What lies beneath
Few people realise that Hong Kong is an ideal location to start your adventures beneath the waves. It is both an easy classroom for beginners, and great for those with some experience, but who would like to get a few more dives under their belt. And with more than 80 types of coral and almost 6,000 recorded species, the city boasts 25 percent of China’s marine biodiversity — all the more reason to get in the water!
For all my expectations of old shoes and tyres, the diving sites around Hong Kong are surprisingly prolific and filled with diverse and interesting marine life. The best are found around the islands of the Sai Kung Country Parks—swim-throughs at Bluff Island, anemones and morays at Nine Pins, wrecks in Hoi Ha, and some nice corals and structures around Ping Chau in the north. From interesting “critters” including frogfish, nudibranchs, and seahorses, to large, two-metre marbled stingrays and schooling barracuda, these sites have more than enough to keep you entertained.