Terrigal Haven is the beating heart of Central Coast diving: a sheltered bay tucked below the distinctive Skillion headland that serves simultaneously as the area's easiest shore dive, its main dive-boat departure point, and the training ground where most local divers learn to dive. The bay's shelter from The Skillion means it stays diveable across a wider range of conditions than almost anywhere else on this stretch of coast, and the gently sloping sand and seagrass bottom — reaching around 15 m at its outer edge — gives a forgiving profile with no real navigational hazards.A large anchor lying at around 10 m has become an informal landmark and photo subject, and the moorings used by the resident boat charters add further structure among the seagrass beds. Marine life here punches well above what the modest topography would suggest: pipefish, seahorses, anglerfish and sea hares work the seagrass, nudibranchs turn up on the sand and rock margins, and silver bream, snapper and blue groper cruise the open areas, with grey nurse sharks and lobster also recorded on occasion.

Because the site is so accessible and so regularly dived, it also functions as the obvious warm-up or check-out dive before boarding a charter to the deeper reefs or the ex-HMAS Adelaide, and as the default fallback whenever conditions offshore are too rough for the boat to run. For a first Central Coast dive, or a relaxed easy dive on any day, The Haven is the natural starting point.

Drive to Terrigal and park near the Terrigal Haven boat ramp/kiosk at the southern end of the beach, below The Skillion. Gear up in the car park and take the steps down the right-hand side of the ramp into the water; a short surface swim leads over the sand to the deeper reef and mooring area.

Terrigal Haven and the boats launching from it are reasonably sheltered by The Skillion headland, but the reefs and wrecks further offshore are exposed to swell from the north-east through south-east; charters generally want under about 1.5 m swell and moderate winds. Visibility improves markedly when the East Australian Current pushes warm water down the coast, typically strongest from late summer into autumn, and drops after prolonged onshore wind or heavy rain feeds sediment out of the Terrigal Lagoon and nearby catchments. Winter brings cooler, sometimes clearer water and the best chance of grey nurse shark sightings at Foggy Reef.

Enter via the steps, cross the shallow sand and seagrass, work out to the mooring area and the large anchor at about 10 m, exploring the sloping sand and seagrass margins for pipefish and rays, then return the same way.

Pro Dive Central Coast and Central Coast Divers run regular guided shore dives, Discover Scuba and Open Water training sessions here; it is also the departure point for their boat charters.