Black Rock is one of Jetty Dive Centre's local backup reefs, close enough to Coffs Harbour to be usable when weather makes the run out to the Solitary Islands impractical, and offers a genuine change of pace from the boulder-and-coral topography that dominates the marine park's island sites. The reef is laced with gutters and small grottos running from about 10 m down to 30 m, rewarding divers who bring a torch and take the time to search the darker recesses rather than swim over the top. Marine life here is a fairly standard mix for this stretch of coast: turtles pass through the area, pelagic fish move along the reef edge on the current, and the crevices support a good population of nudibranchs and flatworms, making this a reasonable macro alternative to the more famous South Solitary Island sites.

Because it sees relatively little dedicated attention — most divers and operators default to the islands whenever conditions allow — Black Rock tends to be quieter and less pressured than the marquee sites, even though the underlying reef quality is solid. The main consideration for divers is depth and current: parts of the reef exceed 20 m, with the deepest gutters approaching 30 m, and moderate current can build depending on tide and swell, putting this reef a step up from the shallower boulder walls at South Solitary Island in terms of required experience. As a fallback site it does its job well, offering interesting terrain and reliable, if unspectacular, marine life whenever the weather closes the door on the more famous grounds further offshore.

Jetty Dive Centre departs from the public floating pontoon wharf in Coffs Harbour boat harbour, opposite the Attitude Burgers building (check in at 398 Harbour Drive). Private boats use the public ramp inside the harbour breakwall. These local reefs are all within a short run of the harbour and are used as backup sites when weather rules out a trip to the islands proper.

Conditions off Coffs Harbour depend heavily on which island is being run: North West Solitary and Split Solitary sit closer inshore and are usable in more marginal weather, while South Solitary and any northern sites need a bigger settled window. Visibility across the group is generally 8-25 m and best away from river influence; the Coffs, Bellinger, Nambucca and Clarence systems all periodically dirty inshore water for a few days after heavy rain. Summer (Nov-Apr) is warmest with tropical vagrants and mantas; winter (May-Oct) is cooler with grey nurse sharks and giant cuttlefish.

Humpback whales pass April-November. These inshore reefs are the fallback when even Split Solitary Island is unworkable, so they are typically dived only a handful of times a year.

Descend onto the reef top, work through the gutters and grottos to the deeper sections with a torch, and shallow up for the ascent.

Jetty Dive Centre uses these reefs as close-in backup sites on days too rough to reach the Solitary Islands.