Mermaid Reef is one of the offshore pinnacle clusters that make up Camden Haven's more adventurous diving beyond the sheltered river entrance, sitting alongside Yabbies and Old Faithful as part of a scattered reef system roughly half an hour by boat from Port Macquarie or a shorter run from Laurieton. Rather than a single feature, the site comprises multiple pinnacles, gutters and bommies spread across a stretch of otherwise open sand, their vertical faces and overhangs decorated with gorgonian sea fans that give the site good colour and photographic interest across its 12-to-30-metre depth range. Grey nurse and whaler sharks are both recorded here, reflecting the site's position within the broader corridor of shark activity running between Cod Grounds and the reefs further offshore, and stingrays and moray eels are common among the gutters and overhangs.

Bait fish schools move through in numbers, and sea spiders — an unusual and photogenic macro subject — have been noted on the site's structure, adding a point of interest for divers who enjoy looking closely rather than covering ground. Like the other offshore Camden Haven pinnacles, Mermaid Reef is a calm-weather proposition only, given its exposed position with no natural shelter, and it is not part of any standard daily charter schedule — more a special trip offered when conditions and demand align. It suits experienced divers comfortable navigating between separate bommies without a fixed line, and rewards a patient, macro-focused approach as much as a search for the sharks that give the broader area its reputation.

Boat only, from the Camden Haven/Laurieton ramp or a Port Macquarie charter; a similar run time to Yabbies and Old Faithful in the same offshore cluster.

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, and the offshore pinnacle sites (Cod Grounds, Mermaid Reef, Yabbies) are cancelled first in marginal weather given the longer run and lack of lee. Visibility is best in autumn and early winter after a run of settled weather and drops noticeably after East Coast Lows and Hastings/Camden Haven River flood outflows. Grey nurse sharks are present year-round with numbers building through winter.

Descend onto the shallowest pinnacle at around 12 m and work between the multiple bommies and gutters, checking gorgonian fans and overhangs for moray eels and stingrays, before finishing on the deeper gutters at 25-30 m if gas and no-decompression limits allow.

Scuba Haven (Port Macquarie) — regular boat dives to Cod Grounds, Fish Hatchery, Bird Rock and shore trips; Port Macquarie Dive Centre operators run seasonal charters. Book ahead for Cod Grounds given grey nurse shark permit and mooring limits.