Snorkeling in Asia

[ljones]

I will be cruising to the following ports:

 

Singapore

Laemchabang,Thailand

Saigon (Phu My), VietNam

Hue/Danang(Chan May),Vietnam

Halong Bay,Vietnam

Hong Kong

 

Taipei(Keelung),Taiwan

Nagasaki, Japan

Busan, South Korea

Jeju Island, South Korea

Shanghai (Baoshan), China

 

Has anyone snorkeled within a reasonable driving distance from any of these ports?

 

Any comments - positive or negative / suggestions / tour companies?

 

Thanks much.

[Fletcher]

All these are totally NOT snorkelling spots. They are huge, industrial ports and I doubt if there's a coral reef within 30 miles of any of them. If you want to snorkel I'd suggest you find a different cruise.

[Philob]

"Hong Kong" loosely translates to "Fragrant Harbor"; believe me at times its very "fragrant" :cool:

 

There are public beaches in Hong Kong for a swim http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/beach/en/beach-location-hk.php, but most likely it'll take you a good part of your day to get to and from even with no traffic jams http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2655/3882478401_72b3ef0a8d.jpg :)

[SWANOZ]

I have researched snorkeling at Pataya but hve not actually taken a snorkelling trip there. There are quite a few operators 2 said they would pick us up at Laem Chabang one quoted 1500 Baht for the each about 50AUD. THis ones name is Seafari Dive Centre. Quote:

Boat, snorkeling sites.

The dive boats have two decks of which the lower deck is for equipment assembly and dive platform and the upper dry deck for relaxing, briefings etc. Journey time to the best dive/snorkeling locations take around 1:30 min. The best sites are situated on the Pattaya Far Islands and we will take you there each day, weather permitting. Koh Rin on the Pattaya far islands is our first choice for snorkeling. The marine life and visibility here are far superior to the near Islands of Koh Larn and Koh Sak. We will visit Two sites per day with a hot lunch in between.

The other one that said they would pick us up is Pattaya Snorkeling Tours. They said they would quote price closer to the time. Trip advisor info is good for both Hope this helps Jennifer

[ljones]

Somewhere I got the idea that snorkeling would be good in VietNam...so I did a bit more checking & these are comments / info I found:

 

http://www.visit-mekong.com/vietnam/vung_tau-con_dao-islands/activities.htm

 

 

 

Various Personal comments:

 

 

 

I don't think you want to snorkel in Vung Tau (near Phu MY port). The water in Con Dao is more clean than Vung Tau, thats why you got lots of results for Con Dao for snorkeling.

 

 

 

I wouldn't rely on snorkeling in HaLong Bay as the south china sea in these parts carries a lot of suspended matter including rubbish.

 

 

 

 

NO, dont do it in halong because you wont see any thing underwater :D

 

 

 

Seriously, 15 years ago the water was good but now it is totally horrible, snorkeling seems impossible ...you better go to Nha Trang

 

 

 

From all the boats there's lots of "waste" floating in the water....my last trip I saw more toilet paper than anything else....will be going again in May...hope it's better. Wouldn't recommend swimming either.

 

 

 

We went to Bac Tu Long Bay in Halong Bay and saw absolutely no pollution. But the water wasn't clear enough to snorkel at all. I think you'd need to go South to snorkel.

 

 

 

If you want beach then that rules out Hue. Danang has beach but the town's just a town, so I'd suggest Hoi An. The beaches are beautiful but if you want snorkeling you'll need to go out to Cham Islands on a day trip. I don't think the snorkeling is amazing but it's there. And the town is perfect for exploring - just make sure you get out of the main centre a bit, and I'd highly recommend a bike ride.

 

 

 

 

 

got a day trip to Monkey Island or Marble Mountains and if you stay on the west side of the river you're only a ten/fifteen minute bike ride to China Beach , very quiet and I found it much cleaner than the leg of beach down by Hoi'an.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't think there have Snorkeling in Danang ( have jetski in Furama Resort). But you can do Snorkeling in Cu Lao Cham Island ( near Hoi An ) from Danang to Hoi An ( 30km)

 

 

 

 

Cu Lao Cham Island is very beautiful. You can visit when you come to Danang...

 

 

 

 

No way to do in Danang, book tour to go to Hoian (25km from Dnang). Take a speedboat to Cham untouched island for the best coral reefs and colorful fish.

 

 

Nhatrang Mun island, Phu Quoc and Cham island well-known for scuba diving in VN by far

[ricethief]

I'm doing a similar cruise to your first half and from my research there are snorkeling excursions in Pattaya which is 30 mins from Laemchabang port. The excursions take you to either Koh Rin, Koh Phai or Koh Sak which aren't as busy and the water is suppose to be clearer. While I haven't done it myself that's what I've found out so far.

[ljones]

"We are not about to claim that Pattaya has the best snorkeling in Thailand, for that you are far better off heading to the Andaman Sea side of Thailand."

 

Nonetheless there is snorkeling. Here is a sight w/ additional info: http://www.pattayadiving.com/pattaya_dive_sites