The Wollongong Offshore Artificial Reef was deployed by NSW Fisheries (DPI) in September 2019 as part of the state's program of purpose-built offshore reefs to enhance recreational fishing. It consists of steel pinnacle reef towers with a vertical profile of up to 12 m, placed on sand at 32 m about 2.4 km off Perkins Beach and 2.5 km south of the Five Islands Nature Reserve. Two marks are published for the structures.

The towers act as fish-aggregating structures in otherwise featureless sand. DPI lists yellowtail kingfish, snapper, silver trevally, mulloway, yellowtail scad and blue mackerel as target species, and similar reefs elsewhere on the NSW coast develop a cover of sponges, ascidians and other encrusting growth within a few years, along with resident morwong, leatherjackets, bullseyes and wobbegongs. For divers the appeal is the chance to see dense schools of pelagic fish around a tall, open structure in blue water.

The reef was designed for fishing, not diving, so there are no moorings and the site is heavily fished – lost lines, lures and sinkers are an entanglement hazard, and divers should carry a cutting tool and avoid diving when boats are fishing directly over the towers. The depth (tops around 20 m, sand at 32 m) makes it a dive for Advanced divers comfortable in open water. Published dive reports are scarce, so specific details of growth and fish life on this reef are not yet documented; confidence is moderate. It is a worthwhile addition to the Wollongong boat dives on a calm day, perhaps combined with Martin Islet on the way back.

Launch at the Port Kembla boat ramp in the Outer Harbour (trailer parking, toilets) and head south past Martin Islet to the NSW DPI marks – 34° 31.081' S 150° 54.883' E and 34° 31.182' S 150° 54.795' E (WGS84) – about 2.4 km off Perkins Beach and 2.5 km south of the Five Islands, roughly 15 minutes' run. Shellharbour Marina is an alternative ramp about 8 km to the south. Drop a shot beside the towers rather than anchoring into them.

The Five Islands sit in open water off Port Kembla and are exposed to all swell, but the islands themselves give lee on one side or the other: dive the northern ends in southerly swell and the southern ends in north-easterly conditions. Boats generally want less than about 1.5–2 m of swell and winds under 15 knots for the short run out of Port Kembla Outer Harbour; Wollongong Harbour's ramp is suitable only for small boats in calm seas. Visibility is often better than the inshore beaches, but drops after heavy rain when Lake Illawarra, Allans Creek and the harbour flush brown water out.

Best visibility is usually late autumn to early winter; winter westerlies produce flat seas. The reef is south of the islands in open water with no lee; it needs swell under about 1.5 m, and current can run along the coast when the East Australian Current is strong.

Descend the shot to the top of a tower at about 20 m, circle down the structure to the sand at 32 m, then move between towers if visibility allows. Keep well clear of fishing lines and ascend the shot or a DSMB with a safety stop.

EAN28–30 useful for bottom time; carry a DSMB.

No regular dive operator – primarily a fishing reef; visited occasionally by private dive boats and clubs from Port Kembla or Shellharbour.