Sandon Point is best known as a surf break, but on the rare dead-flat days the shallow reef between the headland and Waniora Point becomes an easy snorkel and scuba site. The maximum depth is only about 6 m and much of the reef tops out at 2 m, so it suits snorkellers and freedivers as much as scuba divers.

The attraction is the ledges. They shelter unusually high numbers of wobbegong sharks – reports mention up to seven resting under a single overhang – along with Port Jackson and blind sharks. Octopus and moray eels occupy the cracks, reef fish feed in the wash, and sea urchins carpet many of the crevices. Small caves in the reef are worth looking into but can snag equipment, so keep hoses tucked in.

Because the reef is shallow and faces the open sea, it is only diveable in genuinely calm conditions. Large southerly swells wrap around the point and create strong surge, rips form along the beach, surfers use the break, and bluebottles arrive with summer north-easterlies. Visibility is typically modest. Treat the site as an opportunistic, low-effort dive – a good place to show a new diver or snorkeller wobbegongs in their natural setting – rather than a destination in its own right. The surf club car park and facilities make logistics easy. Divers wanting similar wobbegong encounters with more depth and reliability should look to Towradgi Point or Bass Point further south, but for a quick shallow look at resting sharks Sandon Point is hard to beat on its day.

Drive to Bulli (about 15 minutes north of Wollongong) and follow signs to Sandon Point Surf Life Saving Club in Bulli. Park at the surf club car park. Enter from the northern end of the beach, wading over sand before swimming to the rock shelf; booties are required because the rock shelves are slippery.

Exit the same way, and check the surf before entering – on anything but a flat day the break is in use.

The northern Illawarra shore sites face east and are exposed to swell from the north-east round to the south-east; southerly swell wraps around the headlands. Diving is only practical in swell under about 1 m with a low-to-mid tide on the rock platform. North-easterly sea breezes build on summer afternoons, so dive early.

Visibility is typically 5–10 m and drops sharply after rain because of creek and stormwater run-off. Winter (June–August) westerlies give the flattest seas and clearest water. Large southerly swells wrap around the point and generate strong surge across the shallow reef, which is also a well-known surf break – only dive on flat days.

Swim out from the northern end of the beach, then drift along the ledges at 2–5 m looking under each overhang for wobbegongs. Keep clear of the surf break and return before fatigue sets in.

No operator; snorkellers, freedivers and occasional local scuba divers.