broadreach
Contributor
Just got back from Taiwan's Green Island after encountering some incredible schooling hammerhead sharks.
This trip was organized by Andy Gray a veteran Taiwan diver and instructor. I have tried to do this trip independently two years ago but could not find a local operator who would take me to do these dives. Andy's planning was instrumental in making this dream trip come true. I would like to use this forum to thank him for putting this trip together.
A few words about the Green Island (绿岛
: This former prison island is reached by ferry (or small plane) from Taitung (台东）on the south-east coast of Taiwan. Winter is the off season for the island, but the trip coincided with the Chinese New Year holiday - a very busy travel period for Taiwan so advanced booking was essential (Andy was instrumental here).
The island is rocky and mountainous. Its waters have great coral coverage (soft and hard) and a good array of reef fish ranging from tiny pygmy seahorses to scalloped hammerheads (in winter only). There are a number of accommodation options on the island and several Chinese restaurants/shops. It's a small place but you can find most of what you might need.
There's one ATM machine at the post office bank. However, when I tried to use it I kept getting a communications error. I would recommend bringing enough cash for your needs.
Accommodation: For this trip I stayed in Mr Yen's Green Island Diving dormatory (绿岛潜水. The price was very low $NT400 per night but the dorm meant super thin mattresses on a hard floor, up to eight guys per room and shared bathrooms/showers. There are also hotels on the island offering basic private rooms starting at $NT1500.
Transportation: Green Island is scooter territory. I shared a scooter with a fellow diver for $NT400 per day and it proved very useful for getting around the island.
Food: There are a number of reasonably priced restaurants on the island. You can get fresh tuna sashimi for $NT100 or an entree for $NT100 to $NT300.
The Diving: I arrived on the Green Island in the afternoon and was not able to dive on that first day due to lack of available buddies.
Day 2: I did two shore dives. One at Chaikou on the north part of the island and another at Shilang on the northwest coast. Water temperature was about 25C. Visibility was good (at least 30 meters). Corals seem healthy and abundant, with a good range of reef fish. I didn't spot any pygmies, but I did see a few sea snakes on each dive as well as an octopus, scorpionfish, giant triggerfish, morray eel, moorish idols, nudibranches etc... All together, nice calm dives.
I used this day to figure out my buoyancy as I was using a new wetsuit and hood for the first time.
Entering and exiting the water through the braking waves was a bit of a challenge for me, as there were 'holes' in the rock that I didn't see. As I first entered the water I fell into such a hole and struggled to pull myself out of as the waves kept breaking on top of me.
Day 3: This was our first attempt at viewing the hammerheads and Mr Yen - the shop owner decided to set out for the dive in the afternoon. I was told that there were no real waves and decided against taking sea sickness medication. This was a mistake. After a 30 minute boat ride we reached the dive location in an exposed area where good sized swells were building up. We were instructed to make a quick negative entry as the strong currents would sweep us away and split the group if we took our time on the surface. The group comprised all experienced divers and everyone managed it well.
The briefing did not clearly explain the u/w terrain however and we failed to understand where to position ourselves to see the sharks and which direction they should come from. The result was that many people and myself included grabbed on to a rock a bit too early then we should have and continued to search for sharks in the wrong direction. A few lucky divers, drifted away from the group and hooked on a rock further down current. They did manage to see a single hammerhead shark.
The dive was challenging as the current was quite strong and reentering the boat after bobbing in the waves was difficult. Having failed to take anti sea sickness medication, I felt quite sick and managed to lose my breakfast.
The group voted to do an easier second dive and we headed to an artificial reef in the DaBaiSha area. This was a calm and relaxing dive with lots of gorgeous soft coral that covers large metal cages that were placed in the water as an artificial reef. The site also featured a large puffer and a school of friendly batfish that were quite curious about the divers.
Despite using Nitrox 32% on both dives, the bottom time was quite limited as the late start mandated a shorter surface interval than I would have liked. The shark dive had us reach the depth limit of our Nitrox mix and the cages were also bottomed out around 30 meters with their tops around 15 meters.
