Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 22598h 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.
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shore
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Anonymous
Aug 30, 2007, 12:00 AM
scuba
Although a wall dive is always fun. Black Rock suffers greatly from over exposure to people. For rounding the point, north to south, this is a beginner dive or intermediate snorkel. The north side (best entrance) has a lackluster entry (sand bordered by a man-made jetty) shifting to a reasonable natural wall as you round the first point. The best views are right on the wall. Look for small fish, eels and corals in the nooks and cranny's. Small turtles frequently visit the wall near the surface to feed (we saw two). Watch for a large alcove on the main face of the wall. Not much to see but fun to stick your head in. The problems occur as you approach the south side and the exit. The visibility drops from 50-60 feet to 10-20 feet and the number of people climbs to unbearable levels. More turtles can be found in the shallows against the rock but in this area, they will be mobbed by tourist snorkels with no respect for any animal (You included. Lots of pushing and shoving to get that photo with the turtle). I found better snorkeling and diving, a half mile to the north at old airport beach. Free parking, easy access, shower, shallow beginner dive (eels and octopus plus a wide variety of fish).
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