North West Point is the corner of the island where the north coast meets the west, and the natural second dive after Perpendicular Wall. Extra Divers describe it as following on from Perpendicular Wall with sandy reef ledges, a slightly gentler dive in 4–14 m with sleeping reef sharks and vibrant schools of fish.

Where Perpendicular Wall is all vertical drama, North West Point is a terrace dive: tiers of reef and ledges broken by sand, with the edge of the drop-off never far away. Whitetip reef sharks rest on the sand under ledges, and the reef holds schools of fusiliers, snapper and surgeonfish, plus triggerfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, parrotfish and groupers. Hard corals dominate, with sea fans and whips in the overhangs. Being a point, it catches currents that sweep around the island and brings pelagics – trevally, reef sharks and, in season, whale sharks and mantas. Dolphins are often around the north-west corner.

The point is shallow enough to serve as a second dive after the deeper wall, and the current usually makes it a gentle drift. It is exposed, however, and conditions here change quickly: swell refracting around the corner and current accelerating around the point are why it is graded intermediate to advanced by the operators.

It suits intermediate divers comfortable in current, and anyone who wants to see reef sharks at rest. The north-west corner is also home to the island's immigration detention centre on the plateau above – the name 'North West Point' is best known in Australia for that facility, but underwater it is simply one of the island's most enjoyable shallow drifts.

Fly from Perth (about 4 hours, two to three flights a week, some via Cocos Islands) and hire a car – there is no public transport. Both dive centres are in The Settlement and launch their boats from the jetty/boat ramp at Flying Fish Cove, normally at about 8 am for a two-dive morning trip. From the cove the boat runs west along the full length of the north coast to the north-west corner of the island along the coast for roughly about 45 minutes to North West Point.

There is no land access to the dive, and the vertical sea cliffs mean no exit other than the boat. Operators choose sites on the morning according to swell and wind.

On the exposed west coast, a long run from Flying Fish Cove, so it is only dived on calm days. The site is sheltered from the south-east trades (roughly May–November) but wide open to north-westerly monsoon swell (December–April) and to long-period south-west groundswell generated in the Southern Ocean, which wraps around Egeria Point. Operators generally need less than about 1–1.5 m of swell and light winds to make the trip; the calmest spell is usually August–November.

The west coast has a reputation for stronger and less predictable currents than the north, and for the clearest water on the island (often 40 m+). Visibility can drop during red crab spawning (Oct–Jan). Cyclone season is November–April.

Descend onto the sandy ledges at 10–14 m, check under ledges for sleeping reef sharks, then drift with the current across the reef terraces, rising to 5–8 m for the second half and a DSMB-marked safety stop.

Extra Divers Christmas Island – dived after Perpendicular Wall when conditions allow; CI Wet'n'Dry Adventures – occasional.