Catherine Hill Bay is less a single dive site than a whole coastline of informal shore-entry options, with local guides describing literally dozens of individual spots along the rocky shore south of Swansea. Depths are shallow and forgiving, generally to around 9 m, over a mix of boulder gardens, gutters and low reef, which makes it a popular training and exploration ground for local clubs and visiting divers happy to improvise their route on the day. The village itself, built around the historic coal loader, gives the area a strong sense of place, and several distinct named sub-sites — including Desoto Inlet a short distance further along — sit within the broader Catherine Hill Bay diving area.Because there is no single defined route, the appeal here is exploratory: divers pick a stretch of platform in the lee of the day's wind and swell and work the boulders and ledges for macro life, small reef fish and the odd Port Jackson shark.

Snorkelling is also popular over the shallower sections. Given the number of entry options and variable local conditions, Dive Newcastle explicitly recommends a guide for anyone diving here for the first time, since knowing which stretch is sheltered on a given day — and where the safest exit lies if conditions change — takes local knowledge. Treat this as a flexible, low-key area to fill a day around the more structured dives at Desoto Inlet, Swansea and Terrigal rather than a single fixed itinerary.

The lack of a fixed route is also what makes the area valuable for training: instructors use the sheltered corners for open-water skills work, while more experienced local divers use the deeper boulder gutters further along the platform for spearfishing and photography, so it is worth asking at Aqua Zero which stretch is currently productive before choosing a spot.

From the south, take the F3/M1 exit to Toukley/Doyalson and head north on the Old Pacific Highway through Doyalson and past Munmorah, watching for informal parking pull-offs along the coast road; from the north, follow the signed road through Catherine Hill Bay village past the Surf Life Saving Club. Park near the club or at informal roadside spots and walk down to whichever section of platform is sheltered on the day.

Exposed rock platform diving — pick the lee side of the day's swell and wind direction; a first-time visitor should dive with someone who knows which of the many informal entry points is working on a given swell. Visibility drops after rain and after any decent easterly blow.

Enter from whichever section of platform is sheltered, explore the boulder gardens and low ledges parallel to shore, and return to the same entry point, watching the swell at the exit throughout the dive.

Aqua Zero Dive Centre (Swansea) runs air fills, gear hire and guided shore dives for visiting divers; Grey Nurse Charters (Newcastle) occasionally includes these sites on shore-dive days. Mostly self-guided club and personal diving.