Winter Wall, according to the official Cocos tourism listing, has full hard and soft coral cover on its top and down its face, with rose wall corals spreading over the wall. The recreational range is 9–25 m. The name reflects its role: during the 'winter' trade-wind season, when stiff south-easterlies close the exposed sites, Winter Wall on the northern rim remains diveable, and so it is visited more often in those months.

The reef top at 9 m is a garden of mixed coral with the usual Cocos reef fish, and it is shallow enough for divers to spend a relaxed second half of the dive here. Over the edge, the wall carries rose-coloured corals similar to those at Rose Wall on the western side, forming broad, spreading plates and mounds. Pelagic fish move along the face, and the official listing notes a whitetip reef shark sleeping on the sandy bottom at about 40 m – visible from the wall on clear days, but well below the recreational depth range for the dive.

The published GPS mark is the same as Cable Bommie's, so these two are best understood as neighbouring parts of the same reef, and Cocos Dive may combine them. The dive suits Open Water divers and is a reliable, colourful choice when weather limits options. Visibility is typically 20–30 m; it is best on the incoming tide.

Detailed documentation beyond the official listing is thin; features along the wall are best learned in the guide's briefing. Photographers should bring wide-angle for the coral cover and a torch to bring out the rose tones at depth.

Fly to West Island on the twice-weekly Virgin Australia service from Perth (usually routed via Christmas Island; allow 7–10 days on the islands to absorb weather and flight delays). Cocos Dive collects divers from West Island accommodation in the morning (pickup around 8 am, departure about 9 am) and runs its boats from West Island into the lagoon. These sites lie along the northern rim of the atoll near Direction Island, at the north-eastern side of the lagoon around Port Refuge.

The boat crosses the lagoon from West Island to reach them, and they are conveniently paired with the lunchtime surface interval on the beach at Direction Island (eco toilets and shelters, no shops). Live-boat drops or moorings; no shore access.

Cocos has two seasons. The south-east trades blow steadily from roughly April/May to October, often 15–25 knots, which chops up the lagoon and pushes swell onto the eastern and southern outer reefs; divers are then kept to sheltered sites. The doldrum season (November to March/April) brings lighter, variable winds, flatter seas and the widest choice of outer-reef sites, and is the best time to dive, though it is also the tropical cyclone season and squalls pass through.

The northern-rim sites near Direction Island catch tidal flow through the passage at Port Refuge; the incoming tide brings clear ocean water and upwelling along the drop-off, the outgoing tide carries lagoon water out and lowers visibility. In strong south-east trades the lagoon crossing is choppy and wet but these sites are partly protected by the atoll; big northerly swell, uncommon, closes them. As the name suggests, this is one of the sites used in the 'winter' trade-wind months, when more exposed sites are out of reach.

Start on the reef top at around 9 m and move over the edge, working down the wall through the rose corals to 20–25 m. Look down onto the sandy bottom for resting whitetips, but don't follow them deeper. Ascend along the wall and finish on the coral-covered reef top for the safety stop.

Cocos Dive (Dieter Gerhard, West Island, operating since 1990) is the only scuba operator on the islands and the only way to dive this site. It runs seasonal two-dive day trips with lunch and a surface interval on Direction Island, maximum 10 divers per trip; sites are chosen on the day according to wind, tide and diver experience. Trips book out well ahead and courses are currently suspended, so arrive certified.