How is your diving experience in Kenting? Recommended dive sites in Kenting

To go diving in Kenting, you first need to know the best time for diving, and then you need to know how many dive sites there are and what are the differences between them. Introduce certain dive site information, so you can choose a dive site based on your preference. Introduction to Kenting Diving

Diving can be done in Kenting all year round. If Kenting is divided into low and peak seasons, the peak season in Kenting will start from the Chun Na Music Festival in early April. Winter is relatively the off-season in Kenting, but Because there are fewer tourists in the off-season, friends who like a quieter time can choose to visit Kenting in the winter period from November to March, and the house prices will be much cheaper than in the peak season. Because Kenting is at the southernmost tip of Taiwan, the temperature is not too low even in winter.

You can dive in Kenting all year round. The water temperature in Kenting is slightly lower in winter, but because there are no typhoons, the sea conditions will be relatively stable and the visibility will be relatively good. Taiwanese divers from the northern region come to Kenting to dive in winter. For tourists traveling to Kenting, the biggest worry is catching up with typhoon weather. The advantage of winter is that there are basically no typhoons. The water temperature in Kenting in winter is between 23-26 degrees. When the water temperature is the lowest, you can wear a 5mm wetsuit or a 3mm wetsuit + diving vest and hood. There are many diving spots in Kenting. Whether it is shore diving or boat diving, the distance and boat ride are not too far.

Kenting diving is mainly in the waters of Kenting National Park. There are more than 290 kinds of stony corals, more than 50 kinds of soft corals and more than 50 kinds of gorgonian corals in the waters. In addition, there are more than 1,200 species of coral reef fish, a variety of soft shells, crustaceans, echinoderms and cnidarians. There are at least 130 species of algae, distributed from the intertidal zone to the seafloor at a depth of 50 meters. These various creatures and corals together form a vibrant marine tropical rain forest. The visibility of diving in Kenting is between 15m-40m. As long as there is no typhoon, the situation is usually good. If you are lucky, you can see turtles. I have encountered them at both shore and boat diving sites.

Compared with many diving sites I have visited in other countries, Kenting is not focused on big things. If you want to see sharks, manta, whale sharks, etc., you still have to choose the corresponding diving site. But when diving in Kenting, you can clearly feel that Kenting's underwater world is very rich and spectacular. I think Kenting is the cradle of training Chinese divers because in the initial stage of learning to dive, you don’t need to go to world-class dive sites. If you are not proficient in the technology, you cannot truly enjoy the joy of schools of fish swimming around you. It is not too late to learn the technology well and go to Maldives, Sipadan and other places. Based on the same reason, Koh Tao in Thailand, where many divers are now trained, is actually a very ordinary diving location.

My favorite dive site in Kenting is to dive from the "Flower East" and dive from the "Water Outlet" to two dive sites at a time. This journey is relatively long, so there is no time to take pictures slowly. On this section of the road, when entering the water from the mouth of the coral reef, there are not only fish schools that suddenly appear, but also abundant sea slugs (nudibranchs) and other beautiful little guys. What's even better is the undulating terrain along the way. You can drill small holes, but you need to queue up. After passing through the cracks and a thin line of sky, I finally returned to the sand and kicked back to the water. Experienced divers, be sure to ask the instructor to take you to experience it. Hongchaikeng

Diving site level: Beginner

Method: Shore diving

Depth: 18-22m

Hongchaikeng is located next to the small fishing port of Hongchaikeng on the west coast of the Hengchun Peninsula. After entering the water on the north side of the port, the depth ranges from 3m to 13m. Head west and pass through the reef platform, and you will see huge microporous corals. Nearby, you can see three-spotted damselfish, band-tailed anemone fish, and kelp anemone fish. Red tail fish etc. The outlet of Yixiantian

Dive site level: Beginner

Maximum depth: 22m

The characteristic of Yixiantian is to explore the canyon terrain, and diving into it is like diving into a canyon. The sky is about 50m long, and the narrowest point is only 2m, allowing only one person to pass. Along the bottom of the reef, you can see a whole piece of bright red soft coral hanging upside down on the reef wall, and the soft gorgonian coral opens its white polyp tentacles due to the sea current, like The cherry blossoms are raining all over the sky. Water outlet

Diving site level: Beginner

Method: Shore diving

One of the most frequented shore diving sites in Kenting. It is convenient to enter and exit the water, and the current is not stable. big. The coral coverage rate in the shallow reef area is very high. The further south you go, the more types of corals there are, mainly hard corals. At this dive site, you can see glowing flame shells in the rock crevices, and you may also have the opportunity to discover the cute clownfish (also known as nemo from the animated movie). Houbi Lake Soft Coral Area

Dive site level: Beginner

Method: Shore diving

The coral coverage of this dive site is high and the growth condition is good. The soft corals are graceful and swaying with the current, some like blooming flowers. Houbi Lake Fish Feeding Area

Diving site level: Beginner

Method: Shore diving

The Houbi Lake area is a famous water play area in Kenting. During the peak swimming season, this place always attracts a large number of water-loving people. There are a large number of stony corals and various soft corals distributed on the seabed starting from 3m and reaching a maximum depth of about 16m. From time to time, you can find five-claw clams that are rare in other sea areas. There are often divers here feeding fish near the sparrow corals. Four-lined snapper, single-spotted snapper, striped rockfish, fire-spotted snapper, yellow-footed snapper, light-gill snapper, etc. can be seen in large numbers and are not afraid of people.

Independence Reef

Diving site level: Intermediate

Method: Boat diving

The coral reef cliff terrain of Independence Reef stands on the seabed 34m, with various There are many types of sea fans, sea whips, soft corals and fish. One of the most popular boat diving sites in Kenting. Small_Gu fault

Underlying site level: Intermediate

Method: Boat diving Large_Gu slope

Underlying site level: Intermediate

Method: Boat diving

This place is named after the two reefs "Big_Gu" and "Small_Gu" that are exposed out of the water. On this vast seabed platform, soft corals are the most dominant benthic organisms. Various fleshy soft corals grow densely, with a coverage rate of more than 80%. They cover the surface of the substrate like a carpet, and tropical fish swim on it. , and together constitute a beautiful underwater landscape.

"Da_Gu" has a sloping terrain and is rich in corals. There are various soft corals and stony corals. Sea pens, garden eels and nudibranchs can be found. "Xiao_Gu" is a fault topography. Many sunflower-like tube starfish corals can be seen on the rock wall. Whole groups of soft corals grow on the rock wall, including golden perch, three-spotted damselfish, cleft lip fish, and disc fish. , parrotfish shuttle among them. The Hejie Shipwreck

A very frequently visited shore diving site. It is one of the diving sites where AOW learns navigation. It is also a good place for underwater photography. There are many small things for macro photography.

The terrain of the junction changes greatly and the drop is obvious, forming many large canyons. Here you can find many nudibranchs, disc fish, damselfish, red tail snapper, and golden perch. If you're lucky, you can also find pygmy seahorses.