Providence Bay, Esmeralda Cove and Coal Shaft Bay make up the sheltered, camping-friendly side of Broughton Island, a striking contrast to the exposed, grey-nurse-shark-focused diving on the island's northern critical habitat sites. All three bays sit within the Broughton Island Nature Reserve, and Esmeralda Cove and Coal Shaft Bay in particular are popular, permit-required camping spots for boat-based visitors drawn by the island's pristine, largely undeveloped character and its clear, calm water in settled weather. As dive sites in the conventional sense they are modest — shallow sand and rock margins rather than the dramatic swim-throughs and aggregation sites the island is famous for — but they serve an important practical role for Nelson Bay charter operators as a sheltered fallback when wind or swell direction makes the northern sites too rough or dangerous to dive.

For campers and private boat visitors, these bays are as much about the above-water experience — pristine beaches, clear anchorages and a genuine sense of remoteness only 20 km from Nelson Bay — as about anything found underwater, and casual snorkelling here reveals a reasonable but unremarkable mix of temperate reef fish and invertebrates typical of sheltered island bays on this coast. Divers specifically chasing Broughton Island's famous grey nurse shark encounters should not expect to find them in these southern bays, which lack the specific critical habitat features (gutters, caves, the Looking Glass passage) that concentrate the sharks on the northern side. They are, however, a worthwhile and scenic complement to a full Broughton Island day, whether as a lunch and swim stop between dives or a relaxed camping base for a multi-day visit by private boat.

These bays are reached only by boat, either as part of a Nelson Bay dive charter itinerary when conditions favour the island's sheltered side, or by private/camping boat visiting Broughton Island Nature Reserve, which allows camping at Esmeralda Cove and Coal Shaft Bay with a permit. There are no shore facilities beyond basic camping infrastructure, and all access is by private or chartered vessel from Nelson Bay, roughly 45-60 minutes away.

These southern and western bays offer genuine shelter from the north-easterly and easterly swell that regularly closes out the island's northern shark-diving sites, making them a useful fallback when weather rules out Looking Glass or Shark Gutters. They remain exposed to swell from the south and west, so conditions should still be checked before planning a visit.

Anchor in the chosen bay and enter for an easy, shallow exploration of the fringing rock and sand, watching for typical temperate reef fish and invertebrates; these are relaxed, low-structure dives best treated as a scenic complement to the island's more demanding northern sites rather than a destination in their own right.

Occasionally included by Nelson Bay dive charters as a sheltered second stop or snorkel break; more commonly visited by private boats and campers with a Broughton Island Nature Reserve permit.