The Lapwing is a small wooden fishing vessel that lies intact on the sea floor in about 32 m in the lee of Long Island, one of the islands of the western Recherche Archipelago off Esperance. Esperance Diving & Fishing describes her as a 32-foot (about 10 m) vessel that is completely intact and covered in soft coral and sponge growth, and Marine Life Network notes reef fish around the hull and a leafy seadragon sighting.

The appeal is a compact, whole wreck in clear water: small enough to see in a single circuit, intact enough to recognise the hull and wheelhouse, and encrusted with colour. Because it lies on open sand in the lee of an island, it acts as a fish attractor, with schools of bullseyes and small reef fish in and around it and larger visitors such as blue groper and queen snapper passing by.

The depth makes it an advanced dive with limited bottom time on air; nitrox with a conservative profile is sensible. Little has been published about the vessel's history or loss, and details such as the year it sank are not publicly documented.

The Lapwing is usually dived as part of a two-dive trip to Long Island, where the island's reefs of large rock formations, caverns and swim-throughs provide a shallower second dive. Because the wreck sits alone on open sand, it acts as a magnet for fish in an otherwise featureless area, and visibility is often 20 m or more, so the whole hull can be seen from a few metres above. Check the operator's schedule well ahead: Lapwing trips run only when enough experienced divers book and the weather is settled.

Esperance is about 720 km (8 hours) south-east of Perth via the Albany or Great Eastern and Coolgardie-Esperance Highways, with daily flights from Perth. Dive boats and private boats launch from the Bandy Creek Boat Harbour (5 km east of town, with ramps, parking and toilets) or operate from the town waterfront on The Esplanade. Air, nitrox and hire gear are available from Esperance Diving & Fishing on The Esplanade.

The Lapwing lies in the lee of Long Island in the western Recherche Archipelago; operators hold the GPS mark. Allow 30-45 minutes by boat from Esperance. It is usually combined with a Long Island or Sandy Hook Island reef dive.

The Recherche Archipelago lies open to the Southern Ocean, and the islands shelter each other only partly. Boat diving needs swell under about 2 m and winds under 15-20 knots; the prevailing south-westerly swell and winter cold fronts cancel many trips from May to September. Summer brings reliable morning calms but strong easterly sea breezes most afternoons.

The Lapwing sits in the lee of Long Island, so it is sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly swell and can be dived on days when more exposed sites are out, provided the run from Esperance is comfortable. Easterly sea breezes can make the site choppy in the afternoon.

Descend the shotline directly to the wreck at 28-32 m, circle the intact hull once, looking for leafy seadragons and the fish sheltering under the hull, and begin the ascent early given the depth; do the safety stop on the line.

Nitrox (EAN28-30) useful; plan conservative no-decompression profile.

Esperance Diving & Fishing (72 The Esplanade, Esperance; operating since 1983) – boat dives in the Recherche Archipelago on demand/weather permitting, minimum numbers apply for long trips – lists the Lapwing among its wreck dives.