Skill level: Novice.

Tou Swei Ko: (the Water Outlet or Cesspool) see photo.

What is there to see? Called the Cesspool, for the odor of the methane gas bubbling through the sand at the waters edge. This is an excellent site for novice divers as it is in a protected bay. Though do not go too far our to the left as you will be met by the outflow from the nuclear power plant. There are extensive swim throughs formed by the Jack stone harbour wall. There is a great deal to see here. Seen on almost every dive are the schooling Yellowstripe barracuda and Garfish. During bad weather larger fish come into the bay for protection. I have seen Great Barracuda and large Yellow Fin tuna here. Other commonly sighted fish here are Scorpion fish, Bumphead and Bluebarred parrotfish, juvenile Napoleon wrasse, Lionfish, large schools of Catfish, Trumpet fish, Trunkfish and Puffers. Also a great site for night diving. Night divers will see dozens of decorator crabs scuttling around and observant divers may see, Beaufort’s Crocodile fish and Flounders.

*Divers should be careful not to get too close to the left side of the bay as there are lots of line fisherman on the wall above them.

Entry and Exit: Easy.

What is there to see?

Here observant divers can find Leaf fish and Seahorses in the shallow water at about 5m. Schools of Knife Fish and Striped Catfish, Lionfish, Trumpet fish and groups of large Goatfish roam around the site. They’re a few patches of soft leathery coral and some large hard coral heads. Keep to the right, as there is frequent boat traffic through this area. See photo.

Main Beach: see photos.

Entry and Exit: Fairly easy, but be careful not to trip up at low tide.

What is there to see?

This whole beach area is a dive site, unfortunately in the past couple of years the jet- ski, Banana boat and snorkeling operations have moved in and taken over the north side of the beach. Caution should be observed when surfacing. The best side to dive is the south. Some of the intertidal zone has been cleared of rocks in certain places making an easier entry. The site begins at 5m to 10m and then drops off to 18m to 25m. This is a wonderful place to see a variety of soft coral gardens. There are a good variety of reef fishes found here; common sightings are large groups of Knife fish, Catfish, hunting Lionfish, Angelfish, Moorish Idols plus lots of nudibranches. If you are lucky, you will see the Giant Maori Wrasse that lives in this area and patrols the deeper areas offshore.

Skill Level: novice.

What is there to see?

This is a great dive site just south of Nan Wan beach area at the top of the hill on the way out of Nan Wan going to Kenting. This is the first dive site of many along the coast heading down to the Oalanpi and South Point. Good hard and soft corals, Blue Spotted rays are common here, decent selection of reef fish, the odd turtle and sea snake. There is a long shore current present here so check the tide tables.

What is there to see?

A very pleasant site, great muck diving around the base of the rock on all sides in about 6m. Lots of nudibranches, and shell fish also Frog fish and Leaf fish, a good selection of reef fish, the occasional turtle, cuttlefish, Blue-spotted rays, Lionfish, Trumpetfish Angelfish etc. Sadly, a local fisherman sets a fixed drift net here, usually to the left of the rock, so beware of running into that! The main dive area is behind and to the left and right of the rock as you face it from the road. The depth is about 10m to 12m behind the rock and runs to 18m further out. Do not go too far over to the right as jet-skies operate from the beach off to the right. Mind your head when ascending!

What is there to see?

A shallow fringing reef runs along the whole area from Nan Wan to South Point, this is mid point between the two. Pleasant dive site a small harbour to the right side and to the left a pleasant beach with some shade trees! Shallow for quite a way does not get deeper until about 100 m from the beach. Pleasant diving, and an ideal place for novice divers to hone their skills. However, note the tides, as long shore currents can be very swift. If you get caught in a long shore current descend to the bottom and pull yourself along the bottom to the shore line.

What is there to see?

Sand Island has a sandy foreshore and is an ideal place to dive, so many instructors use this as a training area. Immediately offshore is a very large sandy area with a few scattered rocks. The fringing reef begins about 75 meters to the left of the entry points. This is a delightful reef with lots to see. Turtles are often seen here along with Blue Spotted rays, Groupers, Dash-dot Goatfish prowl the sand, Puffers and Porcupine fish are bold and will come right up to divers. Squid and cuttlefish egg cases are frequently seen as for the observant diver, are the cuttlefish themselves. Dartfish and Gobies abound, plus lots of nudibranches, many Anemone fish and Damsels and quite a variety of large and small Lionfish. Go left from the entry and follow the reef along keeping it to your left shoulder then follow it back to the exit.

The beach to the left, directly in front of the Ranger Station and Shell Museum (worth a quick look) is a Hawksbill turtle breeding ground. It is prohibited to walk on this beach. The beach is unique in the fact that it is white sand made of 97.7% ground seashells. Ironically, local fishermen also lay their fixed nets here and catch the turtles as well as many other reef species. This is illegal but the rangers are in collusion with the local fisherman. I would like to suggest that anyone seeing nets in the water here, or anywhere else in the park, report them immediately to the ranger station or call the Kenting National Park police at 08 886 1331 or 1321. It is illegal to take anything at all from the waters of the KNP. So, until this damaging practice is curtailed please watch out for nets in this area. They are usually set about 50m from the beach entry to the left.

What is there to see?

