WA locals: Jaimen Hudson of Esperance Island Cruises

Jaimen Hudson was born and raised in Esperance, and now he shows the best of the island to tourists through his company, Esperance Diving and Fishing, and Esperance Island Cruises.

I was born and bred in Esperance and grew up loving the outdoors. My earliest memories are of days on the ocean with mum and dad, who owned Esperance Diving Academy. I learned to dive when I was 10 and fell in love with the underwater world. From that time forward, I spent my time surfing, skateboarding, motorbike riding and diving until I had a motorbike accident at the age of 17. It turned my life upside down. I’ve been confined to a wheelchair ever since.

The coastline around WA is beautiful, particularly here in Esperance. My wife and I operate Esperance Island Cruises and we love taking visitors out on the water to see some of the 105 islands in the archipelago. Our national parks and beaches are the best in the world.

“The coastline around WA is beautiful, particularly here in Esperance.” (Image: Jaimen Hudson)

When we get away for a weekend it’s an overnight camping trip to somewhere like Wharton Beach near Duke of Orleans Bay, about 100 kilometres east of Esperance in the Goldfields-Esperance region.

Without a doubt, the most mind-blowing moment of my travels was featured in my documentary, Jaimen Hudson: From Sky to Sea. We travelled to Exmouth up north to film my return to the ocean for the first time in 13 years since the motorbike accident. I was very lucky to free-dive with humpback whales, whale sharks and dolphins. For someone with limited mobility, it was an amazing experience.

“I have been lucky enough to see and photograph many unique wildlife scenarios in Esperance.” (Image: Jaimen Hudson)

Living where we do, I have been lucky enough to see and photograph many unique wildlife scenarios in Esperance: people paddleboarding with giant whales, dolphins surfing waves, whales and dolphins interacting. I’m so grateful I can enjoy these magical experiences in my own backyard in WA.

I love living in Esperance because so much of our daily lives revolve around the ocean. It’s so nice to raise my son in a town like Esperance, with such beautiful, untouched nature at our doorstep. My family has operated Esperance Island Cruises, Esperance Diving & Fishing, and Yot Spot Holiday Apartments since 1983. My wife Jessica also operates Esperance Yoga. It keeps us busy, but we are truly passionate about sharing our magnificent landscape with visiting tourists.

It is not until you get up close and personal on one of our boat trips that you see the sea lions, fur seals, dolphins, sea eagles and just the magic colours in the landscape.