Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 14638h ago)
Max Depth
30ft
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Black Rock
Black Rock was formed from one of the last-gasp lava flows on this side of the island. It is a rocky outcrop at the far North end of Ka’anapali Beach and blocks off access (from the beach) to the lesser-known Ka’anapali Resort beach called Kahekili Beach Park. The Hawai’ian name for Black Rock is Pu’u Keka’a, and ancient Hawaiians believed that this was the place where their spirits went to jump off to join ancestors forever. Unlucky souls who could not be shown the way by their family ‘aumakua (guardian animal spirit), would wander and attach themselves to rocks in the area. This is likely where the “it is bad luck to take a Hawai’ian lava rock” superstition comes from.
This is also a popular spot for cliff jumping. If you are cliff jumping, swim to the far side of the rock and climb up from there. It's much more challenging and dangerous to reach the rock by click up it from shore.
Access
shore
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Travis
May 3, 2007, 12:00 AM
scuba
We went out on our second day of snorkeling in Maui today. Our last stop was at Black Rock. What a great place!! I gave it a good rating for facilities because I just used the Sheraton Hotel property for everything (even though I was not a guest). Parking can be a hassle... all the properties along this beach are resorts and a mall called Whalers Village. Whalers has a parkade that costs too much, but we used the Sheraton garage. If you are a customer at either, they will validate your parking for you. There is still a fee, however.. UNLESS you use the Sheraton garage and stay until after 7. It seems like the attendant leaves around then.. we parked here twice and left after 7 both times for free parking!! I found the snorkeling excellent. Visibility was max. The wall reef was beautiful. I heard that there was a turtle in close to shore on the south side of the wall, but by the time I got out I only had scads of fish to look at. Highly recommended for novice snorkelers and experts alike.
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