Hong Kong scuba divers talk up potential for growth as more overseas visitors go diving
When Hong Kong culture minister Rosanna Law Shuk-pui revealed at a recent Legislative Council (Legco) panel meeting that she was a licensed scuba diver, many were surprised, not only by her extracurricular qualification, but also the fact she actually dives in Hong Kong.
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The secretary for culture, sports and tourism was responding to a lawmaker's proposal to build a pier at Pak Lap Wan, in Sai Kung, to offer more
transport options to the nearby High Island Reservoir East Dam, which has become popular with hikers because of the hexagonal rock columns in the area.
'I am a certified rescue diver and Pak Lap Wan was the first place in Hong Kong where I dived,' she told the Legco panel on April 10. 'I, as a rescue diver, do not support any establishment being built there which may hurt its natural ecology and resources.'
While Hong Kong is hardly known for being a scuba diving hotspot – especially when compared to the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and even
Taiwan – it is not without its appeal.
Simon Lorenz, diving instructor, underwater photographer and owner of a dive travel company, in Lobster Bay, Hong Kong, in 2024. Photo: Antony Dickson
'We are on the outskirts of the Coral Triangle and have a good coral and fish diversity,' says Simon Lorenz, a Hong Kong-based underwater photographer. 'The problem with Hong Kong is we are near the Pearl River, so visibility is relatively low.'
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