Dance with Nemo & Explore Green Island – A World-Class Diving Paradise

▲ The underwater world of Green Island boasts world-class standards that attract large crowds, but divers are urged to protect all marine resources on the island. (Photo provided by OCEAN)

Photos & Text byYan Xintong

Green Island – a typical volcanic island with stunning world-class landscapes, where the seawater temperature averages 25°C year-round, making it suitable for diving activities in all seasons. It features a rich underwater world, home to nearly one-tenth of the world’s marine life and abundant fish populations. Thanks to its environmental advantages, the surrounding crystal-clear waters and vibrant underwater ecosystems, along with the coverage of both soft and hard corals, rival those of the Great Barrier Reef.

Three Protected Areas on Green Island – Chai Kou, Shi Lang, and Da Bai Sha
These areas are also great for snorkeling, with famous dive spots including Big Mushroom, Grand Canyon, Chicken Reef, Electric Pole Reef, Six-Meter Reef, Iron Reef, Great White Shark Isolated Reef, One-Line Sky, Chai Kou, and Clown Island. Take Chai Kou as an example: the best time for diving is from March to September each year. It features a reef terrain with diverse coral species and fish that are unafraid of humans, such as damselfish and cardinalfish. Around two weeks before and after the 23rd day of the third lunar month each year, lucky divers may even witness coral spawning.

SDI Coach Little Tinkerbell specifically urges everyone to stay in homestays and enjoy sightseeing on Green Island, but not to fish, because once the fish are gone, they’re gone for good. She also mentioned how heartbreaking it was during her recent trip to Penghu, where she found fishing still happening and locals proudly claiming they could sell a wine-colored grouper for NT$4,000. This reminded her of a wine-colored grouper under Green Island’s Iron Reef, which is currently under protection. Though both are marine creatures, their living conditions differ greatly between the two locations.

▲ The waters within Shi Lang Protected Area are teeming with fish that are very friendly toward humans. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

One-on-One Instruction – Take You on an Underwater Journey
Before actually starting to dive, you’ll first attend a theoretical class (about one hour) that mainly introduces basic scuba equipment skills and marine knowledge concepts. Then, while on the boat, you’ll watch a video about the diving plan to reinforce your understanding of the course. After the instructor’s explanation, accompanied by a professional dive guide, you’ll finally experience diving under the instructor’s guidance.

This time, we boarded the Sea Eagle for a boat dive within the Nanliao Shi Lang Protected Area, with a professional instructor providing one-on-one guidance to students. Most participants in the Discovery Diving course have little to no diving experience. The instructor helps students adapt to the marine environment and ensures they’re mentally prepared before diving together. Underwater, the instructor will teach skills such as equalizing ear pressure, clearing and retrieving the regulator, controlling descent and ascent, maintaining neutral buoyancy, finning techniques, and a three-minute safety stop at five meters – all adjusted according to the student’s physical and mental condition.

Enhancing Diving Quality, Establishing International Operational Standards, and Promoting High-Level Eco-Tourism on Green Island
Ocean EnthusiastLi Shiming (aka Brother Ming), who has long been committed to marine ecological conservation and diving education, has traveled to fifty or sixty countries around the world, as far as South America. Spending about 280 days a year abroad, he shared his thoughts on this course: “Green Island is one of the world’s top 100 dive sites, but there’s still much work to be done. Its abundant natural resources are precious, and I fear that if a sudden influx of tourists occurs without proper preparation, it could be devastating. My biggest concern is that in another two or three years, if mainland China further opens up travel, this treasure of an island could be ruined.”

Additionally,Brother Mingalso noted that other diving destinations across Asia have been damaged one after another. He cited Palau as an even worse case, where annual tourist numbers reached over one million, causing significant harm to the area. Eventually, visitor limits were imposed to minimize the damage. He also worries about the entry of mainland capital, which might undercut prices and create market speculation. To prevent such issues, he plans to promote high-level eco-tourism on Green Island by offering top-notch equipment to attract quality visitors. He believes it’s not about fearing fewer guests, but ensuring that those who come are willing to pay a reasonable price – for safety, knowledge, equipment, and all related values.

▲ Students attend a basic cardiopulmonary knowledge class before diving. Location: Sea Eagle Classroom. Speaker: ZERO. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

▲ Discovery Diving Location: Nanliao Shi Lang Protected Area. Sea Eagle. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

▲ Professional instructors from YouQian Network line up to take students on a diving trip aboard the Sea Eagle. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

▲ Even after classroom instruction, diving guidelines are reviewed again on the boat. Instructor: ZERO. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

After watching the instructional video on the boat, the instructor will guide you through your first diving experience. Non-swimmers can also dive, and those afraid of water need not worry. Not only are there thorough lessons before diving, but instructors also patiently accompany you, helping you adjust your breathing and get used to the marine environment, ensuring you feel safe before proceeding to the next steps – such as descending into the sea, learning to breathe with the regulator, and then performing other diving actions. With one-on-one instruction, the instructor will stay with you throughout, guiding you to explore the colorful underwater world. After surfacing, ginger tea is served to help divers warm up.

