Bat Islands · Costa Rica · Pinnacle
Black Rock
A pinnacle rising from 24 m a kilometre offshore
Black Rock is the usual second dive of a Bat Islands day, a large pinnacle standing a kilometre or so off the Costa Rican mainland. It rises straight up from about 24 m to a few feet above the high-tide mark, and the dive is a full 360-degree lap of the tower rather than a reef swim. Like the rest of the archipelago it lies inside a marine reserve off Santa Rosa National Park, where fish and marine animals are protected from fishing.
Where it is and how deep
10.8729° N, 85.8929° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Black Rock is dived after the boat has finished at Big Scare, and it is a simpler piece of terrain to read. A single large pinnacle sits a kilometre or so off the mainland and comes straight up from around 24 m to break the surface a few feet above the high-tide mark. The bottom is the deepest point of the dive, so the profile takes care of itself: drop down the side of the rock, work around it and come shallower as the tank empties.
The plan is a full 360-degree rotation of the pinnacle: the rock is the reference from start to finish, the deepest water is at its base and the shallowest at its top, so the profile follows the terrain. Seemingly endless schools of fish hold around it. The whole archipelago is protected as a marine reserve by Costa Rica, off the coast of Santa Rosa National Park, and its fish and marine animals are protected from fishing.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Bat Islands: Bull sharks are most reliable May-Oct, peaking Jul-Aug; Dec-Apr's cooler Papagayo upwelling brings clearer but colder water and far fewer sightings.
Dive videos
Bat Islands Costa Rica - Black Rock · The Traveling B's on YouTube
Sources
- Diving the Bat Islands — Rocket Frog Divers
More dive sites in Bat Islands
Pelagic & blue water
Giant Pacific mantas turn up on the bull shark dive
Similar dives elsewhere
A rock formation named for a sunken ship that isn't there
A small pinnacle named for its giant groupers
Hold position at 18–24 m while hammerhead schools pass the plateau
A pinnacle divers descend on a weighted line, current permitting