Tacking Point and the adjoining Nobbys Beach reef sit just south of Port Macquarie township, at the point marked by the historic Tacking Point Lighthouse, and offer one of the more accessible combinations of shore and boat diving in the immediate Port Macquarie area. Nobbys Beach itself is a well-used surf and snorkelling beach, and on calm days its rocky southern fringe can be dived directly from the sand, giving local divers and visitors without a boat a straightforward look at typical inshore mid-north-coast reef habitat in depths generally under fifteen metres. Around the point itself the reef continues into slightly deeper water more comfortably reached by boat, with rocky gutters, boulders and patches of sponge and soft coral supporting a workaday but reliable mix of temperate reef fish, occasional rays and small reef sharks.

This is not a headline dive destination in the way Cod Grounds or the offshore pinnacles further south are, but it fills a useful role as an easy, low-commitment dive for building confidence, for days when weather rules out a longer boat run, or for visiting divers who want to get in the water without booking a full charter. The lighthouse reserve above the point is also a well-known whale-watching vantage during the migration season, and divers in the water here sometimes hear whale song even without a sighting. Overall, Tacking Point and Nobbys are best treated as convenient, moderate-interest reef dives rather than a primary reason to visit the area, valuable chiefly for their accessibility and their role as a calm-weather fallback close to town.

Nobbys Beach and Tacking Point are reached via Lighthouse Road south of Port Macquarie township; park at the Nobbys Beach car park or the Tacking Point Lighthouse reserve and walk down to the beach or rock platform. For the offshore reef, boats depart Port Macquarie's Town Wharf and run a short distance south to Tacking Point, about 10-15 minutes.

Nobbys Beach is a popular surf and snorkel beach protected somewhat by the point, but still exposed to easterly swell — check surf conditions before a shore entry. The offshore boat reef is similarly exposed and best dived on calm, low-swell days.

Enter from Nobbys Beach on a calm day and swim out to the rocky reef fringing the point, or from a boat mooring off Tacking Point, working the reef edge at 4-16 m and checking gutters and boulders for reef fish and rays before returning to the entry point or mooring.

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.