Dive sites in People's Republic of China

Located along the eastern shore of Howe Sound, Ansell Point features a dramatic granite wall that plunges steeply into deep fjord waters. Divers navigate over rocky boulder slopes before reaching vertical rock faces adorned with dense invertebrate colonies. Marine life thrives along the ledges, where current brings constant nutrients to filter-feeding organisms.

Situated along the rocky headland of Yalong Bay in Sanya, Baifu Bay features a protected cove characterized by shallow fringing reefs, scattered granite boulders, and sandy patches. Divers explore sloping reef structures covered with soft corals and sea anemones, alongside artificial reef structures that attract reef fish.

Situated off the rugged coast of Dalian in the Yellow Sea, Lao Pian Dao features submerged granite outcrops and scattered boulders covered in cold-water macroalgae. Divers explore rocky crevices and kelp patches where temperate benthic species seek shelter from coastal currents.

DFUN Trendy Water Sports is an indoor dive training facility situated inside Chengdu's New Century Global Center. Designed for confined water training, it provides a stable environment for scuba certifications, freediving sessions, and mermaid programs away from coastal weather variables.

Dongpai Island sits in the waters off Sanya in southern Hainan. The site features a mix of scattered granite boulders, gentle sandy channels, and hard coral formations dominated by massive Porites and branching Acropora colonies. Diving takes place from local dive tenders, offering calm shallow sections suitable for training alongside deeper patches where reef fish congregate.

Situated off the coast of Lingshui along Hainan's southeastern boundary, this offshore island features sloping fringing reefs, artificial reef structures, and purposefully sunk wrecks. Clear conditions typically prevail around the sheltered bays, where shallow coral gardens give way to sandy flats dotted with sea anemones and hard coral heads.

Situated off the coast of Sanya in southern Hainan, Wuzhizhou Island features fringing reefs and an extensive artificial reef restoration program. Divers encounter shallow hard coral slopes interspersed with sandy channels, concrete reef cubes, and localized sunken structures that attract schools of reef fish.

Koh Haa 1, also known as Koh Haa Nueng, is the northernmost limestone islet in the Koh Haa archipelago within Mu Ko Lanta National Park. Divers visit this site primarily for The Chimney, a vertical swim-through cutting through the island's rock flank with light streaming down from multiple chambers. Outside the cavern system, the limestone wall steps down onto coral ridges and a gentle sandy slope dotted with sea fans and hard coral bommies.

Pak Lap Tsai sits in a sheltered bay along the southeastern coast of the Sai Kung Peninsula in Hong Kong. The seabed transitions from coarse sand in the shallows to scattered granite boulders and patchy hard coral colonies further out along the rocky headlands. Because it is largely shielded from prevailing swells during the summer months, local dive operators frequently use this site for open water training and macro photography.

Located in Port Shelter off Sai Kung, the southern end of Sharp Island features shallow rocky reefs intermingled with sandy patches and stony coral communities. The sheltered waters make this a frequent choice for open water training, check-out dives, and macro photography sessions. Divers navigate gentle slopes adorned with hard coral colonies, boulder clusters, and sea anemones that harbor an array of coastal marine species typical of eastern Hong Kong waters.

South Ninepin Island sits on the exposed southeastern edge of Hong Kong waters, famous for its dramatic volcanic scenery. Submerged hexagonal columnar jointing forms stepped shelves, steep drop-offs, and massive tumble-boulder fields that attract oceanic life. The exposed position means conditions can shift quickly with passing swells, but the reward is topography rarely found elsewhere along the south China coast.

Trio Island, known locally as Tai La Lei, sits within the outer reaches of Port Shelter in Hong Kong. The rocky islet features a sloping seabed of large granite boulders, scattered patches of hard coral, and sandy channels. Divers frequently use the sheltered lee of the island to explore macro life, cuttlefish, and juvenile reef fish sheltered among the rocks.

Tsim Chau is an exposed rocky islet sitting off the eastern coast of the Sai Kung Peninsula. The underwater profile features tumbled granite boulders, sandy patches, and dramatic rock gullies that shelter a surprising variety of subtropical marine life. Because of its open position facing the South China Sea, dives here depend heavily on calm sea conditions.

Submerged during the construction of the Panjiakou Reservoir in the late 1970s, this site offers a surreal encounter with Ming Dynasty stone fortifications preserved beneath the surface. Divers trace ancient ramparts, battlements, and watchtowers that once formed part of the Great Wall's border defenses. Silt accumulation and sharp thermoclines define the ambient diving environment, demanding precise buoyancy control to preserve visibility across the centuries-old stonework.

