Round Island

Round Island, 16th March 1997 Having been coerced by Pam into participating with Neil and Tam in the first dive of the Lunar New Year, it was painfully clear that my Neoprene is inadequate for Hong Kong winter waters and the dive on 2nd March was therefore carefully avoided. Two weeks later, fooled by the glorious weather on the Saturday and wanting to dive again before the National Instructors arrived, I was at Tai Mei Tuk to witness some of the events that took place out beyond the Tolo Channel on Sunday 16th March.

The weather had begun to look a bit dodgy but we, unlike the accompanying boat from the YMCA, made the long haul to Round Island to find excellent diving conditions. Visibility, when it was not reduced by swarms (shoals?) of fry, in places reached about 8 metres. The water temperature was bearable, although two of our techies found dry suits appropriate. The sandy bottom was 10 metres deep below the boat but most of the interesting stuff was closer inshore between the rocks at between 3 and 5 metres. A number of Nudibranchs were seen (this is a good time of year for Nudi’s) and a magnificent Cuttlefish waved his tentacles threateningly at us for a good while before slowly backing off into the rocks. Brian found a Goby guarding a funnel-shaped hole in the sand, but after waiting motionless for some minutes saw no more than a feeler of its shy digging partner. A little further on a couple of eyes peering anxiously from the sand turned out to be a buried Puffer-fish who shook himself free and dashed off when he realised that his camouflage had been rumbled.

In a curious start to the second flight it was reported that the last man down was molested during his descent by our ex-editor, who appeared to be trying to use his teeth to raise the pitch of his victim's voice. This was, however, a misinterpretation of an innocent demonstration of the courting overtures of some shark species.

Despite the good diving conditions at Round Island all but three of us decided that the water was still too cold for a second dive and the boat was moved homewards, in the face of worsening weather, to the reef beneath the beacon at Cham Pai. Here was discovered a Lion-fish (well, I believe you, Ian) and a veritable host of Nudibranchs and the fact that, at least on home ground, Brian's air supply outlasts even a Nitrox rebreather.