In our previous article, we discussed which beaches in Kenting are the best and are officially marked as safe for a swim by Kenting National Park Headquarters, and also offered 3 less known ones, which still can be on your list for swimming.
In this article, we will be discussing 13 beaches and places in Kenting, that suit snorkeling, where these snorkeling beaches are located, what are their names, and what you should know about snorkeling in Kenting in general.
Where to Snorkel in Kenting?
The official Kenting beaches list, what is allowed and offers the best snorkeling experience are:
- West Area at Houbihu Channel 後壁湖港航道西側;
- ChuShuiKou 出水口;
- TiaoShi 眺石;
- Nanwan Beach 南灣
- Baishawan (White Sand Beach) 白砂
- Banana Bay 香蕉灣
- Sail Rock Beach 船帆石
- Houwan 後灣
- Wanlitong 萬里桐
- Hejie 合界
- Hongchaikeng 紅柴坑
- Small Bay (Xiaowan) 小灣
- South Area at Baisha 砂島南側
Important things to know about snorkeling in Kenting
As you might have noticed already, the list of places to snorkel, is actually bigger than the ones that were marked safe for swimming by Kenting National Park Headquarters, which actually was only 4.
Why is that beaches for a swim, are only 4, while snorkeling places are 13? Isn’t that snorkeling is also swimming, just with a snorkel and a mask?
Well, actually it is not if we look at this from the official standpoint of the KNPH, which views snorkeling actually as a professionally attended activity, where usually a professionally trained guides and masters are accompanying a group of tourists that all wear not only fins, snorkel, and the mask, but as well as protective clothes and the safety vests, and even keeps the rope, that these masters are pulling behind them.
This why the above beaches and places are mentioned as places to snorkel by Kenting National Park headquarters, you might be sometimes get questioned by a coastguard for snorkeling solo.
Typical guided snorkeling group anywhere in Kenting and Liuciu.
Definition of snorkeling in Taiwan, by any of its official, freely translated from chinese would sound something like:
“Snorkeling is the practice, obtained through the full equipment and professional guidance, which able to make people who can’t swim float freely and safely on the surface of the water, resembling the feeling of diving to overlook the colorful world under the sea.”
Notice the words, “full equipment”, “full guidance”, and even more interesting “people who can’t float freely”.
As if people who can swim, can’t enjoy the snorkeling, and part of the things you see in the above photo, but anyways, this is the citation I found about the definition of snorkeling in Chinese, on this website.
The same website then goes on for snorkeling gears and equipment needed in Kenting:
Three "must-haves (treasures)" of snorkeling: 1. Snorkel mask. 2. Snorkel. 3. Snorkel fins. Moreover, for increased safety, life jacket is added. To prevent reef cuts, jellyfish, and cold, a thin cold protection clothing is added (wetsuit).
Now, the wetsuit is something good to have in several areas, as reef cuts are a really common issue while snorkeling in at least every one of these places on the list above, note that the wetsuits that are offered to you by those group tours are simply awful – far from being “light”, they are usually heavily used by hundred other tourists before, and you just simply feel incredibly hot inside these.
The same website then goes on to offer a list of precautions for solo snorkeling in Kenting:
The list of precautions for Snorkeling in Kenting
1. When renting equipment by yourself, the leader of the snorkeling group should know which snorkeling location is suitable for the snorkeling team members’ skill level.
2. When renting equipment by yourself, the usability of the equipment needs to be tested and inspected to avoid accidents due to poor equipment.
3. When you arrive at the snorkeling site, you need to check for the coastal terrain and features, and you need to observe where to get off the shore and where to get ashore.
4. When the snorkeling site is windy, and the waves there are larger, you need to be more careful to avoid being stranded by the large waves, hitting the reef, and getting injured.
5. When the wind blows from land to the sea, the waves will be relatively smaller, but the wind current which is blowing outward to the sea will also make it more laborious for people to swim back to the shore. Therefore, when the land breeze is strong, remember not to swim too far.
6. On the way back, you need to check your equipment, and bring your belongings back. In addition, protect the environment by bringing back garbage.
7. If you find someone collecting corals, you should contact the police of Kenting National Park as soon as possible.
Finding a guided snorkeling tour in Kenting
If you decide to join the guided snorkeling group in Kenting, the easiest way to find one is to go to the Houbihu harbor, and just walk around Daguang road, located in Daguang village:
When you walk on Daguang street, just look for such clothes and water shoes drying – this is the place you need.
Daguang road in Houbihu Marina – seafood restaurants, diving and snorkeling.
It is suggested that you still bring your mask and snorkel – you never know how good did they wash these masks after the previous customer, and you know – these go into your mouth, right?
Some resorts and guesthouses in Kenting sometimes are able to rent out basic snorkeling equipment, one of them (at the time of the writing this) is 亞哥之家 Ya-ke Beach Resort in Chuanfan (Sail Rock) area.
Wander around a bit in Chuanfanshi Rock area, and you will soon find similar snorkeling gear rental shops and guided tours, same as on Daguang road in Houbihu.
Another way to find guided group tours is to enter “snorkeling kenting” in google maps:
Snorkeling Guided tours in google maps.
There should be also listings on TripAdvisor, however, I do believe those will be more expensive, and if you just wander around Daguang road near Houbihu, or Wanlitong (tow most popular guided snorkeling areas from above list), you will literally not be able to not find these shops, and these will be much cheaper.
Checking on weather conditions for snorkeling in Kenting
Besides choosing the correct month to come to Kenting, be sure to monitor the weather in the area for the next few days.
Central Weather Bureau’s website actually is a wealth chest full of useful information for want-to-be snorkelers in Kenting.
Go to this link, or if in the future this link stops working, then go directly to the homepage, and then find a section called LIFE WEATHER, and then SNORKELING.
Snapshot from CWB website with a wealth of information for weather conditions for snorkeling in Kenting.
You can not only see what temperature and precipitation are expected but also wind direction and wave direction – an incredible safety metric to watch for snorkelers can be found on this website.