by Chan Yin-ming
The Sea Palace: High and strong waves maintain the peace and privacy of place. Photo: HKEJ
It has already been my third trek along the southeastern coastline of Basalt Island (火石洲), which is part of Hong Kong’s Global Geopark. The beautiful landforms never cease to amaze me.
Led by a tour guide, everyone jumped into the water and swam towards the island’s twin sea caves. The left one is a very long cave with the water falling like a curtain on the front. Going into the cave, you could see clusters of sea urchins bathing in the shallow water as the tide was going out.
I took very careful steps lest I throw myself into a pond of spiny sea creatures.
The right one is dubbed “Brain Cave” (大腦洞) because a brain-shaped rock could be found at the end of the cave.
After the twin caverns, we headed to the “Sea Palace” cave (海上龍宫). You need plenty of skills and luck to visit it; the high and strong waves maintain the peace and privacy of the place.
Along the shore to the south are sea caves big and small. Squeezing into a slit between the rocks, I found a lovely beach of pebbles. However, I couldn’t stay any longer as my teammates hurried me, saying the view at the front is even more magnificent.
Lam Wan Kok Cave (欖灣角洞) in the eastern part of Basalt Island is one of the famous “Four Sea Arches” of Hong Kong. The splendid cave is 16 meters tall and 3 meters wide with the shape of a reclining moon blade. The tide was low and quiet, allowing us to set foot on the neighboring islands — Tai Pai (大排), Yi Pai (二排) and Sam Pai (三排) — and take pictures of the gigantic sea arch.
Useful information:
From/To: Hire a private boat to Basalt Island at Sai Kung pier. Only experienced persons shall do activities such as trekking, rock-climbing and swimming along the coastline of Basalt Island under the guidance of professional coaches.
Tips: Set off on a fine day when the weather is stable. The famous “Four Sea Arches” include Sha Tong Hau Cave in the southern part of Bluff Island, Lam Wan Kok Cave in the eastern part of Basalt Island, Wang Chau Kok Cave in the eastern part of Wang Chau, and Tiu Chung Arch in the southern part of Jin Island.
This article appeared in the Hong Kong Economic Journal on Oct. 9.
Translation by Darlie Yiu
(Cantonese with English subtitles)
– Contact us at english@hkej.com
DY/JP/CG
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