Sanya & Wuzhizhou Island · China · Reef · Coral garden
Wuzhizhou Island
Reef slopes where sea turtles turn up among the butterflyfish
Photo: Brookqi · Public domain
Wuzhizhou Island is a marine park island off Haitang District in Sanya, held to be the best place in Hainan for diving, and the waters around it are counted the most beautiful in Sanya. Its reef slopes and coral gardens hold common reef fish and the odd sea turtle.
Also known as Wuzhizhou Island Marine Park, Wuzhizhou.
Where it is and how deep
18.3115° N, 109.7620° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Most dives here stay above 15 m, over coral gardens where parrotfish and moray eels live among a mix of reef fish. Below the gardens the reef slopes continue down to about 30 m (98 ft), with butterflyfish, angelfish and triggerfish along the slope and the occasional sea turtle passing through.
Visibility around the island runs from 6 to 27 m, though the water is less clear and the fish less plentiful than in earlier years, so the choice of date and time of day makes a real difference to the dive.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Sanya & Wuzhizhou Island: November to April is the dry season and the best stretch for diving; May to October brings the rains.
Dive videos
Wuzhizhou island dive_Ivo and Clover · oCRINSo on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification does diving at Wuzhizhou Island need?+
Open Water covers the coral gardens, where most dives stay within 15 m. The reef slopes reach about 30 m (98 ft), and dives that deep call for Advanced Open Water.
Sources
- Hainan: Wuzhizhou Island — DivePlanner Pro
- Sanya diving guide — Tripbase
- Top 5 diving spots in Sanya — China Daily
- Sanya — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
More dive sites in Sanya & Wuzhizhou Island
Reef and sand beside the island named for a sleeping figure
A wide field of soft coral a short swim from the resort beach
Similar dives elsewhere
The outer drop-off holds the coral, and it is the advanced end
Reef
Suogang Hangwan
Penghu Islands · Taiwan
A working post box on the seabed off Suogang Village
A 5 m coral shelf dropping to three coral heads on sand at 20 to 25 m.
Sea turtles on the inner coral plate, eagle rays at La Grieta.