Day 4: Again we were only offered an afternoon attempt at the shark dive. Conditions were about the same as the previous day. Doing the same dive for the second time, everybody felt better about it and we all managed to be in the right position. Nonetheless, we had a very late departure and the sharks were just not around.
Edit: I have just been told that a few people did see as many as 6 hammerheads during this dive.
I did take my sea sickness pill and felt great despite the large swells.
Due to the late hour, we had to take another short surface interval and a shallow second dive. This time we headed to the pinnacles. Again a calm quiet dive among coral and some reef fish. Pleasant but nothing to write home about.
Day 5: This time we attempted an early start. Dive briefing was at 9 AM and by 9:40 we were in the water. Surface conditions have worsened a bit compared with the previous day but we all managed to get in the water without a problem. Soon after hitting the bottom I saw the local dive master making the famous hammerhead sign (fists in front of head). I got closer and the hammers started making their appearance. I've been waiting for this moment for a long long time and was very happy to finally see these majestic beasts in person.
All together there were probably about ten individual sharks (scalloped hammerheads), some of which got quite close to the divers. These are the biggest most powerful sharks I have ever seen (other than a whaleshark of course). They were over 3 meters in length and swam effortlessly against the current.
After this fantastic experience the group decided to have another go at the sharks. It was early enough in the day and we were able to get a good 90 minute surface interval.
During our surface interval, the wind had picked up and the waves started getting bigger. We expected the skipper to axe the dive, but he determined that it was safe enough for him to get us in and out of the water.
I thought that it would be difficult to top the first dive, but I was soon proved wrong. As soon as I started my descent, swimming quickly to the bottom so the current doesn't sweep me away, I saw the first hammerhead.
Down on the bottom more and more sharks came into view. I followed the local dive master and drifted to a prominent rock down current. As I held on to the rock a large school of hammerheads came cruising by right above me. I saw at least 20 large sharks on this unforgettable dive. Grudgingly I had to accept my conservative dive computer's demand and started ascending, brushing against the NDL, as more sharks kept swimming by against the current below me.
What an amazing experience.
This trip was organized by Andy Gray a veteran Taiwan diver and instructor. I have tried to do this trip independently two years ago but could not find a local operator who would take me to do these dives. Andy's planning was instrumental in making this dream trip come true. I would like to use this forum to thank him for putting this trip together.
A few words about the Green Island (绿岛
: This former prison island is reached by ferry (or small plane) from Taitung (台东）on the south-east coast of Taiwan. Winter is the off season for the island, but the trip coincided with the Chinese New Year holiday - a very busy travel period for Taiwan so advanced booking was essential (Andy was instrumental here).The island is rocky and mountainous. Its waters have great coral coverage (soft and hard) and a good array of reef fish ranging from tiny pygmy seahorses to scalloped hammerheads (in winter only). There are a number of accommodation options on the island and several Chinese restaurants/shops. It's a small place but you can find most of what you might need.
There's one ATM machine at the post office bank. However, when I tried to use it I kept getting a communications error. I would recommend bringing enough cash for your needs.
Accommodation: For this trip I stayed in Mr Yen's Green Island Diving dormatory (绿岛潜水
. The price was very low $NT400 per night but the dorm meant super thin mattresses on a hard floor, up to eight guys per room and shared bathrooms/showers. There are also hotels on the island offering basic private rooms starting at $NT1500.Transportation: Green Island is scooter territory. I shared a scooter with a fellow diver for $NT400 per day and it proved very useful for getting around the island.
Food: There are a number of reasonably priced restaurants on the island. You can get fresh tuna sashimi for $NT100 or an entree for $NT100 to $NT300.
The Diving: I arrived on the Green Island in the afternoon and was not able to dive on that first day due to lack of available buddies.
Day 2: I did two shore dives. One at Chaikou on the north part of the island and another at Shilang on the northwest coast. Water temperature was about 25C. Visibility was good (at least 30 meters). Corals seem healthy and abundant, with a good range of reef fish. I didn't spot any pygmies, but I did see a few sea snakes on each dive as well as an octopus, scorpionfish, giant triggerfish, morray eel, moorish idols, nudibranches etc... All together, nice calm dives.
