Shoal Bay is Port Stephens' quieter eastern-harbour beach, a calm, family-friendly stretch of sand that sees far more use for swimming and casual snorkelling than for dedicated scuba diving, and Nelson Head, the rocky headland marking the harbour's ocean entrance just beyond it, offers a slightly more serious but still modest rock-fringe dive for those willing to time it around the tide. Neither location is a headline dive destination in the way Fly Point or the Broughton Island sites are, and detailed dive-specific documentation for the area is limited — locals and visitors use it mainly as an easy, no-commitment spot to get in the water rather than a planned scuba outing. The shallow, sheltered sand and rock habitat supports typical estuarine and harbour-margin species, and the area's main appeal for divers is its complete ease of access and its role as a calm alternative when the more current-affected sites further into the harbour are running too strong to dive comfortably.

Nelson Head itself, sitting right at the transition between the sheltered harbour and the open ocean, can experience a noticeable tidal push and should be treated with more caution than the beach proper. Overall, Shoal Bay and Nelson Head are best understood as convenient, family-oriented water access points rather than dedicated dive sites, valuable for a relaxed snorkel or an easy warm-up rather than as a planned highlight of a Port Stephens diving trip. Anyone wanting a genuine dive rather than a snorkel is better served booking a boat trip to Broughton Island or the harbour's better-documented shore sites a short drive further in.

Shoal Bay is reached via Shoal Bay Road east of Nelson Bay township, with beachfront parking and a foreshore reserve. Nelson Head, marking the harbour entrance, is a short walk further along the headland track; entry there is over rock and should only be attempted in calm conditions given its exposure to the harbour entrance channel.

Shoal Bay itself is well sheltered and calm, suitable for snorkelling in a wide range of conditions; Nelson Head, at the harbour entrance, is more exposed to tidal flow and should only be dived or snorkelled in calm conditions with an eye on the state of the tide.

Snorkel or dive from the Shoal Bay beach in its shallow, calm shallows, or, for a more adventurous look, enter near Nelson Head on a calm day and explore the rocky headland fringe, being mindful of tidal flow at the harbour entrance.

No dedicated commercial dive trips to this specific site; used informally by snorkellers and local divers.