Meet the site
Bonnie's Reef and the adjoining Cathie Wall form a moderate-depth reef and wall complex off Camden Haven, sitting in the more accessible eight-to-twenty-metre range compared with the deeper offshore pinnacles further out, and offering a solid, all-round dive built on a good covering of hard and soft corals across its gutters and bommies. The site supports a healthy population of nudibranchs and sea spiders for macro-focused divers, alongside bait fish schools moving through the gutters and the resident stingrays and moray eels typical of this section of coast, giving the dive a good balance between small-scale detail and general reef life. Blue groper are a notable presence here, often approaching divers with the same curious confidence they show at similar sites further south, and starfish add further colour and interest across the reef's surface. Because the site sits shallower and closer to shore than Yabbies, Mermaid Reef or Old Faithful, it is more forgiving in terms of no-decompression limits and better suited to divers with intermediate rather than strictly advanced experience, making it a useful option for groups with a wider range of certification levels. Bonnie's Reef and Cathie Wall are best thought of as a reliable, moderate-depth complement to the area's more demanding offshore pinnacles, offering a good introduction to the general character of Camden Haven's reef diving without the depth or current challenge of the sites further out. A relaxed pace here tends to pay off, since much of what makes the site worthwhile is easy to swim past without noticing.
What you might see
Nudibranchs, sea spiders, bait fish schools, stingrays, moray eels, blue groper, starfish
Location
A pair of adjoining reef and wall sites off Camden Haven, 8-20 m, with hard and soft coral gutters and bommies.
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
mudgeediveandtravel.comRecord updated 27 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.