South Point is the southern most tip of Taiwan and affords great views south to Seven Stars and the Philippines. The site is around the corner from the Lighthouse. Eulanbi Lighthouse area is quite interesting. It is a prehistoric site dating back to between 2000 and 50,000 years ago. This is evidenced by pottery dating back to the Paleolithic and Neolithic period. The Lighthouse was planned in 1875 by a British engineer and has been in service since 1882. It is 21.4m high, aka ‘The Light of Asia’ and has a 1.8 million candlepower lamp visible for 20 nautical miles. This is an advanced dive. Note the tides before diving. This is a great dive with lots to see, not least the amazing UW topography, lots of swim throughs, small caves and unusual rock formations. Broadclub cuttlefish hang out here. It is also possible to see jacks, barracuda, rays, turtles, large Angelfish of all types, big puffers, Napoleon wrasse, Bumphead parrot fish, Bicolour and Bluebarred parrot fish, Batfish, Sweetlips, Fusiliers, Snappers as well as all the smaller denizens of the reef.

*BTW I lost a stainless steel, custom made Hammerhead shark handled dive knife here about 50m out and if anyone finds it you will get a reward!

What is there to see? Situated in the middle of South Bay [Nan Wan] this site is a seamount and offers some of the best diving in the whole of the KMP and it is the favourite site for most divers that come to South Bay and a favourite training dive for instructors of Adv.OW divers. Notable features on this site are the large and small Gorgonian fans that surround the mount, home to Pygmy sea horses if you can spot them! There are magnificent Sea Whip gardens, Barrel sponges, Garden eels, abundant crinoids of every colour and a good variety of marine life. I have seen decent sized grouper, Blue-spotted rays, Crocodile fish and a large Napoleon wrasse cruises this area. There are large Angelfish of all varieties, snappers, triggers, fusiliers, unicornfishes and surgeonfishes all over. Visibility varies from 5m on a bad day to 25m on a good day, currents vary with the tides so caution should be observed and tide tables paid attention to before diving here. Sometimes a strong surface current requires divers to make a negatively buoyant entry and if the current is running underwater you should tuck into the lee side of the mount. There are now a permanent anchor line and a surface buoy, unfortunately one of the only permanent anchors in the Kenting area and this attests to the popularity of this site.

Sadly every fisherman in the area makes a bee line for this area and on a busy day one might see dozens of locals line fishing from small boats in this area. This practice should be curtailed. Not only has it steadily decreased the marine life on this site, but the whole area is littered with fishing line, hooks, sinkers and lost rebar anchors. 15 years ago, the seamount had moray eels in every nook and cranny, octopus, Broadclub cuttlefish, a good variety of shellfish and giant clams. Painted lobsters and large groupers were all over the site. Local divers and fishermen have completely hunted or fished them out. What a shame!

What is there to see? This site is west and adjacent to the seamount about 800m off from Houbihu beach. This is a great dive but has strong surface and UW currents at new and full moon or between tides. Great for all you drift diving fans like me. This is home to a huge Napoleon Wrasse that must be a good 30 or 40 years old, as he was big when I first saw him.

Apart from the big guy, divers will see a large variety of marine life. Everything from large Angelfish, Puffers, Surgeon fish, Snappers, Bannerfish, Jacks, Barracuda, Sweetlips, Trigger fish, Butterfly fish, Emperors, Unicorn fishes, a good variety of hard and soft corals, as well as nudibranch and shellfish. Well worth a visit.

What is there to see? Perhaps you should ask what is there not to see? This is an awesome dive site and in my opinion the best by far in the whole of the Kenting area. Seven Stars is a group of large rocks situated 10K south of Eulanbi lighthouse. It is the meeting place of two ocean currents, when these currents are flowing a standing wave can be observed to the east of the rocks.

Seven Stars earned some notoriety a decade or so ago when a group of Chinese divers all got bent trying to beat the tide window. This reputation as a dangerous site was further enhanced when a group of 5 Chinese divers were lost out there when the sea state picked up and a large swell, which obscured the divers from the captain, picked up. The divers did not have an SMB or other signal device to enable the crew to see them and the captain was forced to head back when he ran low on fuel. The divers, who had wisely tied themselves together with their empty weight belts, were swept up the east coast of Taiwan within sight of land. Two of the divers thought they could make a swim of it to shore, most unfortunately they drowned. The others, who all stayed together, were found 2 days later off the coast, south of Taitung, very badly sunburned, dehydrated but alive. For a long time boat captains refused to take divers out there, and it is still difficult to persuade captains to go there in anything but perfect conditions.

The sea state at Seven Stars can change rapidly, going from a slack or very mild current to 4 to 6 knots and from a slight swell to a large one within the space of a dive, if you go there at the wrong time. A decent current (half moon) is best to see the big pelagic fish that roam the area. Everything seems big here even the normal reef fishes like Angels and Triggers are huge. There are painted lobsters, moray eels, nudibranches and shellfish of all types scattered around on the walls. On the southwest side, there are the remains of an old steam ship; visible are the large boilers and drive shaft. I have seen large schools of Banner fish, Moorish Idols, Fusiliers, Unicorn fishes, Snappers, Sweetlips, Surgeonfishes, massive Jewfish, Groupers, Turtles, an Eagle Ray, Jacks, Great Barracuda, Dogtooth tuna, Yellow fin tuna and once a very large Blue fin tuna swimming up current. Even on a slack tide or a bad day the dive is still good as divers are usually in awe of the phenomenal visibility, which often exceeds 30m and can be a good 50m (160ft), just about as good as it gets in tropical waters. Because of the distant location and rapidly changeable conditions, divers who go there ought to be experienced with currents and have redundant signaling devices. An SMB is essential; a mirror (an old CD will do) a strobe light, a reef hook and a buddy line is a good idea. I must confess that I once went out there with a bunch of gung-ho local divers in what I knew would be a strong current, armed with (in addition to the above) a naval flare and a dye pack. A highly recommended dive, go if the opportunity presents itself, but just remember it’s a long swim back to shore if the dive boat misses you! Don’t take this dive lightly, make sure you go there with an experienced guide and an experienced captain.

Frog Rock: (Cingwashih)