Esperance is located on the Southern Ocean Coastline of the Goldfields Region of Western Australia. The area is a nature lovers dream. White beaches, turquoise waters, untouched islands and colourful wildflowers. The Recherche Archipelago offers over 140 islands and an array of amazing dive sites in the crystal clear turquoise waters. The second largest dive wreck in the world, the Sanko Harvest, is located only 21 nautical miles from Esperance.
The marine life includes prolific soft corals and sponges. Hard coral, in the form of plate coral, is also present. In these waters live the Southern Fighting Crayfish and Abalone which divers can take subject to bag and size limits and having a licence.
The European history of Esperance dates back to 1627 with the Dutch. Subsequently came the French and then the British. Many of the local places were named by the British navigator Matthew Flinders who sailed along the coastline in 1802. Since that time the area has known whalers, sealers and even pirates.