North Rock is an isolated limestone rock at the northernmost point of the Bermuda reef platform, miles out from the main island. A navigation beacon was first established here in 1912 and has been rebuilt since; today's light, a 15 m (49 ft) fibreglass tower on a concrete base painted as a black-over-yellow north cardinal mark, shows four white flashes every 20 seconds.
The surrounding reef has claimed several ships. A First World War-era steam tug belonging to W.B. Smith was driven onto the breaker while servicing the old beacon tower; her crew swam to the tower and waited there about two days before anyone ashore realised they were missing. In 1977 the Crystal Catfish ran aground on the north side of the beacon after a radio-beacon mix-up, and her lead ballast is still there. It has also been suggested that North Rock is where the ship carrying Henry May, the first recorded Englishman in Bermuda, was wrecked in the 1590s; a late 16th-century stoneware shard, an anchor and ballast found nearby in 2006 lend some support, but it is unproven.
North Rock is one of Bermuda's finest reef sites, often called a crown jewel of the reef system and used by scientists as a control site for marine studies. Coral heads, big purple sea fans and pink sand sit in clear water from just below the surface to about 30 ft, so it suits snorkellers as well as divers of every level.
Around the beacon you can find the scattered metal parts, sheathing and pipes of the old tug in a sand hole south of the tower, and the ballast of the Crystal Catfish to the north. It is a long, exposed boat trip, so it is a calm-weather site. No fishing within 1 km.
Approximate position, for interest only - never use for navigation.