A Yacht Trip to To Tei Wan (Deity Beach) and Tai Tam Bay
It is at the tail of our summer and I joined a group of friends on the last yacht trip that they were organizing for the year. The itinerary is Tai Tam Bay and Deity Beach in the southeastern waters of Hong Kong. On this incredibly sunny day we met at Central Pier 10 for our Italian yacht, which will sail around the Hong Kong Island for the day.
The yacht sailed westward from Central. On our way, we saw beautiful sea views. The scenery of western Hong Kong came into full view, such as the Tsing Ma Bridge, a few uninhabited islands, the Lamma Island, then to Stanley, its famous prison, Chung Hom Kok, Beaufort Island and Po Toi Island.
The yacht anchored at Tai Tam Bay. The Deity Beach was right across from us, perhaps at 80 meters or so. I decided to swim to the shore with a small group. I took a noodle with me, and the swim was very pleasant. The sea water became very clear when we arrived at the beach. I kept floating at the shore, however, because the sand of this beach was very, very rough. It was not very nice to walk on the sand.
When I swam back to the yacht, however, I ran into a scare. My friends that arrived at the yacht maybe just a few minutes before me got on the yacht, no problem. But in just those few minutes, there was an undercurrent that swept through the area. I kept swimming and my feet peddled but the movement of the water kept pushing me to another direction, away from the yacht. I was told that, in that situation, first not to panic, and secondly, go with the currents, instead of fighting it. When it is gone, swim back to the direction you wanted to go.
The To Tei Wan Village is a squatter village that has existed for decades. In 1982, the Hong Kong Government conducted a Squatter Control Survey. The existing squatter structures were preserved as tolerated structures, but any squatter structures built thereafter would be demolished. This is the situation of the To Tei Wan Village today. Indeed, there were very few people at the To Tei Wan Beach (also known as Deity Beach) on this prime day for watersport activities. One member in our group went to ask, and there is a watersport club at the beach there. Members built a little shelter for their canoes on a beach.
Despite the show of a little desertedness, the To Tei Wan Village is actually well known. That is because this is also the entrance into the popular hiking trail of Dragon Back. This area is suitable for water sports, especially during the summer, because the wind is gentle at this season.
Before we knew it, lunch time came. There were two options for lunch in this location. We could sail to the neighboring Po Toi Island for a proper seafood lunch. Another option was to sail back to the civilization at Stanley for takeout. The group decided to do pizza and pasta takeout at Stanley, and ate on the exclusive sun deck on the yacht.
The afternoon came with plentiful sunshine. I decided that, after swimming back and forth the shore, I have done enough activities for the day. So I stayed in the air-conditioned chamber inside the yacht. The others played on the large floating pool. I relaxed with a book, and it was wonderful.
It was soon dusk hour and the yacht headed back to Central. On our way back, we took the eastern route around Hong Kong Island. We passed via the eastern approach of the Victoria Harbour. Views of eastern Kowloon and Hong Kong Island came into view. The Devil’s Peak seemed within arm’s length. The busy traffic of the Eastern Corridor showed the typical hustles of Hong Kong life. But we were on the yacht, relaxing in the company of great friends. It was just in time to view the sunset, and soon enough, our trip concluded at Central Pier 10, where we began.
