Located on Taiwan’s southern tip, Kenting Marine Park offers more than 15 great shore dives, as well as unlimited opportunities for boat diving. Easily accessed and covering more than 15,185 hectares of ocean, its subtropical climate makes it suitable for an incredible variety of marine life. Water temperatures average from 22 to 29 degrees Celsius, and the park is home to 60% of coral species found worldwide, along with more than 1,100 species of reef fish. Unfortunately, the park’s wildlife is threatened by illegal fishing, shell collecting, coral collection, and the aquarium trade; yet it is one of the most incredible places you may ever dive. Here are just a handful of the park’s best shore dives to help you get started.
Sand Island
Suitable for all divers, Sand Island sometimes presents challenging entry and exits, thanks to onshore wind and surf, but when winds are offshore, it is much easier. Best at high tide, it offers depths between 5 and 13 meters, and is an excellent place to encounter sea turtles. In addition, watch for groupers among the rocks and coral formations, and keep an eye out for blue spotted rays in the sandy channels. Dash-Dot Goatfish, puffers, porcupine fish, dartfish, and gobies are seen often, and there are lots of damsels as well. Anemones host clownfish in the shallows, and along the reef, lionfish, squid, and cuttlefish are sometimes seen.
Be careful not to walk on the beach directly in front of the Shell Museum and Ranger Station, as it is a Hawksbill turtle breeding ground. In addition, watch out for nets which can sometimes be found about 50 meters off the beach, to the left of the beach entry. Illegal fishermen, sometimes paying off the rangers to turn a blind eye, lay fixed nets in the area. If you see nets, be sure to call the Kenting National Park Police.
Flower Garden
An excellent site, but not without its challenges, Flower Garden features an abundance of beautiful soft coral. Inhabited by a wealth of reef fish, including puffers and porcupines, gobies and fairy basslets, angelfish, butterfly fish, and others, it tends to be choppy and there can be a problem with surge in the shallows. While maximum depth is 18 meters, there is plenty to see in less than ten meters of water. Use caution during the full moon as long shore currents can be problematic, and be careful of jet skis.
Sail Rock
Named for its resemblance to a sail, Sail Rock is accessed via an entry located about 100 meters from the parking lot. Entry and exit points can be found on each side of the rock, and maximum depth is about 12 meters, depending on the tide. Here, you’ll encounter lots of macro life, including leaf fish, nudibranchs, and shellfish. Look for well-hidden frogfish and stone fish, along with lots of lovely reef fish, cuttlefish, and the occasional turtle. Be careful – there is sometimes a fixed drift net to the left of the rock, and there are jet skis that run back and forth near the beach to the right.
Water Outlet
Also known as Tou Swei Ko or the Cesspool, due to the methane gas that bubbles through the sand at the water’s edge, this is a fantastic site for all divers. Be careful on entry and exit, as there are fire coral along the stone channels. The area is a nursery for juvenile napoleon wrasse, and you’ll find schooling garfish and yellow stripe barracuda, along with blue barred and bumphead parrotfish, trunkfish, lionfish, schooling catfish, and even the occasional yellowfin tuna or great barracuda, particularly when offshore weather is rough. A well-protected bay with maximum depth at just 22 meters, the site is bordered by a nuclear power plant on the left; don’t go too far or you will encounter its outflow current. In addition, there are often fishermen using the wall to the left of the bay as a seating area.
Great for night diving, the site is home to a wealth of crustaceans – watch for crocodile fish, cuttlefish, octopus, and flounders as well as decorator crabs and hermit crabs once the sun goes down.
Banana Bay
Located between Nan Wan and South Point, Banana Bay features a shallow fringing reef where you’ll find a colorful kaleidoscope of reef fish, plenty of crustaceans, and even the occasional turtle. A good place for novices, and fun for more experienced divers as well, the site features maximum depth at 15 meters. Use caution during the full moon as long shore currents can be swift, and be careful of the patches of fire coral that cover some of the rocks.
Pill Box
A challenging site with maximum depth at 45 meters, Pill Box is suitable for experienced divers only, and then, only when conditions are calm. Entry and exit entails a 100 meter trek over and through rocks covered in sharp stone corals and shells, put once you get to depth, you’ll be amazed by what you find. An underwater wonderland with drop offs, swim throughs, overhangs, and steep walled ravines covered with soft coral and sea fans, the site is home to surgeonfish and Moorish idols, sweetlips, angelfish, parrotfish, and schooling fusiliers. In addition, little reef sharks, rays, turtles, and barracuda can be encountered with regularity, as can the elusive red-lipped parrotfish that are normally hard to find in most other places. If you’ve got good balance and don’t mind hauling a camera across the rocks, your efforts will be rewarded with some exceptional photo opps.
You can dive Kenting Marine Park year round, however the best visibility comes during the dry season, which is from late autumn to early spring. There are a few good dive operators in the area that will happily provide you with air and rental equipment, along with a dive master if needed, and as this part of Taiwan is tourist central, you’ll have no difficulty finding accommodations, topside entertainment, and excellent local cuisine.