East Asia · Taiwan
Green Island
Kuroshio-fed reefs with resident green turtles off Taiwan's volcanic isle
Photo: Divervincent · CC BY-SA 3.0
Green Island sits off Taiwan's southeast coast in the path of the Kuroshio Current, which keeps water warm and clear year-round and feeds soft coral growth across its main dive bays. A large resident population of green sea turtles grazes the fringing reef, and the island is also famous for Zhaori, one of the world's only seawater hot springs, bubbling up on the shoreline. Winter brings strong northeast monsoon swell that limits diving to the sheltered west coast.
About diving in Green Island
Diving here runs out of the villages on the sheltered west side, and the day has little ceremony to it. Shops load cylinders into pickups, drive a few minutes to whichever entry the wind allows, and divers walk in over a rock platform at the water's edge. Small day boats reach the more exposed points when conditions open them, but shore entries carry most of the schedule, and night dives go in from the same steps after dark.
The reef is a fringe rather than a system. Entries cross a shallow flat of coral and boulder first, and beyond it a slope of coral heads and sand channels runs down past 30 m before the ground steepens. Sites sort themselves by exposure: the sheltered western and southern bays are gentle and easy to navigate, while the exposed points sit in moving water and dive as drifts along the reef edge, with the Kuroshio deciding the pace.
A giant Porites coral head off the west coast served for years as the island's underwater landmark, until typhoon swell rolled it onto its side in the mid-2010s. The exposed points hold whatever the current has carried past, so one tank can swing from combing rubble for nudibranchs to hanging on the reef edge while jacks work the slope. It suits divers who like reef and macro at an unhurried pace and are comfortable in current; anyone travelling for big animals will find the list short.
Best time to dive Green Island
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | 25°C77°F | 25°C77°F | 25°C77°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F |
| Daytime high | 25°C77°F | 26°C79°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 31°C88°F | 31°C88°F | 31°C88°F | 31°C88°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F |
| Rain | 58 mm2.3 in | 47 mm1.9 in | 56 mm2.2 in | 76 mm3.0 in | 176 mm6.9 in | 223 mm8.8 in | 294 mm11.6 in | 374 mm14.7 in | 199 mm7.8 in | 130 mm5.1 in | 86 mm3.4 in | 57 mm2.2 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 25°C77°F | 25°C77°F | 25°C77°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 25°C77°F | 26°C79°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 31°C88°F | 31°C88°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 58 mm2.3 in | 47 mm1.9 in | 56 mm2.2 in | 76 mm3.0 in | 176 mm6.9 in | 223 mm8.8 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 31°C88°F | 31°C88°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 294 mm11.6 in | 374 mm14.7 in | 199 mm7.8 in | 130 mm5.1 in | 86 mm3.4 in | 57 mm2.2 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
Kuroshio keeps water warm year-round; winter monsoon swell and summer typhoons limit exposed-coast sites.
Green Island water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 25 °C (77 °F) in January to 30 °C (86 °F) in July. Most rain falls from May to September, peaking at about 370 mm (15 in) in August; it stays largely dry from November to April. Daytime highs reach 31 °C (88 °F) in July and drop to 25 °C (77 °F) in January. Below the surface the water can drop to about 22 °C (72 °F), so pack a 5 mm suit.
Dive types & marine life
Green turtles are the constant, showing up in any month rather than on a season. Trevally and jacks work the current-swept points, most reliably once the water settles into the May and June peak, and grouper hold under the bigger coral heads. Nudibranchs and small crustaceans are the payoff on the sheltered west-coast bays through autumn and the quieter winter dives.
- Reef
- Coral garden
- Drift
- Muck & macro
- Night
- Sea turtles
- Reef fish swarms
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
- Pristine corals
- Trevally & jacks
- Groupers
Best dive sites in Green Island
Coral garden
One coral head, about 31 m around and 18 m down
Shilang
Open-access shore entry near Nanliao Harbour on the west coast, home to the underwater mailbox.
Dabaisha
Southwest-corner site with sharp depth changes and unstable current, for experienced divers.
Chaikou
Shore entry on the north coast dived when conditions allow.
How to get to Green Island
Almost everyone comes through Taitung: ferries run from Fugang Harbour, with a small propeller flight from Taitung Airport as the alternative when swell cancels the boat. Nanliao holds most of the shops and rooms, a rented scooter covers the ring road in an afternoon, and dive centres move gear and divers out to the entries themselves.
Photos from Green Island
Yuriy Kosygin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lienyuan Lee · CC BY 3.0
Lienyuan Lee · CC BY 3.0
Lienyuan Lee · CC BY 3.0
Lienyuan Lee · CC BY 3.0
Dive videos
Diving in Green Island’s Glass Seas | Let’s Go Diving! · TaiwanPlus on YouTube
4K Underwater Green Island Taiwan Diving/綠島/美麗海底世界 · leodv999 on YouTube
Photo credits
- A Bower's parrotfish swims over a shallow coral reef off Green Island, Taiwan by Divervincent, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rocky headland and sandy cove with breaking waves on Green Island's coastline by Yuriy Kosygin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rugged green cliffs and rocky shoreline along Green Island's coast by Lienyuan Lee, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Coastal cove with breaking surf near Baisha on Green Island by Lienyuan Lee, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Waves crash over volcanic rocks along Green Island's rugged coast by Lienyuan Lee, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fishing boats moored at a harbor on Green Island, backed by forested hills by Lienyuan Lee, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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