Diver Name

Dan Stephens

Dive Master

Location: Agoura Hills
Hometown: San Diego

Hi, I am Dan Stephens and I started diving with Ocean Safari in 2014, I had already had my Open Water certification from another agency, but was hoping to continue my Advanced certifcation with NAUI. After meeting and talking with Gabe I was hooked. I knew right away this was the place for me. Since then I have taken many classes at Ocean Safari, but more important than anything else, I have made so many friends here. Gabe has challenged me in so many ways and I always have come away a better person/diver than I was before. My true love is writing about my adventures and sharing what I have learned. I look forward to one day having a chance to dive with you. Cheers, Dan

Diving In Taiwan

February 11, 2019

Taiwan the often missed dive destination.

Daniel Stephens

April 2017

 

I have a challenge for you I want you to go through your gear bag and look at the country your gear was made in and then see how much of it was made in the island nation of Taiwan. For me most of my gear was made there, even my beloved ScubaPro Jet Fins. Taiwan has become a manufacturing superpower when it come to scuba gear. With all that manufacturing going on there and its geographic location you would think that Taiwan is a huge diving mecca as well. Here in California we are home to many diving company’s headquarters, and we have a healthy population of divers and ever increasing numbers. But, not so in taiwan. In fact, Taiwan is not considered a major diving destination and I hope to change that with a brief introduction with my experience there this year.

 

Taiwan on old maps can still be seen with the name Formosa, this apt name means beautiful place. Taiwan is indeed a beautiful place, it sits in the South China Sea north of the Philippines and south of Okinawa and only about 80 miles east of China’s eastern coastline. Taiwan sits right on the Tropic of Cancer and is subject to extremely hot summers, warm winters and torrid monsoonal weather. Water temperatures generally range from 76 to 85 degree Fahrenheit. From my experience, April and October are the best months to plan a dive trip to Taiwan as these are transitional months, and temperature can be quite mild.

 

As the world spins on its axis the equatorial waters are warmed and travel in a westward direction this is called the Kuroshio current. The Kuroshio Current then turns northward where it meets the southern end of Taiwan in an area called Kenting. The current then splits going up the west side into the Taiwan Strait or the east side toward Taipei to rejoin with the water again traveling northward towards Japan. As you can see, sitting right in the middle of this mighty current, Taiwan is in the perfect position to receive much of the life in the Pacific. The Kuroshio Current carries warm water teeming with life, nutrients and coral polyps. All this is deposited in the Kenting National Park. Kenting is one of five geographic diving areas they are: Kenting, Orchid Island, Green Island, Xiao Liu Qiu and Penghu Islands. All five of these areas have very distinct diving and the diver will never tire of what he or she may may find.

 

What will the diver find in Taiwan’s rich diving areas? Down in Kenting there is a huge number of different marine species that the area is home to, here also is 60 percent of the world’s different types of corals, In Kenting a diver may also see large pelagics like swordfish, whale sharks and even little pygmy seahorses. Orchid Island is a true diver's paradise, here you will find coral gardens, a korean tanker and sea snakes. Green Island has hammerhead sharks, spotted rays and surface intervals can include soaks in the hot springs and romantic vistas overlooking the ocean. Xiao Liu Qui is my favorite, because here you’ll find so many green sea turtles and fun coral gardens. If you are into wrecks then Penghu is your spot, but do have plenty of patience since permitting is required to visit them.  

 

In 2017 I had planned to to dive the quirky new hotel located in Taichung city called the DiveCube, then travel off to the beloved Kenting in the south. When preparing a trip to Taiwan, it is best to pre-plan as much as you can and have an alternate plan if the first doesn't pan out. On this trip I really wanted to dive, when I found that Taichung had the deepest pool in Asia I was sure that nothing could stop me from diving there. What is DiveCube, well it is a hotel with 30 guestrooms that that can accommodate 2, 4 and 6 people. What make this hotel so special is that it also contains a 21 meter deep pool for scuba divers and freedivers. The crystal clear water contains windows looking into the hotel, simulated shipwrecks and caves, and if that's not enough you can even do a underwater wedding here. The DiveCube opened in February of 2017 and is quickly becoming a destination for divers from all over the world. If you are coming to Taiwan and don’t have your gear no worries DiveCube has a very complete rental program as well. The pool itself is 21 meters deep roughly 6 stories, it is divided into 1.3 meters deep,3 meters deep, 7 meters, 11 meters deep and then 21 meters deep. This suites the varying diving skills and certification levels for divers. Tech divers can practice their skills in the caves and the shipwreck also the deep water. The hotel also acts as a training facility that includes demonstration rooms and large open classrooms.


