Twilight Beach is one of Esperance's signature beaches and has been voted among Australia's best: a curve of squeaky white sand and startlingly clear turquoise water, framed by granite and sheltered by an offshore rock and reef. It lies on the Great Ocean Drive about 8-10 km west of town, with boardwalk access, toilets, showers and summer weekend lifesaving patrols.

For snorkellers, the granite boulders at the ends of the beach and the rock about 100 m offshore provide the structure. The rocks are covered in kelp and coralline algae, with herring, sweep, old wives, wrasse, scalyfin and leatherjackets, and stingrays and eagle rays gliding over the sand. Dolphins are often seen in the bay between September and May. Visibility over the white sand can exceed 15 m on a calm day.

It is a swimming and snorkelling beach rather than a scuba site: depths are shallow and there is no particular dive feature. But it is safe (by south coast standards), convenient and beautiful, and a great option for families, travelling divers with a spare morning, or anyone wanting to get into the water without a boat.

The Great Ocean Drive offers other options within a few kilometres: Blue Haven, a smaller cove with more rock and shelter, and Observatory Point with its lookout. For scuba diving from shore, the Esperance Jetty and Tanker Jetty artificial reef in town are better choices. Twilight is also a good place to acclimatise to the water temperature before a boat trip to the Recherche: even in summer the water rarely exceeds 21°C, so a wetsuit makes a long snorkel far more comfortable.

Esperance's Great Ocean Drive is a sealed 38 km scenic loop that leaves town westward along Twilight Beach Road past West Beach, Blue Haven, Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach, Twilight Beach and Observatory Point before returning via the Pink Lake area. Twilight Beach is about 8-10 km (10-15 minutes) from the town centre. Several car parks sit above the beach with boardwalk access down to the sand; arrive early on summer days.

Enter from the beach and snorkel along the granite at either end or swim out to the rock about 100 m offshore.

Esperance's coast west of town faces south into the Southern Ocean, but the offshore islands of the Recherche and the granite headlands give partial shelter. The prevailing south-westerly swell and winter cold fronts make most beaches rough from May to September; summer brings calm mornings followed by strong south-easterly sea breezes, and the famous 'Esperance Doctor' easterly can blow for days. Twilight Beach is protected by granite headlands and offshore reef, so it is calmer than most of the Great Ocean Drive beaches, but large south-westerly swells still produce surf and rips.

Snorkel in the mornings before the sea breeze, on days of small swell. Lifesavers patrol summer weekends.

Snorkel along the granite boulders at the ends of the beach, then, if conditions are calm and you are a confident swimmer, swim out to the rock 100 m offshore and circle it before returning.

No operator – independent snorkelling and swimming; one of Esperance's most popular beaches.