On It or Under It?
Watersports in Sai Kung
Back from your summer holidays and looking for something else to do here? There's plenty of water out there just waiting for kayakers, sailors, divers and windsurfers with fresh air and scenic views on their minds.
If you'd like to stay firmly, or at least most of the time, above the water line, then maybe kayaking or sailing is your top choice. What? You don't know how? No problem because there are a number of places in Sai Kung where you can learn and practice, and no end of potential paddling spots on clean clear water.
When asked where the popular kayaking locations are, Paul Etherington of Kayak & Hike replied that was a hard question to answer: "Sai Kung is a paddling heaven, with hundreds of coves, beaches and islands to explore. You could spend weeks paddling at a different place each time."
The area of Rocky Harbour (Leung Shuen Wan Hoi) is unique because it was part of the Sai Kung caldera (collapsed volcano) dating back 270 million years. "The 20-odd white sand beaches are stunning and some have coral reefs," says Paul. "It's an area where you also have the chance to see the rare White-bellied Sea Eagle, startle Reef Herons and hear the distinctive Serpent Eagle." Besides giving your body a great aerobic workout, exploring islands with dramatic arches provides a unique and close-to-nature experience.
"The corals at Sharp Island or the mangroves in Tai Wan are popular sites for our trips," says Anthony Chan of Sai Sha Sports Centre. The wide and stable glass-bottom kayaks get the young interested in, and caring for, what's down below. "The area directly in front of Sai Sha is perfect for training because it's quite shallow at low tide," says Anthony.
A preference for a bigger craft on the water? Take some basic sailing sessions to get out on the water or perfect your technique up through many levels. In a sport that transcends age and builds confidence and ability, sailors gain fitness, muscle strength and endurance, flexibility and agility with regular training and adherence to sound training principles. Competitive sailing requires tactical and strategic thinking more than physical ability, which is why older sailors often put the younger ones to shame. That's not to mention the sheer enjoyment of spectacular scenery and fresh air.
Want to see what's way down below? Get cracking on a scuba diving course because there's a whole new underwater world out there, just waiting for you to discover it and this is a great place to learn. Bob Fisher of Splash HK suggests: “if you’ve got a week in the Philippines, why waste your holiday taking scuba lessons? Take the lessons before you leave Hong Kong and then you’ve got a full 6 days diving when you get there”. Charles Frew of Asiatic Marine agrees. “Once you've mastered the basic qualifications you can dive and improve your skills anywhere”.
Popular dive locations in the Sai Kung area include Kiu Tsui, Bluff Island, Shelter Island, Pak Lap, and on calm days, Ping Chau and the Ninepins. "There's even a good shore dive at Lobster Bay in Clear Water Bay," says Charles, a location that's accessible by car.
"You can see a good variety of fish around the corals – damselfish, clownfish, angelfish, grouper, wrasse and trumpetfish are some examples," says Emmanuel Lucien Anguille of French Divers. You may see moray eels and seahorses as well. Large fish are rare, though Emmanuel did have a pleasant encounter with a dolphin in Sai Kung last year. This was the only time that he or his fellow divers had ever seen one here.
Dives here are not deep, usually between 10 and 15 metres. Visibility varies, depending on the time of year, the wind and the waves. In the best months for diving – September/October and April/May – visibility reaches about 10 metres, reports Emmanuel. Exceptionally muddy bottoms, a horde of other divers or plankton blooms in the summer months can reduce visibility, says Charles.
Want to get a little wet? Try windsurfing or wakeboarding. For the uninitiated, wakeboarding is just as its name implies: you ride the wake of a motorboat on a single board. It combines the techniques and various elements of water skiing, surfing and snow boarding. Like snow skis, your feet are in stationary bindings but you stand sideways just as if you are on a skateboard or snowboard.
Once you’ve learned the basics, you can wow your friends and colleagues with a brand new language that’s unique to the sport. Check out a wakeboarding lingo website if you’d like to get savvy before you go. “Burning the toast” will take on an entirely different meaning! Below there are also a few links to some videos that will either scare or encourage you to get out there.
If wakeboarding’s a little too extreme, windsurfing might fit the bill. With two of the best (and most picturesque) publicly-funded centres right in your own backyard you have no excuse not to get out and have fun. Unfortunately, you won’t see Sai Kung resident and coach of our world champion windsurfers, Rene Appel, there – he’ll be out at his team’s training facility in Wu Kai Sha, Ma On Shan, getting ready for 2008.
SAFETY AT SEA Make sure that all the prescribed safety guidelines are being observed by the organization you have chosen for your day’s outing. There have been occasions in the past few years when, for instance, insufficient dive markers have been placed to indicate divers are below or wakeboard boats have been driven either recklessly or too close to shore and a tragedy has occurred. No one need experience a sad ending to an otherwise great day on the water. If you see any actions you think are unsafe or anyone in trouble at sea, call 999 and ask for the Marine Police. |
Contact Details for watersports facilities in SK as of 3 August 2007
If we have inadvertently missed your organization – please send a message to directory@exploresaikung.com and we’ll quickly rectify the situation.
Wakeboarding videos:
Click here for one of many amateur videos on YouTube of Sai Kung wakeboarding antics.
For a little more excitement, click here to see some incredible tricks that can be done by the most experienced.