Bonnie's Reef and the adjoining Cathie Wall form a moderate-depth reef and wall complex off Camden Haven, sitting in the more accessible eight-to-twenty-metre range compared with the deeper offshore pinnacles further out, and offering a solid, all-round dive built on a good covering of hard and soft corals across its gutters and bommies. The site supports a healthy population of nudibranchs and sea spiders for macro-focused divers, alongside bait fish schools moving through the gutters and the resident stingrays and moray eels typical of this section of coast, giving the dive a good balance between small-scale detail and general reef life. Blue groper are a notable presence here, often approaching divers with the same curious confidence they show at similar sites further south, and starfish add further colour and interest across the reef's surface.

Because the site sits shallower and closer to shore than Yabbies, Mermaid Reef or Old Faithful, it is more forgiving in terms of no-decompression limits and better suited to divers with intermediate rather than strictly advanced experience, making it a useful option for groups with a wider range of certification levels. Bonnie's Reef and Cathie Wall are best thought of as a reliable, moderate-depth complement to the area's more demanding offshore pinnacles, offering a good introduction to the general character of Camden Haven's reef diving without the depth or current challenge of the sites further out. A relaxed pace here tends to pay off, since much of what makes the site worthwhile is easy to swim past without noticing.

Boat only, from the Camden Haven/Laurieton ramp or a Port Macquarie charter.

This stretch of coast is exposed to easterly and south-easterly swell with limited natural shelter; charters want under about 1.5 m swell and moderate wind to run safely. Visibility is best in autumn and early winter after a run of settled weather and drops noticeably after East Coast Lows and river flood outflows.

Descend onto Bonnie's Reef's gutters and bommies at 8-20 m, checking the hard and soft coral growth for nudibranchs and sea spiders, then move onto the adjoining Cathie Wall section for a change of profile before finishing on the shallower reef top.

Scuba Haven (Port Macquarie) — regular boat dives, year-round, weather permitting.