BLACK ROCK

Location:

Black Rock: 50 NM north of North Twin Island.

Site Depth:

0m – 70m

Site Visibility:

10M – 50 M

Currents:

Medium to very strong

Difficulty Rating:

INTERMIDIATE

Probably the most spectacular site with the most potential for big stuff in the archipelago, Black Rock is a rocky island approximately 100-meters long, located about 50-nautical miles north of North Twin Island. Here is the closest you’ll come to having a true wall dive, with depths to over 60-meters and a dramatic drop off in most areas. Although visibility can change dramatically here due to strong currents at certain times of the month, there is plenty to see here and many dives are possible on this one site. The currents can also make this an advanced dive, with up and down currents–not to mention the sideways ones–causing all kinds of fun and games for divers. Be careful of your depths, and try and stay close to the rock itself to duck out of the currents.
It’s best to start the dive in deeper waters, watching the currents, and keeping a look out for larger life including manta rays and their smaller cousins, mobula rays. Gray reef and other species of shark are seen here regularly. Whale sharks as well. If larger animals are sighted, it’s best to just hang out and wait for them to come around you. As you’ll be doing more than one dive here due to it’s remoteness, if you see large marine life, keep looking. Leave later dives for watching the smaller marine life that is the main attraction here.
Some of the fish you will see here include black-spotted pufferfish, spotted hawkfish, scorpionfish, and blue-ringed angelfish. If you are a moray eel fan, then this is your dive site. Many unusual and rarely seen morays are common, including extra-large common green, zebra, and fimbriated and white-eyed morays. Octopus and cuttlefish can be found here, the latter easy to photograph.