Lucky Bay is one of Australia's most photographed beaches – a 5 km sweep of very fine white sand and turquoise water in Cape Le Grand National Park, about an hour east of Esperance, where western grey kangaroos regularly laze on the beach. Matthew Flinders named it in 1802 after finding shelter here from a storm while charting the Recherche Archipelago in HMS Investigator.

The bay is sheltered and generally calm, which makes it good for swimming and snorkelling, and for launching small boats to explore nearby islands. The underwater interest is concentrated at the western end, where the granite headland continues underwater as boulders and ledges with kelp, sponges and coralline algae. Herring, sweep, old wives, wrasse, scalyfin and leatherjackets are common, with stingrays, eagle rays and schools of Australian salmon over the sand in autumn, and dolphins frequently cruise the bay. The broad sand and seagrass areas are good for spotting rays, flathead and cuttlefish.

For scuba divers, Lucky Bay is a relaxed shore dive rather than a destination site – depths are modest and the reef is limited – but it is an excellent option for divers camping in the national park who want an easy dive or snorkel close to camp. The DBCA campground has hot showers and toilets and is very popular, so book ahead.

The park has several other bays within a short drive: Thistle Cove, a granite-framed cove with sheltered snorkelling; Hellfire Bay, with its striking granite and picnic facilities; and Le Grand Beach. On calm days, divers with boats can explore the Recherche islands just offshore.

From Esperance drive east on Fisheries Road and Merivale Road, then turn onto Cape Le Grand Road into Cape Le Grand National Park (about 55-65 km, 50-60 minutes, all sealed). Park entry fees apply (DBCA pass or day fee at the entry station). Follow the park road to Lucky Bay, about 64 km from Esperance.

The campground and day-use area are at the western end, with parking beside the beach; 2WD vehicles can drive on the firm beach sand here, but check conditions with rangers – vehicles bog easily elsewhere. Enter from the beach near the campground and snorkel toward the granite at the western end of the bay. Small boats can be launched off the beach.

Cape Le Grand's bays face south and east toward the Recherche islands, which break some of the Southern Ocean swell. Westerly and north-westerly winds are offshore and calm the bays; strong south-easterly sea breezes (most summer afternoons) and the 'Esperance Doctor' easterlies make them choppy and cloudy. Winter south-westerly swells produce surf in the more exposed bays.

Lucky Bay faces south-east and is described by DBCA as a sheltered bay ideal for swimming and small-boat launching; it is calmest in westerly weather and early mornings. South-easterly winds bring chop onto the beach. The bay was named by Matthew Flinders in 1802 after he sheltered here in a storm.

Enter from the beach near the campground, snorkel or dive out to the granite boulders at the western end, follow the reef edge where it meets the sand at 4-10 m, then return along the shallows.

No dive operator; independent snorkelling and diving. Esperance Diving & Fishing (Esperance) provides air and advice.