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Last year, the BlueTrend editorial team planted a coral at Gangwan in Suogang, Penghu (Decorate the Seas of Penghu with Coral — You Too Can Be a "Coral Florist": Coral Restoration Experience), and left carrying a heart full of memories and gratitude. From that moment on, our impression of Penghu was completely transformed. This year, I returned to Penghu with a few friends, and together we planted coral beads in a different way. My hope is that through this kind of eco-tour, more people will slow down and discover a different, hidden side of Penghu's beauty.
Let's Go — Off to Penghu!
With the summer holidays underway and international travel from Taiwan still not fully reopened due to the pandemic, the urge to board a plane and escape somewhere felt overwhelming. So we thought: let's go to Penghu!
Departing from Songshan Airport — grabbing boarding passes, checking luggage, browsing duty-free shops — a flight of around forty minutes is all it takes to arrive in Penghu with ease. Former news anchor Wang You-Ran set off with her daughter Xiao Kui and husband for a three-day, two-night eco-experience adventure in Penghu. Xiao Kui, a third-grader who loves trying new things, had a packed itinerary specially arranged by her mum: in addition to a snorkeling experience at Qimei and a night squid-fishing outing, there was also Penghu's signature Coral Florist coral restoration course, allowing Xiao Kui to take part in a special coral restoration activity through snorkeling and gain a deeper understanding of the core spirit of sustainable ecology.
Listening carefully to the instructor's briefing before getting in the water — to protect yourself and the coral alike
The coral planting transplant experience is offered in either a half-day or full-day format. For the half-day experience, participants check in directly with the operator, who will go over activity guidelines, explain how to put on a wetsuit, and discuss the harm that sunscreen can cause to the ocean. Everyone then gets to write a waterproof postcard, which can be posted in the underwater mailbox after diving in. The operator will then drive everyone to Gangwan in Suogang, where coral seedlings are collected from a small stand by the sea at the hatchery. Participants name their coral seedlings and take a certification photo before heading into the water. Non-swimmers need not worry — instructors will provide equipment guidance at the surface so everyone can get comfortable breathing with the gear before submerging.
Don't forget to write a waterproof postcard before getting in — you'll be able to post it in the underwater mailbox shortly after
The experience is available either as snorkeling or scuba diving. The snorkeling option has a lower age restriction and is better suited for older adults or children accompanied by a parent. The scuba diving option, due to equipment size requirements, is more appropriate for adults; it costs more but allows participants to get up close to the corals on the seabed and plant the coral beads themselves.
With scuba diving, you can dive directly down to plant the coral yourself
Getting Ready to Dive In and Plant Coral
On this occasion, Xiao Kui's mum signed up for the full-day snorkeling coral planting experience. The instructor tows a life ring while moving through the water, and Xiao Kui simply rests her hands on the ring and dips her head below the surface to hear the instructor explain the marine ecosystem in the surrounding area. On the way to the underwater coral garden, you'll spot plenty of black sea cucumbers and warty sea cucumbers — don't be startled! Sea cucumbers in Penghu are a protected species and cannot be taken. The clumps of green algae tumbling through the water column are sargassum — rolling into ball shapes with every push and pull of the waves, they look utterly charming. Sometimes you can even spot cuttlefish and frogfish hiding among the sargassum.
Even while snorkeling, you can get up close to the coral for a photo (please follow your instructor's guidance)
Penghu's Rich Coral Resources
The underwater coral garden is divided into different sections, featuring a wide variety of coral species — staghorn coral, massive Porites coral, foliose Montipora coral, and more — including one whole area blanketed in beautiful purple Acropora coral that looks as romantic as a lavender field. Wrasse and damselfish dart around the coral, and if you look carefully, you might even spot the extremely rare scaly giant clam. After admiring the garden planted by previous visitors, the instructor leads everyone to the second stop: the new growth garden area. On bare triangular concrete blocks, freshly planted coral seedlings are beginning to take root. During the snorkeling experience, the instructor plants the seedlings on the participants' behalf while they watch from the surface.
The third stop is the underwater mailbox — but because it sits at a greater depth, the instructor dives down to post the postcards on everyone's behalf. On the way back, keep your eyes peeled for Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii) and collector sea urchins. The full-day experience includes an additional guided tour inside the Penghu Aquatic Seed Breeding Center (the "Hatchery"), where participants can take part in the preparatory stages of coral planting, casting coral bricks, trimming and separating coral branches, and exploring a touch pool. There are also interactive games throughout the facility, so that by the time the children head to the shore to plant their own coral, the whole experience feels all the more vivid and meaningful.
The Penghu Aquatic Seed Breeding Center offers a comfortable environmental education venue — with nice cool air conditioning to boot
Beyond the typical tourist itinerary, you can also choose sustainable eco-tourism
If you're planning a self-guided trip to Penghu, why not set aside a day to visit the Penghu Aquatic Seed Breeding Center in southern Penghu, in addition to your usual tourist stops? By joining this ecologically meaningful sustainable tourism experience, you'll come away seeing the ocean — and coral ecosystems — in a whole new light. The Coral Florist activity at the Hatchery holds special event sessions on a regular basis each year. Keep a close eye on the Penghu Coral Florist official website, or contact the operators who work with the Hatchery directly for more information!
Each year's Coral Florist event has limited spots — keep an eye out for next year's activity information!
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