Diving Green Island, Taiwan

Green Island (Lüdao) is a small volcanic island about 33 km off the southeast coast of Taiwan. It lies directly in the path of the Kuroshio Current, which brings warm, clear water and supports extensive hard- and soft-coral reefs. The combination of volcanic rock formations and coral growth creates a very different underwater landscape from the Caribbean reefs.

The main dive areas include Shilang, Chaikou, and Dabaisha. Shilang and Chaikou have extensive shallow coral reefs, while other sites offer walls, canyons, caves and deeper offshore reefs. The coral communities are particularly diverse, and surveys have recorded hundreds of fish species as well as a remarkable variety of mollusks, crustaceans and nudibranchs.

The Kuroshio Current is also an important factor when diving Green Island. It provides the warm water and nutrients that support the reefs, but currents and changing sea conditions can make some sites considerably more challenging. The choice of dive site therefore depends strongly on wind, waves, tides and current conditions.

Marine life includes large numbers of tropical reef fish, sea turtles, moray eels, groupers, rays and numerous smaller animals. For an underwater photographer, the combination of healthy coral growth and abundant macro life, particularly nudibranchs and small crustaceans, makes Green Island interesting even when conditions are not suitable for the more exposed sites.

Green Island is therefore an interesting example of a subtropical coral ecosystem influenced by a major ocean current. The reefs are not simply a continuation of the tropical reefs of Southeast Asia: their location in the western Pacific and the seasonal influence of the Kuroshio give the island its own characteristic combination of coral and marine life.