I used this day to figure out my buoyancy as I was using a new wetsuit and hood for the first time.
Entering and exiting the water through the braking waves was a bit of a challenge for me, as there were 'holes' in the rock that I didn't see. As I first entered the water I fell into such a hole and struggled to pull myself out of as the waves kept breaking on top of me.
Day 3: This was our first attempt at viewing the hammerheads and Mr Yen - the shop owner decided to set out for the dive in the afternoon. I was told that there were no real waves and decided against taking sea sickness medication. This was a mistake. After a 30 minute boat ride we reached the dive location in an exposed area where good sized swells were building up. We were instructed to make a quick negative entry as the strong currents would sweep us away and split the group if we took our time on the surface. The group comprised all experienced divers and everyone managed it well.
The briefing did not clearly explain the u/w terrain however and we failed to understand where to position ourselves to see the sharks and which direction they should come from. The result was that many people and myself included grabbed on to a rock a bit too early then we should have and continued to search for sharks in the wrong direction. A few lucky divers, drifted away from the group and hooked on a rock further down current. They did manage to see a single hammerhead shark.
The dive was challenging as the current was quite strong and reentering the boat after bobbing in the waves was difficult. Having failed to take anti sea sickness medication, I felt quite sick and managed to lose my breakfast.
The group voted to do an easier second dive and we headed to an artificial reef in the DaBaiSha area. This was a calm and relaxing dive with lots of gorgeous soft coral that covers large metal cages that were placed in the water as an artificial reef. The site also featured a large puffer and a school of friendly batfish that were quite curious about the divers.
Despite using Nitrox 32% on both dives, the bottom time was quite limited as the late start mandated a shorter surface interval than I would have liked. The shark dive had us reach the depth limit of our Nitrox mix and the cages were also bottomed out around 30 meters with their tops around 15 meters.
Day 4: Again we were only offered an afternoon attempt at the shark dive. Conditions were about the same as the previous day. Doing the same dive for the second time, everybody felt better about it and we all managed to be in the right position. Nonetheless, we had a very late departure and the sharks were just not around.
Edit: I have just been told that a few people did see as many as 6 hammerheads during this dive.
I did take my sea sickness pill and felt great despite the large swells.
Due to the late hour, we had to take another short surface interval and a shallow second dive. This time we headed to the pinnacles. Again a calm quiet dive among coral and some reef fish. Pleasant but nothing to write home about.
Day 5: This time we attempted an early start. Dive briefing was at 9 AM and by 9:40 we were in the water. Surface conditions have worsened a bit compared with the previous day but we all managed to get in the water without a problem. Soon after hitting the bottom I saw the local dive master making the famous hammerhead sign (fists in front of head). I got closer and the hammers started making their appearance. I've been waiting for this moment for a long long time and was very happy to finally see these majestic beasts in person.
All together there were probably about ten individual sharks (scalloped hammerheads), some of which got quite close to the divers. These are the biggest most powerful sharks I have ever seen (other than a whaleshark of course). They were over 3 meters in length and swam effortlessly against the current.
After this fantastic experience the group decided to have another go at the sharks. It was early enough in the day and we were able to get a good 90 minute surface interval.
During our surface interval, the wind had picked up and the waves started getting bigger. We expected the skipper to axe the dive, but he determined that it was safe enough for him to get us in and out of the water.
I thought that it would be difficult to top the first dive, but I was soon proved wrong. As soon as I started my descent, swimming quickly to the bottom so the current doesn't sweep me away, I saw the first hammerhead.
Down on the bottom more and more sharks came into view. I followed the local dive master and drifted to a prominent rock down current. As I held on to the rock a large school of hammerheads came cruising by right above me. I saw at least 20 large sharks on this unforgettable dive. Grudgingly I had to accept my conservative dive computer's demand and started ascending, brushing against the NDL, as more sharks kept swimming by against the current below me.
What an amazing experience.
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