Esperance tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 09:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are Australia/Sydney local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Esperance is on the south coast of Western Australia, 720 kilometres east of Perth, at the edge of the Great Australian Bight where the Southern Ocean meets the limestone coast. The town sits inside a bay sheltered by the Recherche Archipelago — 105 islands scattered offshore — which damps Southern Ocean swell and gives the town access to unusually calm, clear water. Tidal range is small: mean spring range around 0.8 metres, neaps barely 0.3 m. The Southern Ocean character comes from swell, not from tide. The beaches around Esperance consistently rank among the finest in Australia. Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park (56 km east) has the whitest sand measured in Australia and turquoise water clear to 10 metres depth visible from shore. Kangaroos regularly visit the beach to graze the scrub behind the dune — the photograph of a kangaroo on white sand in front of turquoise water is the image most associated with Esperance. Lucky Bay is accessible by 2WD on a sealed road to the park. Hampshire Beach and Cape Le Grand Beach further east require 4WD access and have even fewer visitors. The Recherche Archipelago is accessible by boat — charter boats from Esperance visit the sea lion colonies on Middle Island and Woody Island. New Zealand fur seals and Australian sea lions use the archipelago as a breeding ground. Diving off Esperance is in cold, clear water. Water temperature ranges 16 to 21°C; visibility is routinely 15 to 25 metres in the protected bays. The reef systems around the archipelago islands are rich in marine life — leafy sea dragons (endemic to the south Australian coast) are occasionally found in the seagrass beds near Woody Island. The salmon fishing season at Esperance is the major annual fishing event. Australian salmon (Arripis truttaceus) run along the south coast from March through May, moving west. The schools can be massive — thousands of fish crashing through baitfish just outside the surf. Shore casting from the beaches during the run is one of the better shore fishing experiences in southern Australia. Predictions on this page come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model. Accuracy is typically within plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height — model-derived, not from a local gauge. For authoritative Australian tide data, consult the Australian Bureau of Meteorology at bom.gov.au.