[Taiwan · Keelung Chaojing] Dive Site Guide – North Taiwan's Ecologically Rich Secret Garden

In May 2016, the government officially established the Wanghaixiang Chaojing Bay Resource Conservation Area. Through the concerted efforts of all parties, the restoration results have been outstanding — marine biomass is large and diverse — and the area has since been known as the underwater "Secret Garden."

Pick Up Marine Debris — Let's Protect the Environment Together

Spark Chao, founder of the BlueTrend website and initiator of the Wanghaixiang Bay Dive Map Project, recalls that when he first learned to dive, he heard there was a lot of rubbish underwater and simply thought: why not help pick it up? He later learned that dive instructor Lin Yu-ping from Jiuqian regularly brought divers to Chaojing for ocean cleanup dives, and he joined their efforts. Coach Zhao laughs: "Picking up the rubbish really does make a difference — there's far less marine debris at Chaojing now than when I first came (in 2017)."

Compared with other dive sites, more people are willing to remove underwater rubbish here because Chaojing is a designated conservation area where you can actually see the fruits of everyone's labor improving the marine ecosystem year by year — rather than having it all swept away by a single trawl net. Today, Chaojing's conservation success has driven a boom in scuba diving activity, revitalizing the local industry and creating jobs, making both locals and divers more willing to invest in conservation efforts. This virtuous cycle has made Chaojing a model for marine and Northeast Coast dive-site conservation in Taiwan.

Chaojing's Star Attraction — the Sea Apple

The most beloved sight at Chaojing is the sea apple. The most popular route begins at Entry Point 2, descending and heading out at a compass bearing of 120°, where you encounter an 8 m trench, then continuing down to 16 m, turning 90° and following the slope until you reach a second trench. Keep your depth between 16 m and 18 m — stray shallower than 12 m or deeper than 25 m and you'll easily miss the isolated pinnacle that lies ahead, which is the celebrated Secret Garden.

Among the three small reef formations near the 22 m mark of the isolated pinnacle, you can spot the famous sea apple — a filter-feeding sea cucumber that, as the current flows past, spreads open the tentacles around its mouth to capture plankton, looking just like a golden flower in full bloom. Near the sea apple, you can also search the rock walls for all manner of creatures; if you're lucky, you might spot a Frogfish camouflaged as a sponge, a Lissoporcellana sp. (a porcelain crab often mistaken for a spider crab due to its delicate movements), and Periclimenes masudai shrimp whose coloring mimics a leopard-spotted sea anemone.

The Rich Marine Ecology of Chaojing

Beyond the ultimate goal of finding the sea apple, along this route there is a very high chance of witnessing spectacular schools of butterflyfish, surgeonfish, fusiliers, and skipjack, which are essentially permanent residents of this area, almost always swimming in this zone. Coach Zhao says he once watched hundreds of Zanclus cornutus (Moorish idols) glide past him — a magnificent sight he has never forgotten. You can also search for large fish such as Grouper, moray eel, sweetlips, and snappers. In particular, several dragon moray eels and leopard moray eels that make their home on the isolated pinnacle are not only impressively large but also frequently interact with divers. While moray eels are found everywhere, it is genuinely rare to encounter individuals nearly one metre long that are comfortable around people at any other dive site.

At Chaojing, from March to May you can observe tiger-patterned cuttlefish spawning; from May onward, Catriona sp. nudibranch begin to appear; around June, you can start anticipating spectacular schools of fusiliers and amberjack. In terms of restoration achievements, Coach Zhao particularly recommends visiting the bigfin reef squid spawning grounds. At other dive sites along the Northeast Coast, bamboo-branch structures are typically used as artificial spawning habitat for bigfin reef squid, but things are different here. After a group of dedicated divers carefully cleaned the gorgonians / sea fans, the squid began spawning directly on them. When you look out and see an entire expanse of gorgonians / sea fans draped with squid eggs, it is a truly breathtaking sight.

While enjoying Chaojing's rich marine ecology, dive safety must not be overlooked. Coach Zhao notes that Chaojing sits at the mouth of a bay, and with a predominantly silty bottom, the tidal flow can stir up underwater "sandstorms" during incoming or outgoing tides — visible from a distance as a hazy, fog-like cloud. If you see one, turn back immediately; once engulfed, visibility drops to zero. This is something divers need to be especially mindful of. He also reminds everyone to stay well clear of vessel traffic lanes when in the water.

Of course, diving at Chaojing also requires maintaining good neutral buoyancy to avoid damaging the coral below, and care must be taken not to kick coral with your fins. Coach Zhao once witnessed a diver wearing long fins (freediving) push off the bottom — the diver shot gracefully upward, but a basketball-sized coral colony below was smashed in the process. A truly heartbreaking sight.

Chaojing's beauty is born of everyone's wholehearted commitment to conservation. Its future depends on you and me protecting it together — only then can we ensure a thriving, enduring ecosystem!

Wox's Recommended Species to Look For

1. Sea apple: Extremely rare; Chaojing has a stable population. Only when feeding does it open its branching tentacles into the current, resembling a flower in bloom.
2. Moray eel: Widespread along the Northeast Coast in great variety, but largely hunted out in most areas. Chaojing has a stable population; despite their fearsome appearance, they are not particularly aggressive and can be approached at close range.
3. Periclimenes masudai: A small shrimp that lives on Calliactis sea anemones, its spots closely matching the background, making it very easy to miss.

Special thanks to biological consultant for this article: Wox Lee

References:

• Marine Natural History of Northern Taiwan (Li Cheng-lu & Spark Chao, 2020)
• Taiwan Reef Coast Atlas (Chao Shih-min, 2003)
• Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation official website
• Northeast Coast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area official website
• National Museum of Marine Science and Technology official website

Further Reading:

• A Survey of Marine Protected Areas — Chaojing Outperforms Shen-ao! Unveiling the Differences in Management Measures and Intensity
• Keelung Chaojing Wanghaixiang — The Perfect Combination of Marine Protected Area and Citizen Science
• Chaojing Underwater Photography Competition Award Ceremony — Behind the Lens Stories Revealed