 

DiveCube Taichung City, Taiwan

The author descending down to the 11 meter restaurant window


 

My dive at the DiveCube was terrific and an my guide very skilled. It went like this, I arrived and was escorted up to the surface level of the pool where the gear, bcds, regulators and cylinders awaited us. I quickly got my gear together and did a surface buddy check then we entered the water and at 1.3 meters did mask clearing and regulator removal and recovery. Then my guide checked my neutral buoyancy at 3 meters. When all checked out we dropped down to 7 meters and with an ok sign we proceeded down to 11 meters where my family awaited me at the big glass window in the restaurant. It was a thrill for me to see my then 3 year old daughter asking me if I was ok with her giving me the ok sign which I quickly responded to with an OK sign. We took photos, and it is here that I would like to caution that you will need a bright light, I have a Sealife DC 1200 with an internal flash which proved inadequate and left me wishing I brought my external flash along. Next time I will know better. After saying goodbye to my family my guide and I entered the deep hole and dropped down to the 21 meter bottom. The sides of the pool are darkened to give you the feel of diving deep and it is really cool to look up and see the lighter 11 meter level. We slowly ascended back to the 11 meters and then to 7 meters to go through the caves and the shipwreck. I really enjoyed the air pocket rest stop in the shipwreck.  After exiting the shipwreck we head to our safety stop depth and and spent time looking around below at the other divers. Then we ascended to the surface where I exited the water and disassembled my gear.

 

My experience at the DiveCube was the first of its kind in a deep water pool. The environment was safe and clean and the guided dive was expertly done. I have many good things to say about diving the Divecube and recommend it to my friends traveling in Asia. My next stop was on to Kenting in Southern Taiwan. A whole new adventure awaited me there.

 

Kenting is a beautiful area giving the traveler a homey town and country feel. The area that I went scuba diving was near Houhubi Harbor where the dive shop that I discovered through pre-trip research was located. Kenting has a large number of professional dive operations and the traveler is well advised to do some research before getting there. For me, I chose a shop called Divepro and I was very happy that I did, the staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. Another note to the traveler is that Nitrox is used extensively in Asia. So, before traveling I suggest getting Nitrox certified, it will build your skill as a diver and allow more bottom time to enjoy the beauty that you will encounter in the fringing coral reefs of Taiwan. Also another difference is that in Taiwan when you dive you will most often hire the services of a guide. Just like getting your tanks filled in the States, in Taiwan you will get your tanks filled and meet your guide. I found this a terrific way to make new friends in my diving life. Local guides are a wealth of local knowledge and want you to have a good time. A bit of caution on this, Southern Taiwan can experience some unusually strong currents and local knowledge is invaluable.

 

My dive day with Divepro started with arriving at the shop and meeting my guide, Rudy. I realized what a small world we live in when he told me he went to Cal State Fullerton, not far from my home in California. We filled out the appropriate paperwork and checked dive credentials, then we put our dive gear into a little blue utility truck and drove down to a fantastic little spot spot called Secret Garden. This fringing reef was abundant with reef fish, nudibranchs, Halibut and Unicornfish. The water temp was in April was 26 celsius and a 3 mil full suit was very comfortable. I recommend a full suit because a traveling diver may encounter jelly fish here or there. This spot did not disappoint, it was a fantastic first dive of the day.

 

Exiting the water I found my then 3 year old daughter had brushed and urchin while looking at seashells on the rocky beach. We headed back up to the shop to get full tanks and take our surface interval while the staff attended to my daughter with tweezers, warm water, vinegar and cookies. She quickly recovered and by the end of my second dive she was again bouncing around again.


 

Clownfish and anemones off “Secret Garden”     Nudibranch “Chromodoris annae”




 

The cevice at the power plant “Outlet”     Unicorn Fish swimming in the maze of coral

 

The second dive site we went to was the warm water outlet for the nearby nuclear power plant the overlooks Kentings skyline. The spot called “Outlet” was amazing, entering the water you quickly enter a huge coral entrusted crevice which lets you out  on a rock strewn bottom. The navigation is easy to follow since the rocks lay parallel to the coastline. The bottom is sand on one side and coral encrusted rock on the other. We found many small reef fish and nudibranch along with the beautiful coral that grew on the bottoms hard substrate. Rudy told me to keep my camera ready for the barracuda often seen here, I didn’t see them this day, but did get a pictures of a beautiful lion fish which I never see out here in the cold waters of California. The day we dove the Outlet the water was two degrees warmer here the the first spot we dove. It is here that scientist are studying a type of coral that is seeming to adapt to the higher temperatures around the warm water discharge of the power plant. Not all corals are able to make this adaptation so this is of great interest to the scientific community.

 

Outside of diving, Kenting has a lot to explore and I recommend the National Museum of Marine Biology. The National Museum of Marine Biology has fantastic exhibits featuring the Waters of Taiwan, Coral Kingdom and Waters of the World. Besides being a museum it is also scientific research center, dedicated to marine biology and ecology and is leading the study of the warm water adaptation of certain corals. Kenting has a variety of places for the traveller to stay, but if you really want to get a good feel for the culture, check out the Youth Activity Center which is a hostel type hotel. It is located next to Frog rock and is a reproduction of traditional Fujian architecture. It is a short walk to the Main Street of Kenting for a night out on the town if that interests you. I recommend spending one night of cruising the main street for wonderful taiwanese street foods and picking up locally made trinkets.

 

Kenting traditional “Youth Activity Center” a beautiful to experience traditional Chinese culture in Taiwan.

A dive trip to Taiwan is a wonderful way to spend a vacation and I hope this article peaked your interests. The thing to remember, the more divers that visit a spot, the greater appreciation for that spot is made. Taiwan is truly deserving to be a world class diving destination with easy access to spots like Kenting, Green Island, Xiao Liu Qiu and Orchid Island. Taiwan won't  disappoint the traveling diver and like me in my case, the travelin diver’s family too.

 

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