Black Rock Chimneys
Dive site · Cook Islands
Is it worth the trip?
72Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Sea 1 m, Visibility over 30 m, Water 26 °C
Mon 2 · 28 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.9 m
- Wind
- 28 kn
- Gusts
- 36knboats in
- Air
- 22°C
Tue 3 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 20 kn
- Gusts
- 27kn
- Air
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 74 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 84 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 19 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 17 kn
- Gusts
- 25kn
- Air
- 24°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 185, good
- Mon 228, poor
- Tue 362, good
- Wed 474, good
- Thu 580, good
- Fri 684, good
- Sat 769, good
- Sun 872, good
- Mon 976, good
- Tue 1064, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 25 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 26 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces NWswell from there reaches it
- Best Mar, Nov7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 85, good | 1.0 m | 9 kn | 12kn | 24°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 28, poor | 1.9 m | 28 kn | 36knboats in | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 62, good | 1.4 m | 20 kn | 27kn | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 74, good | 1.2 m | 15 kn | 22kn | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 80, good | 1.0 m | 14 kn | 20kn | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 84, good | 1.0 m | 12 kn | 18kn | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 69, good | 1.2 m | 19 kn | 24kn | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 72, good | 1.1 m | 17 kn | 25kn | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 76, good | 1.0 m | 17 kn | 22kn | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 1.3 m | 22 kn | 28kn | 23°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 00:38 +0.4 mLow 07:07 −0.3 mHigh 13:14 +0.3 mLow 19:21 −0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:37 +0.3 mLow 08:05 −0.3 mHigh 14:15 +0.3 mLow 20:30 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:44 +0.3 mLow 09:10 −0.3 mHigh 15:23 +0.3 mLow 21:47 −0.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Mar, Nov
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site and its town
Black Rock Chimneys on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More diving near here
1 place
- Black Rock Passage 0.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Black Rock Chimneys
A reef dive. It goes down to 25 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces NW: swell from the NW reaches it, and wind from the SE blows out to sea. 3 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.6 km away. The sea is about 25°C in July, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 28°C in February, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). For Advanced divers the best months are usually March and November, with about 7 good days in 7; in June, about 5. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Nikao. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 5 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 25 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 3 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.6 km away.
Water about 26°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility over 30 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Mar, May, Jun, Aug, Sep and Oct (over 30 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,100–US$2,150 each
about US$1,100–US$2,150 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to RAR, estimated from distance and season, changing at HNL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$657–US$1,370 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Total | about US$1,100–US$2,150 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Nikao
3 min by car · 13 places to stay
About Nikao its beds, food and every spot near it
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 22h 50m
About 22h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → RAR, changing at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), then 20 min by road
Flights ORD → RAR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Nikao · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Nikao · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Dive Rarotonga 1.6 km
Cook Island Divers 1.9 km
Adventure Cook Islands 5.7 km
Chantal's Concierge on the Beach 11 km
Pacific Divers 11 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week: visibility over 30 m, greener than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.