This site is named for a large black rock on the shoreline that was used to locate the dive in the days before mooring balls — though the boat crew love to spin tales of piracy and cannonballs. A steep ridge separates the inky depths from a vast sand patch resembling a lunar landscape. In the eastern section, the ridge ends abruptly, allowing sand to flow down the wall in a steadily winding channel that leads divers along a gorgeous overhang adorned with sponges and corals. Green Morays love these holes — their constant mouth opening and closing is simply how they draw water through their gills.

The wall at Black Rock Drop-Off is varied and exciting, with no straight-lined swims — divers move up and down undulating terrain, around headlands, into valleys, behind buttresses, and over platforms. Watch for the Bash Brothers, the affectionate name given to three male Caribbean Reef Sharks who are regular visitors to this site. The best way to get great photographs is to allow the sharks to approach you rather than chasing them — patience always wins.