A semi dry coastal route not recommended but for those trying to visit all the coast, looking for a super easy day out or just live in the area.
- Beauty/fun: 2/10 a few nice sandy areas, more biodiversity than expected but with no so clear water, tons of flat boring sections.
- Difficulty (check this link if new here, this is not your standard HK hiking web): 2.5/10 very little scrambling and on low rocks, tons of easy walking, doable getting just your feet wet, as many early exits as needed.
- Map (how to download to your phone offline maps)
See full screen & Garmin track.
I had swum around this area several times while I was recovering from my broken foot. One of the routes I included in the open water swim post. In 2022 I decided to coasteer all the pending sections of the Hong Kong coastline. 1st January MTR to Wu Kai Sha Station, 10 min walk and arrive at Tai Shue Beach.
The tide & wave forecast of the day.
The latter quite irrelevant. The sea in this area tends to be flat but when it is extremely windy. Completely swell protected.
Initial easy walk and more sandy areas
before arriving at the very man made section, concrete covered mini slab included under Whitehead Barbecue.
Just after Whitehead beach.
In the Covid gazetted beach closure period, with my broken foot, we used to come here a lot for swimming. Really easy car access. The best small beaches are a bit further East though.
Starfish Bay has remarkable biodiversity considering how close you are from the big high-rises behind. Mangrove, trees within the mud, even cute Soldier crabs. Move carefully to try to keep everything as it is and continue on the rocks and further rocky & sandy areas before the pier.
After the coastline becomes a mixture of grassy areas and muddy sections.
I barely went a couple of centimeters deep in the mud once. Nothing too messy. Moving forward a very old fashion pier.
And more more nice grassy areas.
Eventually a few nice red colored rocks and
the tiny island called Sam Pui Chau 三杯酒 = three cups of liquor. No idea why it is called that way. I have swum there once. Cute, but nothing interesting enough for me to swim there again on a cold morning. You could exit here, in front you have Tseung Tau Pier and a concrete path out. Continue and you will find some more piers. The coastline becomes muddier. The only slightly interesting point is the tombolo. Unremarkable Wu Chau island.
It becomes even muddier later, so eventually, I went out in one of the tiny piers and jog back to the MTR.
One of those few routes that I prefer to swim instead of coasteer. Picks in this mode already shown before
not so picturesque after Nai Chung Pier (where frequently you can see quite some people flying kites around).
Everything you should know before coasteering & open water swimming.
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