East Asia · Taiwan
Longdong & Northeast Coast
Taipei's home coast, with coral shore dives an hour east of Keelung
Photo: lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0
Long Dong Bay, the largest bay on Taiwan's northeast coast, is where Taipei goes diving, and in season the coast fills with divers. Magang, just east of Fulong Beach, is a shore dive over soft and hard coral, Secret Garden in Keelung pairs coral structures with a wide variety of fish, and boats run out to Keelung Islet and the Badouzi Shipwreck. It is the most convenient diving for anyone based around Taipei, and the northeasterly swell decides which days it runs.
About diving in Longdong & Northeast Coast
Long Dong Bay, in Gongliao District of New Taipei City, carries the bulk of the northeast coast's diving, and the dive shops sit around the bay. Its sites go by local names such as Ho-Mei Elementary School, the Ladder and 82.5. Magang is a shore dive along the coast to the east and Secret Garden lies to the west in Keelung, while Keelung Islet and the Badouzi Shipwreck need a boat. Long Dong is essentially diveable all year; the one thing that stops diving there is wind with a northeasterly swell.
Long Dong has coral growth on its underwater structures, though the water there is less clear than around Taiwan's outlying islands. Magang, east of Fulong Beach, has a spread of soft and hard coral and other marine life. Secret Garden in Keelung's Zhongzheng District stands out in northern Taiwan for the number and variety of its fish. The wider stretch around it became the Wanghaixiang Chaojing Bay Resource Conservation Area in 2016, and its sea life has recovered since.
The coast suits divers living in or staying around Taipei, for whom it is the most convenient place to snorkel or dive. Divers who want the water to themselves should avoid weekends at Long Dong. Visits in winter or typhoon season need a spare day, since a northeasterly swell can stop the diving and the water usually takes a few days to clear after a typhoon. Divers after structure rather than coral have the Badouzi Shipwreck.
Best time to dive Longdong & Northeast Coast
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Fair | Fair |
Winter brings waves to the northeast coast, so in winter the diving waits on a break in the northeasterly swell, although the water stays warm enough to dive all year. The main season opens in late April, when the sea is still a little cool at around 23 to 25 °C (73 to 77 °F). By summer it reaches 26 to 27 °C (79 to 81 °F), and Long Dong is at its busiest. July and August are the monsoon months and typhoons run from July to September; after a storm the water usually takes a few days to clear and the waves to settle. The season winds down in early October.
Dive types & marine life
Bigfin reef squid are the seasonal event: from around July each year, dive operators place bamboo squid nests in the squid's traditional nesting areas off the north coast, and within a few days the squid lay eggs in them, drawing small fish, shrimp and crabs. Coral is there all year, with soft and hard coral at Magang and coral structures at Secret Garden.
- Reef
- Wreck
- Squid
Best dive sites in Longdong & Northeast Coast
- 1
Secret Garden
Keelung site with coral structures, a wide variety of fish and 15 to 20 m visibility.
- 2
Magang
Shore dive just east of Fulong Beach over soft and hard coral.
- 3
Keelung Islet
Small island 5 km off Keelung, reached by a 30-minute boat ride.
- 4
Badouzi Shipwreck
Sunken vessel off Badouzi, dived from a local boat for divers after structure.
Site guides
Coral garden
Soft and hard coral in shallow water just east of Fulong Beach
Giant sea fan groups and crinoids below a Keelung city park
How to get to Longdong & Northeast Coast
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is the main international gateway for Taipei. Long Dong Bay lies about an hour's drive east of the port city of Keelung, with the dive shops gathered around the bay; Keelung itself is the departure point for boats to Keelung Islet.
Photos from Longdong & Northeast Coast
呂一起(Lu i-chi) · CC BY 4.0
Jay Paroline · CC BY 4.0
呂一起(Lu i-chi) · CC BY 4.0
呂一起(Lu i-chi) · CC BY 4.0
Dive videos
Northeast Coast, Taiwan 台灣, 東北角 - Scuba Diving, Midnight Dive, Canon S110 · Open Water 859 on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is diving on Taiwan's northeast coast from shore or by boat?+
Both. Magang is a shore dive and at Long Dong divers enter the water at sites such as the Ladder; Keelung Islet, 5 km off Keelung, and the Badouzi Shipwreck are reached by boat.
What stops diving at Long Dong?+
Wind with a northeasterly swell, which winter brings to the northeast coast. Typhoons between July and September also stir up the sea, and the water usually needs a few days to clear and calm afterwards.
Is Secret Garden in Keelung protected?+
Yes. The wider area became the Wanghaixiang Chaojing Bay Resource Conservation Area in 2016, the only area with that designation in northern Taiwan.
How busy does Long Dong get in summer?+
Very busy. More than 30 divers are often in the water, parking can fill by 8 am, and on weekends divers queue to enter the water at the Ladder.
Sources
- Ultimate Diving Guide to Taiwan — Taiwan Outdoors
- Neptune Diving — Neptune Diving
- Shentai Dive Center — Shentai Dive Center
- Divers Inn — Divers Inn
- Keelung Average Sea Temperatures — seatemperature.org
- Taipei — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- Two divers carrying tanks walk along concrete seawater pools beside dark rocks and blue sea under a cloudy summer sky by lienyuan lee, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A mottled brown octopus with one pale eye peers out from a crevice in the reef by 呂一起(Lu i-chi), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A red and white striped lionfish with fanned pectoral fins hovers over a gravelly bottom by Jay Paroline, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A pink pufferfish covered in dense black spots rests on sand beside green and red growth by 呂一起(Lu i-chi), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A school of yellow fish with thin blue stripes swims over a coral-covered reef in blue-green water by 呂一起(Lu i-chi), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
Run a dive centre, club or blog? Embed this map of 2 dive sites near Longdong & Northeast Coast on your own page.
Similar destinations
East Asia
Gangneung
South Korea
South Korea's largest cluster of wrecks, led by the scuttled trawler Stella
A coral-covered freighter wreck and fish-packed lava pinnacles
East Asia
A wreck covered in schooling fish, five minutes from the harbour
East Asia
Japan's most-dived site, a limestone cavern lit blue from below