Iluka Bluff and the adjoining Woody Head, on the northern headland of the Clarence River mouth within Bundjalung National Park, mark the point where the rainforest-backed coastline of the Iluka world heritage area meets a rocky reef system dived only occasionally, mostly by locals with a boat or the patience to wait for a genuinely flat day to enter from the rocks. There is no dedicated charter to this exact stretch, with Yamba's dive shop focused more on the offshore reefs and pinnacles further south, so this remains a site known mainly through word of mouth and club diving. The reef itself is a typical broken rock-and-gutter system running from the shoreline out to about 15 m, sheltering the usual cast of subtropical Far North Coast species: blue groper working the open ground, wobbegong sharks tucked under ledges, turtles moving through on their way along the coast, and bull rays over the sandier patches, along with reasonable populations of bream, snapper and other reef fish that make this a popular spot with local spearfishers on calm days.

The proximity to the Clarence River mouth means a mix of estuarine-influenced and full-strength reef species can be found close together. The defining challenge here, as with much of this stretch of coast, is access rather than the underwater environment: the headland takes the full force of ocean swell with no real shelter, so a shore entry from the rock platforms at Iluka Bluff or Woody Head is only workable on the calmest of days, and a boat visit means first crossing the Clarence River bar, which while generally well-behaved by North Coast standards can still turn dangerous in bigger swell or a strong outgoing tide. Anyone planning to dive here should have solid rock-entry experience, check the swell forecast carefully, and ideally dive with someone who knows the specific entry points, since detailed site information beyond this general picture remains limited.

By car, drive to the Iluka Bluff Lookout car park or the Woody Head camping area within Bundjalung National Park north of Iluka township; short walking tracks lead down to rock platforms at both spots. Entry is only sensible in small swell — climb down the rocks at a point sheltered from the main swell direction and time the entry between wave sets. By boat, cross the Clarence River bar from Yamba and run a short distance north.

This stretch of coast between the Clarence and Wooli Rivers is exposed to easterly and south-easterly swell with no significant headland shelter; charters and shore divers alike need a settled spell of under about 1.5 m swell. The Clarence River bar at Yamba/Iluka is one of the more heavily engineered and generally reliable bars on the NSW North Coast thanks to its training walls, but it can still become dangerous in a big swell or strong outgoing tide, especially at the change of tide. Visibility offshore is usually good (15-25 m) but drops sharply for days near the river mouth after Clarence River floods, which happen periodically given the size of the catchment.

Winter (Jun-Oct) brings grey nurse sharks and the clearest water; summer brings warmer water, more current from the East Australian Current, and the odd manta ray.

Enter from the rock platform on a calm day, work the near-shore ledges and gutters at 5-10 m, or from a boat drop onto the deeper reef sections to 15 m, and return to the entry point/boat well within the safety margin of the tide and swell.

Yamba Dive occasionally includes these reefs on local trips; more often dived by experienced shore divers and private boats from Yamba/Iluka on flat days.