Tung Ping Chau Marine Park

Tung Ping Chau Marine Park

Tung Ping Chau Marine Park (designated on 16 November 2001) is a marine park in Hong Kong, located in the waters surrounding Tung Ping Chau in Mirs Bay in the northeast New Territories. It covers an area of 270 hectares. This marine park is the fourth in Hong Kong and the first to be designated after the handover of Hong Kong’s sovereignty.

The island of Tung Ping Chau itself falls within the expanded area of Plover Cove Country Park. The main purpose of establishing Tung Ping Chau Marine Park is to protect the coral and algae in its waters from being damaged by fishing activities.

Tung Ping Chau encompasses 270 hectares of coastline and marine areas around Ping Chau in Mirs Bay. Its fringe coral community is the largest in Hong Kong. Common stony corals include Pavona decussata, Platygyra sinensis, and Acropora spp.; soft corals and gorgonians include Sarcophyton trocheliophorum, Lobophytum spp., and Muriceopsis flavida. According to incomplete statistics, over 130 species of coral fish have been found in Tung Ping Chau, along with other marine invertebrates such as starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and nudibranchs.

Before being designated as a marine park, Tung Ping Chau had long been a top choice for geography field trips among universities, secondary schools, and primary schools in Hong Kong. The island’s rocks host a variety of uniquely featured animals, such as chitons and white-striped swimming crabs. The island is also home to various bird species as well as different kinds of butterflies and dragonflies.

Transportation Guide

Location: Waters surrounding Tung Ping Chau in Mirs Bay, Hong Kong

How to get there: Take a taxi from the New Territories