▲ Fish in the Shi Lang Protected Area are mostly unafraid of people and may even look at the camera. At the same time, we urgedivers to protect marine life and resources. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

▲ Fish in the Shi Lang area are incredibly friendly. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

▲ Green Island is now promoting low-carbon tourism, hoping visitors will take their trash away and leave the beauty behind. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

▲ Green Island boasts world-class diving scenery. We hope visitors will help protect it. Shown here is a coral group within the protected area. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

▲Under the guidance of professional instructors from YouQian Network, even non-swimmers can safely explore the underwater world of Green Island. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

▲The fish in the waters of the Shilang Conservation Area are well protected, with crystal-clear seawater and excellent visibility. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

The seawater temperature is very pleasant. Thanks to the good weather and ample sunlight on the day of the dive, the underwater visibility was exceptionally clear. The fish were not only unafraid of people but also posed for the camera, swaying near the lens. Whether it was schools of fish gathering together or those darting among sea anemones, you could observe them up close. Since verbal communication is impossible underwater, all interactions rely on hand signals. Following the instructor’s directions, some marine life can be gently touched—the slippery and smooth seaweed drifting by feels quite unique. Floating amidst the vibrant tropical fish, you truly feel like a part of the underwater world. During the dive, the instructor brings a bag of bread to let participants enjoy the fun of feeding the fish. As soon as the bread is taken out, fish from all directions swarm in for a meal. This back-and-forth interaction allows you to feel the strong vitality of marine life. There’s no need to worry about being bitten, as the fish have no teeth—though any tiny bite marks will become an unforgettable memory of this dive experience.

YouQian Network pioneers split exploration diving into four sessions, leading to a “Beginner Diver Certification”
Considering the busy schedules of modern individuals, YouQian Network has divided the Exploration Diving course (SD) into four parts. By completing four “Exploration Diving” sessions within a year, participants can earn an “SDI/TDI Beginner Diver Certification.” Additionally, courses at various levels from SSI, PADI, and CMAS are also offered.

SDI instructor “Tinkerbell” shared: “SDI’s SOPs are adapted from technical diving. It’s not necessary to complete the training in one go over three or four days to get certified. Instead, the course can be divided into four segments. Even during the discovery dive, some lessons are covered—like mask clearing or how to kick with fins—completing part of the course. Perhaps the session is short, and you have to return to Taiwan after one part, but if you visit Green Island again later, you can schedule your next discovery dive. During that session, you’ll briefly review what you learned before and then continue with the remaining lessons. There are over twenty skills in total, split across four sessions. So, after roughly four discovery dives, you’ll complete what is essentially an Open Water course. This way, you won’t feel like you’ve done a hundred dives without earning an Open Water certification.” The instructor also noted that this certification is ISO-accredited, making it a convenient course. You can complete it over two consecutive days, in two separate sessions, or finish the remaining parts whenever you have time. The cost and scheduling are much more flexible.

About the diving course overview:
1. SD Discovery Diving: Suitable for beginners with no diving experience.
2. OWD Beginner Diving: Suitable for those with diving experience but no certification.
3. AOWD Advanced Diving: Suitable for those who already hold a beginner diver qualification.

About YouQian Network – SD Discovery Diving:
1. Course duration: Approximately two hours per session.
2. Cost: One-on-one instruction / NT$5,200; Group instruction / NT$4,800 (per person), with a maximum of three students per class (one instructor, one assistant, and three learners)
3. Professional equipment: SDI discovery diving license fee, instructor fee, academic guidance, light diving gear (booties, gloves, mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit, weight belt), heavy diving gear (BCD and regulator set), dive computer? (exclusive supply), GPS/VHF surface communicator (exclusive supply), ocean training fees, ocean training insurance.
4. Green Island boat diving online booking:http://www.yodiving.com/mobile_travel_list.html

▲Upholding high standards of quality and market principles, we refuse to engage in low-price competition. We are committed to providing excellent equipment for students, while also promoting ocean conservation and eco-friendly, low-carbon travel to Green Island. (Photo by reporter Yan Xintong)

Diving precautions
Do not take a flight within 24 hours after diving; taking a boat is permitted.
If you are feeling unwell or prone to seasickness, it is advised not to engage in diving activities.

Green Island transportation information
1. Take a flight from Songshan Airport to Taitung Fongnian Airport.
2. Take a taxi from Taitung Fongnian Airport to Fugang Fishing Port.
3. Take a boat (Planet Uranus) from Fugang Fishing Port to Green Island Nanliao Fishing Port.
(The journey from Fugang Fishing Port to Green Island Nanliao Fishing Port takes approximately 50 minutes, with round-trip boat tickets priced at NT$920.)