East Asia · Hong Kong
Hong Kong — Sai Kung & Hoi Ha Wan
Marine-park coral and geopark islands off Sai Kung
Photo: Eddie Yip · CC BY-SA 2.0
Hong Kong's best diving lies off the east coast of the New Territories, and Sai Kung is where it starts. Weekend boats leave Sai Kung and Hebe Haven piers for Sharp Island, Bluff Island and the hexagonal columns of the Ninepin Islands, while Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park on the peninsula's north shore holds coral reached by road. Dives run from about 5 m to 17 m, and the draw is protected coral, wrecks and a sunken car a bus or boat ride from Sai Kung town.
About diving in Hong Kong — Sai Kung & Hoi Ha Wan
Most diving days start at Sai Kung Public Pier or Hebe Haven Public Pier, depending on the site and the time of the dive, and boats run every weekend. Sharp Island sits a short ride out, while the Ninepin Islands are an hour from Pak Sha Wan. Hoi Ha Wan is the exception: the village bay is reached by road and entered from shore, and it is out of the way for dive boats. An easterly wind normally stirs up the water off Hoi Ha and makes the boat run rough.
Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park has lush coral communities, and a shallow coral area begins among the rocks just past the village jetty; it also makes an interesting night dive. About 300 m from the jetty lies the Hoi Ha Wreck. Collecting corals and sea products is prohibited by law. Out at the Ninepins, schools of fish hang shallow, and deeper down sea apples and a colourful sea cucumber turn up. Gill nets, many of them discarded, lie on the bottom at Hoi Ha.
The diving is shallow and gentle, which suits newly certified divers and people training, provided buoyancy is under control before they go over the coral. The shallow coral north of the Hoi Ha jetty is popular for photography. Divers after current and a wreck with some history have Yin Tsz Ngam, but only those already able to handle strong water movement should go.
Best time to dive Hong Kong — Sai Kung & Hoi Ha Wan
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Hoi Ha Wan has no off season, so the shore diving there carries on through the first months of the year. May and June bring the best conditions, and weekend camp-and-dive trips with a night dive run then and again in September. From July to September algae bloom and wind reduce visibility, and these are the months to avoid.
Dive types & marine life
Butterfly rays are the draw at Sharp Island, which is a prime spot for them. The weedy scorpionfish at the Ninepins is rare and hard to find. Many nudibranchs turn up on the Hoi Ha Wreck at certain times of year, and clownfish keep to the anemones in the shallow Hoi Ha coral.
- Coral garden
- Wreck
- Night
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
- Stingrays
Best dive sites in Hong Kong — Sai Kung & Hoi Ha Wan
- 1
Hoi Ha Wan
Marine-park coral reached by road, 5–10 m, suited to training and newly certified divers.
- 2
Ninepin Islands
Geopark islands of hexagonal columns, dived from 7 to 17 m.
- 3
Sharp Island
Weak-current training ground with corals and reef fish at about 4 m.
- 4
Ung Kong Chau (Bluff Island)
The eroded chassis and wheels of a sunken car lie on the seabed off this island.
- 5
Yin Tsz Ngam
Cargo ship that sank in the 60s, broken down by erosion, in strong current.
Site guides
Numerous sea caves cut into a geopark island
Marine-park coral reached by road on the Sai Kung Peninsula
Wreck
Nudibranch-covered barge hull a short way from Hoi Ha jetty
Hexagonal geopark columns and a chance of a weedy scorpionfish
Wreck
A 1960s cement carrier in strong current
How to get to Hong Kong — Sai Kung & Hoi Ha Wan
Sai Kung Pier is reached by bus: the 101M from Hang Hau MTR, the 1A from Choi Hung or the 299X from Sha Tin. For Hoi Ha Wan, green minibus 7 runs from Sai Kung Town Centre to the village. Boats also leave from Hebe Haven (Pak Sha Wan).
Photos from Hong Kong — Sai Kung & Hoi Ha Wan
Eddie Yip · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
Hong Kong diving · Insider Divers on YouTube
香港夏季潛水船潛夜潛 | Hong Kong Summer Night Diving | 香港サマーナイトダイビング · The Carpe Diem Couple掘坑自虐夫婦 on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When is the best time to dive in Sai Kung?+
May and June have the best conditions. July to September brings algae bloom and wind that reduce visibility, though Hoi Ha Wan has no off season.
Can Hoi Ha Wan be dived from shore?+
Yes. The coral starts among the rocks just past the village jetty, and green minibus 7 from Sai Kung Town Centre reaches the village. The bay is out of the way for dive boats.
Is Sai Kung diving suitable for new divers?+
Yes. Hoi Ha Wan suits training and newly certified divers once their buoyancy is good, and Sharp Island has weak currents. Yin Tsz Ngam is for seasoned divers because of its strong current.
Where do the dive boats leave from?+
From Sai Kung Public Pier or Hebe Haven Public Pier, depending on the site and the time of the dive. The Ninepin Islands are an hour out from Pak Sha Wan.
Sources
- Fun Diving — Splash Hong Kong
- Open Water — Sai Kung Scuba
- Hoi Ha Wan — Asia Dive Site
- Where to go scuba diving in Hong Kong — Time Out
- Diving and snorkelling in Hong Kong — Tatler Asia
- Hoi Ha Wan — Wikipedia
- Hong Kong — Wikivoyage
- Hong Kong average sea temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
Photo credits
- A small white nudibranch with dark markings on ruffled olive-brown seaweed over pink encrusted rock, green water behind. by Eddie Yip, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A mottled flying gurnard with spotted, fan-like pectoral fins resting on rubble patched with pink encrusting algae. by Eddie Yip, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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