On the Horizon

WORDS: DANIEL DE MARÉ AND DONALD DAY | IMAGES: DONALD DAY

ven the most normal dive trip in Hong Kong can be amazing – especially when one remembers how close we are to a metropolis. Just over an hour by taxi from Central and you find yourself at Wong Shek Pier – which is of course very well known to our sailors as the destination of the annual Mirs Bay race. And just about 40 minutes by boat from Wong Shek Pier is Breaker Reef – popular for fishing boats, and a great diving spot.

Kellett Diving Society members Daniel de Maré and Donald Day were part of a larger group of divers who headed out on a Saturday in April to kick off the season after the ease of. First dive site was Breaker Reef, situated just west of Shek Ngau Chau, only 3.5nm west of the Chinese mainland. The water was relatively calm and a small group of fishing boats were gathered around the part of the reef that covers and uncovers. The groups descended to a depth of 8-12 meters with good visibility of around 8 meters. Divers were greeted by schools of fish, the odd fan-bellied leatherjacket, and beautiful coral.

After a hearty lunch onboard the boat, the second dive was on a wreck at Hoi Ha Wan marine park. Fishing boats had been sunk here in the 70s to prevent illegal trawl fishing. The wrecks have now become integrated with the landscape and serve as artificial reefs hosting a diverse fauna of marine life. Visibility was markedly lower than on the first dive, dropping from 2-3 meters on top of the wreck at 12m depth, to under 1m at the bottom. Schools of pearl-spot chromis, Chinese demoiselle, and several pufferfish were calmly navigating around the foredeck, while several large snappers lazily hovered over the wreck.

We were back in the late afternoon, energized by great conversations with new friends and the evidence of healthy marine life in Hong Kong.

Do you want to experience diving in Hong Kong? Join an enthusiastic and fun group? Support marine conservation? Then get in touch – diving@rhkyc.org.hk

YMC Pub Quiz

The YMC Pub Quiz was successfully held on 17 April.

The Young Members Committee (YMC) has a vision to bring together Club members from the sailing, rowing and paddling sections as ‘One Community’. YMC believes that friendship is the fuel to bringing a better RHKYC. This year, in view of the Covid-19 social distancing restrictions, the committee moved this social event to a virtual setting and opened the event to all members.

This one-hour fun quiz had representation from all of our core sports – sailing, rowing and paddling. There was a total of 30 questions about sailing, rowing, paddling, the YMC, and general questions about the Club. This pub quiz also facilitated a valuable exchange of knowledge around the answers such as the origin, or the reason behind certain areas as other members from that particular area of the Club could share full explanations and history.

Jonathan Der, one of the co-founders of ONLY beverage was present and shared with us the concept of their beverages. All registered participants received a sample pack of three different flavored vodka soda which competitors collected from the Club beforehand.