Diving in Taiwan

[Live2SeaFish]

I accept shellbackdiver's response as more accurate than mine. People read about the hammerhead dives on the Green Island Adventure website and think that they can go and sign up when that really is not the case.
When I was there I was lucky enough that the winds shifted from the north to the from the south, which allowed us to dive several sites located on the north side of the island.
We also dove some submerged steel cube like structures on the west side of the island that were covered with a diverse selection of coral. The bottom of those structures was about 30 meters and tat was the only place that I saw some larger fish.

 

[funscuba]

So u mean this island is a fraud concerning the hammerhead sharks ?

 

[jands]

What makes you think it is a fraud?

It is one of the more famous advanced dives in Taiwan. I am not qualified enough to do it yet, but a few daring members of my dive club have done it already. Those of use who are not advanced yet, are busy getting to the required skill level so we can sign up.

I understand why there may be some confusion about this, due to someone bringing up May and June.

However the website reads clearly:

"From January to March every year, schools of hammerhead sharks are found off the southern tip of Taiwan's Green Island." Hammerhead Shark Scuba Diving off Green Island, Taiwan: Diving Vacations

However, it is a very challenging and dangerous dive. From what I have heard you only have one change to latch on to the rock when you descent, if you miss it then currents will pull you further down and you must work your way back to the surface and try again on another dive.

More info from another website:

"This dive is not for the novice diver or the faint of heart. If safety conscious, most local dive shops will not take divers who have less then 100 dives under their belts. It is an Advanced dive plus! The site has powerful currents both topside and below and the sea state on the surface can be turbulent with large swells 4m to 5m high. Last year I was actually looking down on the dive boat from the top of a wave! That said it is an adrenaline charged dive, well worth the expense and effort of getting there. The hammers hang out at about 25m to 35m; divers latch onto a rock with a reef hook and watch the show. If you are lucky upwards of 80-100 hammerheads may parade past above or below and at the same level just a few meters away! The sharks are large 2 to 3 m in length and powerfully built. They look like the Arnold Schwarzeneggers of the ocean! To avoid disappointment divers planning to go to Green Island to see the sharks should allow for at least 2 or 3 days of diving, as the captains will not go if the weather or currents are too bad. I believe the optimum time to go to see the sharks is from early February to the first week in March. " www.taiwandive.com - Kenting - Green Island - Orchid Island - XiaoLiuChiu

 

[Live2SeaFish]

I did not call it a fraud; people read things on the internet and make the assumption that to go on a hammerhead dive is as easy as punching hammerhead on your key board. You must be well qualified, and come during the right season, and then find someone to take you.
Personally I think there are other dives on the Green Island that offer a lot more than the hammerhead dive, but if that's what you are looking for, then I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Makhno]

In Kenting (southern Taiwan), if you want a native English speaker to guide you and take care of getting you equipped, etc., you should arrange things in advance by contacting either the guy at www.taiwandive.com - Kenting - Green Island - Orchid Island - XiaoLiuChiuor the guy at Shellback Diver There's at least one other native English speaker in Kenting who's an instructor but I don't have his contact info. You can find his card (his name's John something) at the Surf Shack in Hengchun town in Kenting if you don't want to arrange things in advance, or if the other two guys' schedules are already booked for when you'll want to go diving.

If you're with someone who can speak Chinese, you can take care of your own needs through Dive New World, in central Kenting town, ?????(dive_new_world) - Yahoo!????? or dive_new_world@yahoo.com.tw or through Long Jing Dive Resort, http://www.longjing.com.tw or boss@longjing.com.tw Both Long Jing and New World have cheap dive hostels (around NT$400 per night per diver per bed) if your budget is a concern. They'll both rent you all of the requisite kit, and a vehicle to get to the shore diving sites, for a fair price. There's yet another decent dive center/hostel a few hundred meters behind the Houbihu harbor but I don't have their contact info and I can't recall the name.

Nice shore diving sites in Kenting include the Flower Garden (sorry, I don't know the Chinese name), the Pillbox (Hejie), and a handful of others (e.g., the power plant outlet (Qu Shui Kou) is OK). Some sites which lack good coral reefs sometimes offer other interesting and less common marine life (e.g., I've seen frogfish at Shan Hai -- find the submgered line near the mouth of the little harbor and follow it out to the bommies). There's a decent dive site map on the wall at Long Jing, although it's not really detailed enough for you to easily find all the entry/exit points by yourself if you've never dived those sites before. Andy's website (taiwandive) also has descriptions of a lot of the Kenting dive sites but no map to get you to them on your own. In any event, although a lot of these sites offer fairly easy diving, getting in and out over the rocks in crashing surf can be dangerous, so my $0.02 is that you'd do best by diving these sites with a guide who knows them, rather than just trying your luck on your own.

After you dive in Taiwan, please post a trip report and tell us about your dives.

Their English name (for what little it's worth) is South Green Diving. More important than the name is their contact info, which is: tel: 08-886-6338, 0936-063-688, 07-346-1497, fax 08-886-7865, Index , dive.life@msa.hinet.net. The do boat dives on Saturdays and Sundays for NT$1500 (2 dives, not including kit rental).

Their divemaster Harry speaks good English. Not sure about their other DM Don; never dived with him.

I dived Maobitou (not a lot better than the shore diving sites) and Xiao/Da Lao Gu (quite a nice dive, only accessible by boat, well worth the price) with them this past weekend. Boat leaves at 9 am, back around 1 or 1:30 pm.

