Reefwander
Aerial view of steep golden rock islets and green headlands rising from blue water with white surf at their base — Basalt Island, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong · Hong Kong · Cave & cavern · Reef

Basalt Island

Numerous sea caves cut into a geopark island

Photo: TK · CC BY-SA 4.0

Basalt Island lies in the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark about 13 km from the Sai Kung and Pak Sha Wan piers. Its underwater faces show numerous sea caves, and its deeper water, past 20 m, is the part that suits advanced divers rather than newcomers.

Also known as Basalt Island (West).

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Basalt Island: typical dive 4–20 m (13–66 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit4 m20 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

22.3086° N, 114.3648° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

A lush anemone garden with many anemonefish sits at about 4 to 9 m, and below about 10 m the bottom turns sandy and muddy with a variety of marine life. The island's underwater faces open into numerous sea caves, and corals are abundant. Depth can reach beyond 20 m, and the deeper water areas are the ones that suit advanced divers.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Basalt Island
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimeFairFairGoodGoodGoodGood

Season follows Hong Kong: May and June are the best months; algae bloom and wind cut visibility from July to September.

Dive videos

Basalt Island Amazing Dive Site - Scuba Diving Hong Kong · Scuba Diver Hong Kong on YouTube

香港火石洲潛水#海葵花園 Diving in Hong Kong basalt island and met the anemone garden | 太陽潛水Sun Dive Co. · 太陽潛水Sun Dive Co.最貼心o既香港潛水訓練中心 on YouTube

Sources

  1. Basalt Island (West) - ScubaGo — ScubaGo
  2. Diving and snorkelling in Hong Kong — Tatler Asia

Photo credits

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