Michael McFadyen rates Noddy Island among 'the top couple' of dives he did at Lord Howe, and it is easy to see why. Noddy Island is a small islet about 100 m long and 40 m wide lying south-west of Sugarloaf, the largest of the Admiralty Islets. The reef runs along its northern side and a little way around the western end, dropping from the island to sand at about 20 m, with a scatter of boulders beyond the reef edge that give the dive most of its interest.

The standout feature is the coral. McFadyen notes that 'all the rocks are covered in hard coral' and that there are lots of very nice gorgonias, which is remarkable at 31.5 degrees south. The boulders create gaps and overhangs where eels and firefish shelter, and nudibranchs are common on the rock. Fish life is dense: kingfish and trevally cruise the reef edge, one-spot pullers swarm over the coral, and there are plenty of butterflyfish and other tropical reef fish. Nigel Marsh, writing about 'Noddy Reef', describes a wall with grey morays, kingfish, blue drummer, Galapagos sharks, half-banded angelfish and conspicuous angelfish – the latter two being signature subtropical species of the region.

McFadyen recorded 21.9°C and at least 40 m visibility in May, and a bottom time of around 60 minutes is easy because the maximum depth is only 20 m. The dive is suitable for Open Water divers when the sea is calm, and for photographers it offers both wide-angle coral scenes and macro subjects.

The usual route heads west along the reef, turns south around the western end, and comes back along the island in shallower water. It is a sheltered dive in southerly weather and exposed in north-easterlies.

Lord Howe is reached only by air: QantasLink flies from Sydney daily (about 1 h 50 min), with Brisbane and seasonal Port Macquarie services. Accommodation must be booked before flights (visitor numbers are capped at about 400) and the checked-baggage limit is 14 kg, so most divers hire gear on the island. Dive Lord Howe's shop is at 2 Lagoon Road beside the Lagoon Beach boatsheds; most lodges transfer divers or it is a short bike ride.

Divers board the boat, which is moored in the lagoon, and exit the lagoon through North Passage, then run north-east around North Head to the Admiralty Islets, a group of seven rocky islets a few hundred metres to about 1.5 km off the island's north-east tip. The trip takes about 20 minutes. The boat anchors on sand or a small reef close to the site or runs live if there is current.

Lord Howe sits in the path of the prevailing south-east to east trades and winter westerly fronts. The Admiralty Islets are exposed to north-east and easterly swell and to northerly winds, which blow them out; they come into their own in south-westerly to southerly winds, when the island shelters them and the southern and western sites are rough. A 1.5 m swell from the north-east makes the shallower gutters surgy, and a lump above about 2 m stops the trip.

The Coral Sea current washes these islets more than other sites, so currents can pick up, especially on the outer edges. Visibility is typically 30–40 m. Best months are February–May; winter westerlies are fine here if the swell is down.

Anchor off the north side of the island. Swim west along the reef edge, weaving through the boulders beyond it at 14–20 m, then turn south around the western end of the island. Return east in shallower water along the reef face and finish on the boulders near the anchor for the safety stop.

Dive Lord Howe (PADI 5-star, 2 Lagoon Road) – morning double boat dives daily in season, afternoon single dives on demand; site chosen on the day by wind and swell. Howea Divers has also advertised dives here.