An indoor aquatic facility located within the Dong'an Lake Sports Park in Chengdu. Designed as a high-standard diving stadium, the deep pool is regularly utilized for scuba training, freediving practice, and equipment testing under fully regulated indoor conditions.

Located inside the Atlantis Sanya resort on Hainan Island, the Ambassador Lagoon is an immense open-air aquarium tank that replicates an open-ocean habitat. Divers enter from dedicated staging platforms to swim alongside thousands of pelagic and reef animals. The basin features sunken faux-ruin architecture and vast acrylic viewing panels where hotel guests watch the marine life.

Nanjing Underwater World is a major public aquarium located within the Purple Mountain scenic area in Nanjing. Divers enter the main ocean display tank alongside captive pelagic species, rays, and sea turtles under the watchful gaze of aquarium visitors behind acrylic viewing tunnels. The indoor setting delivers calm, predictable conditions suitable for introductory dives, refresher sessions, or leisure swims with large marine animals.

Situated along the exposed eastern coastline of Sai Kung Peninsula, Tai Long Tung Wan features rocky reefs flanking a wide sandy bay. Large volcanic boulders slope down into the sand, creating crevices where benthic organisms shelter from ocean swells. Because the bay directly faces the South China Sea, diving conditions rely heavily on calm summer weather when easterly wind waves subside.

Rising abruptly from the open waters off the Guangdong coastline, Daqingzhen is an exposed oceanic pinnacle famous among regional divers for pelagic action. Steep granite walls and drop-offs plunge into deep water, creating a magnet for schooling predators that patrol the upwellings.

Situated within the sheltered waters of Double Haven in northeastern Hong Kong, O Mei Chau features sloping rocky reefs that transition into sandy patches. The protected bay setting shields divers from open ocean swell, allowing extensive hard coral communities such as brain and massive corals to establish across the shallows.

Table Island, locally known as Ping Min Chau, sits off the eastern coast of the Clear Water Bay peninsula. Divers explore submerged boulder slopes that give way to sandy patches and scattered hard coral communities. The leeward side provides relatively sheltered diving, whereas the seaward edge faces open ocean swell.

Located off the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung, this site is defined by the massive concrete dolosse that form the outer breakwater. Below the surface, these interlocked concrete anchors create a labyrinth of artificial crevices and overhangs transitioning to a rocky and sandy seabed. Divers navigate among the stacked blocks to find macro critters and schooling coastal fish sheltering from open sea swells.

Tung Ping Chau Marine Park sits in the far northeastern reaches of Mirs Bay, characterized by sedimentary siltstone and shale coastal shelves that extend beneath the waterline. Fringing coral communities colonize the shallow bedrock, forming extensive tracts of hard corals mixed with sandy patches and boulder fields. Because the island is remote from heavy urban runoff, it supports some of the highest coral cover and macro biodiversity in the region.

Sangzhou Island is an uninhabited islet in Daya Bay off the coast of Huizhou. The underwater terrain features sloping sandy bottoms interspersed with granite boulders and patches of hard and soft corals. Divers commonly navigate around the sheltered rocky bays where macro life gathers among sea urchins and anemones.

Panjiakou Reservoir submerges a prominent section of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall built during the sixteenth century under General Qi Jiguang. Following dam construction that flooded the river valley, watchtowers, fortified archways, and stone ramparts remain standing intact under the surface. Divers follow the descending stone ridgeline into cool, green water to explore ancient brick architecture frozen in time.

Baifu Bay sits along a sheltered inlet near Yalong Bay on Hainan Island. The underwater landscape features gently sloping coral gardens, rocky bommies, and sandy patches that harbor a variety of tropical South China Sea species. Thanks to calm surface waters inside the cove, it serves as a primary training and recreational diving ground for local operations.

Suzhou Ocean Aquarium offers diving experiences inside its primary indoor oceanarium display. Divers submerge in clear, regulated artificial seawater among resident pelagic and reef creatures, gliding alongside the public viewing tunnel and artificial rock formations.

Cape D'Aguilar sits at the exposed southeastern tip of Hong Kong Island, where coastal currents meet open-water swells. Submerged boulder piles, rocky gullies, and bedrock outcrops define the underwater terrain. Because the designated marine reserve on the headland restricts direct recreational access inside its core boundaries, divers explore the surrounding outer fringing reefs and nearby rocky islets, which harbor a mix of subtropical marine life and hard coral patches.