The Cutting North Reef is the neighbour of The Cutting on the Royal National Park coast, part of a roughly seven-kilometre stretch south from Jibbon Point that McFadyen considers almost continuously diveable. The site is anchored where the reef rises from 20 m to about 12 m, close to a headland; any closer and the water becomes shallow. From the anchor the wall drops to about 18 m and then to 20–21 m on sand.

The bottom beside the wall is a mixture of small boulders and sand, and the reef eventually turns north. The shallower areas are cut by many gutters, which hold large schools of yellowtail and seapike, and there are a few small caves and a large overhang along the wall. Typical Royal National Park reef life fills in the rest: one-spot pullers, silver sweep, leatherjackets, red morwong, wrasse, sponges and sea squirts, with Port Jackson sharks resting in the gutters in late winter.

The standard dive follows the sand edge north for 10–12 minutes to where the main reef meets the sand, then returns through the gutters and along the wall. It is a straightforward, pleasant dive rather than a spectacular one, and its modest depth makes it a good second dive or an option for less experienced divers. As with all sites south of Port Hacking, there is no charter, so it is a private-boat or St George Scuba Club dive.

It suits Open Water divers on a calm day who want an easy, relaxed reef dive close to Port Hacking.

Boat only. Launch in Port Hacking (Gunnamatta Bay/Tonkin Park at Cronulla, Lilli Pilli or Bundeena ramps), run out through the entrance and turn right (south), passing between Jibbon Bombora and Jibbon Head in suitable weather, then follow the Royal National Park cliffs south. About 2.5 km south of the entrance, 10 minutes by boat, just north of The Cutting.

McFadyen's GPS is 34° 05.808' S 151° 09.953' E. Run in towards the headland and anchor when the reef comes up from 20 m to about 12 m; do not go closer to shore, where it becomes shallow.

The Royal National Park coast south of Jibbon faces east and takes swell from the north-east round to the south-east; southerly swell partly wraps around. These sites lie close to the cliffs, and the shallower ones need calm seas so that boats can anchor near shore and divers are not caught in surge – plan on seas under about 1–1.5 m. Westerly and north-westerly winds give the best conditions; a strong north-easter makes the return to Port Hacking rough.

Visibility is generally good because the coast is far from urban runoff, typically 12–20 m, occasionally 30 m. The shallow gutters surge in easterly swell, so dive it only on calm days. Port Jackson sharks gather in large numbers in late winter (August–September).

Drop in, head east or south until you go over the wall, then follow the sand edge east and north for 10–12 minutes until the main reef meets the sand – the turning point. Come back through the shallower gutters, then south along the wall and west past the anchor.

No regular charter – private boat or dive-club (St George Scuba Club) only; no charter boat currently operates out of Port Hacking.