safe and the ice can and will separate causing the separation of ice patches and a very severe danger of falling in to freezing water and the danger of hypothermia or worse," the department said. "The risk is not worth it. Please adhere to this warning."

Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews. Find NJ.com on Facebook