Yet another option for DIY in Kenting, if you're qualified to do so (and no, sorry; 4 dives and an Open Water C-card from PADI/SSI/NAUI/SDI/etc. doesn't mean you're qualified) is Newport Diving Center in Nanwan Beach. Same basic deal as the others: around NT$400/night for dorm lodging, a couple hundred or so per tank, and maybe 400 or so for the vehicle. Evan speaks some English; 092 798 6560. Or maybe that's 082 rather than 092. Whatever.

Nowadays, the guy to contact at New World is Nen-Nen ("Nun-nun"), +886 927 068 066, or +886 888 56868, nengjen@gmail.com . He's a great guy, but his English is about as good as my Chinese ... i.e., not good.

There are a number of other, similar Kenting dive centers/hostels; maybe sometime I'll get around to posting their contact info as I gather their cards.

I'm posting this info for those who can properly and safely make use of it. So, I reiterate: for many shore diving sites in Kenting, it's hard to find the entry/exit points, and some of the sites can have ripping currents depending upon the tides. Anyone who is just briefly traveling through Taiwan -- and anyone who isn't very experienced -- should pay the very modest fee it costs to hire a local divemaster/instructor to guide you. shellbackdiver.com and taiwandive.com are both good; I recommend both of them.

After you dive Taiwan, please post a report (with photos, if possible).

Cheers,
M

 

[Live2SeaFish]

If you are going to Kenting, I would highly recommend Shellback Diver , his outfit is 1st class, his prices are very competitive and reasonable, he is knowledgable about all the dive sites in the area, and he is American so you'll have no communication issues with him. The shore dives that I went on with him were excellent, but the boat dive options midweek were limited and compounded by not ideal weather conditions meant the boat dive that I went on was not that great. The Kenting area sustained a lot of coral damage from the hurricane last August which has affected the overall visibility.
If you want the best diving in November, go to the Green Island. I would recommend a Taiwanese outfit called CF Diving, telephone number 089-672238. You will need a translator because they speak little english. The english speaking diving options on Green Island are expensive and don't offer boat dives, which is really what you want to do. You have to go on the weekend unless you have a large group, or you won't find a dive boat to go out on. Shell Back Diver may be able to set something up for you if you contact him.

 

[funscuba]

If you are going to Kenting, I would highly recommend Shellback Diver , his outfit is 1st class, his prices are very competitive and reasonable, he is knowledgable about all the dive sites in the area, and he is American so you'll have no communication issues with him. The shore dives that I went on with him were excellent, but the boat dive options midweek were limited and compounded by not ideal weather conditions meant the boat dive that I went on was not that great. The Kenting area sustained a lot of coral damage from the hurricane last August which has affected the overall visibility.
If you want the best diving in November, go to the Green Island. I would recommend a Taiwanese outfit called CF Diving, telephone number 089-672238. You will need a translator because they speak little english. The english speaking diving options on Green Island are expensive and don't offer boat dives, which is really what you want to do. You have to go on the weekend unless you have a large group, or you won't find a dive boat to go out on. Shell Back Diver may be able to set something up for you if you contact him.

You are saying "don't offer boat dives", what do you mean by that ? Can't you do any dive boat from Green island ? The main reason I'd like to go to Green island would be for diving with the hammerhead sharks perhaps in march. So is it possible or not ? If no from where then ?

 

[jands]

You are saying "don't offer boat dives", what do you mean by that ? Can't you do any dive boat from Green island ? The main reason I'd like to go to Green island would be for diving with the hammerhead sharks perhaps in march. So is it possible or not ? If no from where then ?

I think what he means is that the English speaking business posted so far, that promote Green Island diving, do not actually own a boat or are fully equipped dive tour operators based on Green Island (someone correct me if I am wrong).

They simply have a niche in the market where they organize tours/accommodation/transport etc. for non-Chinese speaking divers. I think they charter boats and crew from local (Taiwanese) businesses based on Green Island.

In short:

1. Hammerhead season is between January and March.
2. It is not easy to find a boat during the week (too quiet).
3. If the weather is too rough, the boats won't go out.

I suggest you contact the dive tour organizers with your travel dates and requirements:

divingintaiwan@yahoo.com.tw
Contact Green Island Diving
https://shellbackdiver.com/contact/index.php

 

[Live2SeaFish]

What I meant was that when I spoke to Eddie at the Green Island, he told me that he only does shore dives for people who book through him. All I can report is what I heard him tell me.

 

[shellbackdiver1]

There sure is allot of confusion about diving in Green Island. It is simple, if you don't speak Chinese it is going to be difficult for you to arrange something by yourself unless you use Blue Safari diving (http://www.blue-safari.com.tw/index_en.htm) . If you are going on a week day anytime of year it may be difficult to do a boat dive with any of the 8 operators that have boats cause 1. the shops are usually closed mid week and 2. there is not enough people. Of course if you are going on a pre arranged group dive trip then it is no problem.

I personally use CF Diving (talk to 'Blackman') as they are the oldest outfit....I have brought at least 15 groups of divers to them over the past 3 years and have had no problem. I guide all the dives on my trips but know both of the brothers there are excellent guides....but they are not babysitters if you know what I mean.

About the sharks. There is only ONE operator that goes to the site where the sharks are. The rest of the operators dont want to have the responsibility cause it is a dangerous site. What is dangerous? Every year there are incidents (Death/s and or serious injury/s) at the site.

As far as Green Island Adventures goes...well I dont know or hear about this operator. I think its more of a middle man operation.