Black Coral I & II
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
The two Black Coral moorings bracket a stretch of outer wall where the park's namesake colonies still grow in thickets — bushy, iridescent, and increasingly rare elsewhere in the Caribbean after centuries of jewelry harvesting. Between the black coral fans the wall runs the full Jardines repertoire: tarpon stacked in the ledge shade like chrome beams, reef sharks tracking the group from the blue, hawksbills working the sponges. The deeper ledges reward a careful eye for big groupers backed into ambush spots. It is the archipelago's best pure wall diving, dived unhurried from the skiffs.
The moment you come for: Living black-coral thickets, tarpon under the ledges, sharks shadowing the wall.
Topography: The outer reef's edge, stepping over ledges and buttresses hung with black coral colonies.
Current: Along-wall set on some tides.
Entry: Paired moorings along the outer drop; dived as two variations on one wall.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Depth along the ledge line; standard shark protocol applies.
Permits & rules: Access only through the park's licensed operation.
Conservation: Black coral is protected and slow-growing; buoyancy errors here damage exactly what the site is named for.
Nitrox: Worth it here — profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
Atlantic Goliath Grouper
Atlantic Tarpon
Caribbean Reef Shark
Hawksbill Turtle
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting