Coal Cliff – the tiny village where the escarpment meets the sea and the Sea Cliff Bridge begins – has a rock platform beside its ocean pool that gives access to one of the northern Illawarra's more interesting shore dives. Like the other northern sites it is mostly known to locals, but it offers a little more depth and structure than the beaches to the south.

The entry is into a gutter cut into the platform, which leads out to a sand bottom around 9 m with scattered reef, boulders and kelp extending deeper to about 15 m. Wobbegongs are common under the ledges, bullseyes and mado hang in the overhangs, and red morwong, red rock cod and black reef leatherjackets are resident. Schools of yellowtail scad and garfish pass through, white-eared and black drummer feed in the wash, and Australian salmon and dolphins are seasonal visitors.

The platform is popular with anglers and abandoned fishing line is widespread across the reef, so carry a line cutter and watch your gear. The gutters surge in any real swell, the rocks are slippery, and there is a permanent rip at the northern end of the beach. Visibility falls after rain and wind. On a flat winter day, however, it is a rewarding and uncrowded dive with dramatic scenery – the cliffs and bridge above make the surface interval worthwhile. It suits experienced shore divers comfortable with rock-platform entries. There is no dive shop in the village, so bring full cylinders from Wollongong or Sydney, and plan to dive early before the north-easterly sea breeze arrives on summer days.

Coalcliff is on Lawrence Hargrave Drive just north of the Sea Cliff Bridge, about 30 minutes north of Wollongong or an hour south of Sydney via the Princes Motorway and Bald Hill. Park on Paterson Road, walk through Leeder Park towards the ocean pool and then turn right along the rock platform to the main gutter. Carry is a few hundred metres over rock.

The northern Illawarra shore sites face east and are exposed to swell from the north-east round to the south-east; southerly swell wraps around the headlands. Diving is only practical in swell under about 1 m with a low-to-mid tide on the rock platform. North-easterly sea breezes build on summer afternoons, so dive early.

Visibility is typically 5–10 m and drops sharply after rain because of creek and stormwater run-off. Winter (June–August) westerlies give the flattest seas and clearest water. Coalcliff has a permanent rip at the northern end of the beach and the gutters surge in moderate swell.

Enter the main gutter between sets and follow it seaward to the sand at about 9 m, then explore the scattered reef deeper to 15 m. Return along the reef edge to the gutter and exit between waves.

No regular operator; local divers and spearfishers only.