Black Rock

Black Rock is a dive site on the South Atoll of Tubbataha Reef, in the Philippines, and is the site most associated with scalloped hammerheads in the park. The wall is draped in soft coral, and the site holds dedicated cleaning stations that attract reef mantas. Dives here are drift dives along the wall, with the boat's tenders picking up divers at the end.

Scalloped hammerheads are seen at depth in the first light of day, making early-morning dives the priority. Reef mantas visit the cleaning stations on the wall regularly, and whitetip and grey reef sharks are constant presences throughout the dive. Scalloped hammerheads are also recorded most frequently from April to June, coinciding with the peak whale shark period across the park.

Visibility across Tubbataha typically runs 30 to 45 metres, fed by open-ocean water, and water temperature sits between 27 and 30°C through the season, warmest in May and June. Currents range from light to strong and can shift during a dive. The season is concentrated over roughly three months, with liveaboards moving between the atolls depending on wind and current.