Want a new challenge this summer? Make the most of the seas surrounding Hong Kong and take to the water. We gathered our favourite water sports, and some places to learn how it’s done.
Walking on water
Pro paddleboarders make it look – but trust us, it’s really, really not. While stand-up paddling may look as if all you do is balance on a long board and paddle, there’s a little more to it than that. Gravity is your enemy, and you’ll need to use all your core muscles to not fall. It’s an all-over body workout, but when you’re out in the big open blue, who cares?
Try it: Hong Kong Water Man, HK Aqua-bound Centre, and Cheung Chau Windsurfing Centre
Surf’s up, dudes!
Surfing is perhaps the coolest looking of all sports – if you do it right. Learn how not to wipe out, how to duck dive, and how to hang five (whatever that means) like proper surfers do.
Try it: Surfing Hong Kong, and A Team Edventures
Kayaking fun
Kayaking is paddling along in a small, narrow boat – and it’s great fun. Grab a friend or two and head off for adventure along Hong Kong’s beautiful coastline. Explore all that the city’s hidden coves and beaches have to offer without have to hike there first (been there, done that).
Try it: Blue Sky Sports Club, and Leisure and Cultural Services Department - Water Sports Centres
Snorkelling with the fishes
Get up close and personal with the fish that live around the 852 – Sai Kung is particularly well known for its amazingly clear waters. You’ll see all sorts of amazing aquatic animals as you swim under the sea wearing a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and fins on your feet. If you’ve got one, bring a waterproof camera for amazing snaps.
Try it: HKFYG, and Adventure Tours
Let’s go fly a kite
Essentially, kiteboarding is standing on a kiteboard on the water and holding onto a large parachute-like kite. But there’s more to it than that – when the wind really picks up, you can do all sorts of fancy tricks, flips, and crazy moves.
Try it: Hong Kong Kiteboarding Club, and Kiteboarding Association of Hong Kong
Diving deep
If you want to spend longer under the water than what your biggest, deepest breath allows, consider scuba diving. With a tank of oxygen strapped to your back, you won’t have to surface for air, and you’ll be able to dive deeper and see more of the ocean than you would just by snorkelling.
Try it: Splash Hong Kong, Mandarin Divers, and Diving Adventure
Have the time and the money to go further afield? (Lucky you!) Check out these awesome destinations for more water-related fun!
A white knuckle rafting ride
For the adrenaline seekers out there, how about going white water rafting in Borneo? The Padas River, south of Kota Kinabalu, is a popular destination for thrill seekers.
Head to: River Bug, and Borneo Wave Hunters
There’s no free wi-fi on the ocean
If you’ve ever fancied wakeboarding (where you stand on a board and get pulled along by a boat), kneeboarding (like wakeboarding, but kneeling), or wakeskating (with elements of skateboarding) but feel the ocean isn’t the place to learn, head to Singapore’s Wake Park. The park offers ocean newbies a safe, enclosed body of water in which they can learn all the basics of these sports. And to top it all off, there’s free wi-fi throughout the park.
Head to: Singapore Wave Park
A rapid-filled journey through Thailand
If you’ve got stamina, head to northern Thailand for a unique adventure. Not only will you get to raft through wild rapids, you’ll also discover hot springs, swim in gorges, and shower under waterfalls, as you raft 110 km from Pai, a friendly Thai “green village”, to the city of Mae Hong Son.
Head to: Thai Adventure Rafting