Swim with humpback whales in Moʻorea, September 2027 · from CHF 4,500See the trip →
Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Asia

Asia

Hong Kong

City waters with rich coral communities, a turtle beach that stays closed, and pink dolphins watched only from afar.

Green hills along the southwest coast of High Island, Sai Kung, Hong Kong
High Island, Sai Kung District, Hong Kong · Photo: Underwaterbuffalo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 26 Sep 2026. Sources: Monitoring of Marine Mammals in Hong Kong Waters 2024-25, AFCD, 2025; AFCD reminds public not to enter Sham Wan Restricted Area, HKSAR Government, 2025; Animal rights NGO calls for end to dolphin shows at Ocean Park, Hong Kong Free Press, 2025.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The US State Department rates Hong Kong at Level 2, exercise increased caution, in an advisory issued 4 September 2026. Australia's Smartraveller advises a high degree of caution, citing national security laws and strict control of demonstrations. Sources: US State Department travel advisory, Hong Kong · Smartraveller travel advice, Hong Kong Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

ScubaSnorkellingTurtlesDolphinsCoral reefs

Why Hong Kong

Behind the city there are small coral bays like Hoi Ha Wan, and about 84 kinds of hard coral are recorded in Hong Kong waters. West of Lantau you may see Chinese white dolphins, the pink humpback dolphins, but only from a slow boat that follows the local code. Their number in Hong Kong waters fell from 188 in 2003 to 38 in 2024. Sham Wan on Lamma Island is the only green turtle nesting beach, though nesting there is rare, and it is closed from April to October, so we stay away.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

CambodiaThailandLaosMyanmarVietnamNorth KoreaSouth KoreaIndiaBangladeshBhutanNepalSri LankaChinaTaiwanPhilippinesMalaysiaJapanHoi Ha Wan and the Sai Kung coast, Hong KongWest and South Lantau, Hong KongSham Wan, Lamma Island, Hong Kong

When to go

Oct-Dec. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Hong Kong's marine parks protect rich coral bays, and the only turtle nesting beach is closed by law from April to October. The dolphin watching code is only voluntary, and Chinese white dolphins in these waters fell to about 38 in 2024, so we would join only rare, slow trips that keep far away. Captive dolphins are still shown at a theme park, and we do not go there.

Checked 26 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Hong Kong

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Hoi Ha Wan and the Sai Kung coast

Exploring

A small marine park bay with some of the richest coral cover in Hong Kong.

🤿 In the water: Hard corals, Reef fish, Nudibranchs, Seahorses (rare)

When: Oct-Dec. October to December is after the main typhoon months, the water is still mild and visibility starts to improve. In winter the sea is clearer but cold, around 18 degrees.

Rules and fees: The marine park is free to visit and needs no permit for snorkelling or diving. Please keep away from the coral, never stand on it, and leave every shell and creature where it lives.

West and South Lantau

Exploring

The last main home of Hong Kong's Chinese white dolphins, and finless porpoises near the Soko Islands.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Chinese white dolphins (Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins), from a slow boat, far away, Finless porpoises (around the Soko Islands)

When: Year-round. The dolphins live here all year, mostly along the west coast of Lantau. Boats should keep a slow speed and a calm distance, and only one watching boat should be close to a group.

Rules and fees: Dolphin watching follows a voluntary local code that asks boats to go slowly and keep a calm distance. We would join only small, rare trips.

Sham Wan, Lamma Island

Exploring

The only green turtle nesting beach in Hong Kong, closed to people from April to October.

Animals

Animals recorded in Hong Kong

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Adult pink Chinese white dolphin swimming beside a grey calf in Pearl River estuary waterChinese white dolphinSousa chinensisSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredEstuary seahorse with textured orange skin on dark sandCommon (estuary) seahorseHippocampus kudaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasVulnerableFinless porpoiseNeophocaena phocaenoidesSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePale seahorse with a long snout holding a blade of green weed against a dark backgroundThree-spot seahorseHippocampus trimaculatusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasEndangeredDark seahorse holding on among stalks and plants on a sandy seabed in green-tinted waterGreat seahorseHippocampus kelloggiSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRound ribbontail ray swimming over rocks at Santa Cruz, GalápagosRound ribbontail rayTaeniurops meyeniSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePortuguese man o' war floating with purple crest off Pico, AzoresPortuguese man o' warPhysalia physalisSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlack-faced spoonbill in Taiwan, TW, iNaturalist research-grade observationBlack-faced spoonbillPlatalea minorSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLesser frigatebird soaring against a blue sky with its wings spread and tail forkedLesser frigatebirdFregata arielSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernShort-tailed shearwater resting on the open seaShort-tailed shearwaterArdenna tenuirostrisSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernJapanese cormorant perched on a rock against blue sky with its bill open, white throat and cheeks showingJapanese cormorantPhalacrocorax capillatusSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Dreaming of Hong Kong?

Tell Rocío what you would love to see

There is no trip here yet. If enough people ask, it helps us decide where to go next.

Message on WhatsAppEmail RocíoGet new dates first

Also in Asia
BangladeshBruneiCambodiaChinaIndonesiaJapanLaosMacauMalaysiaMicronesia (FSM)MyanmarNorth KoreaPalauPhilippinesSingaporeSouth KoreaTaiwanThailandTimor-LesteVietnam

← Back to the Ocean Atlas

For partners

Based in Hong Kong?

We are always happy to hear from exceptional local operators, accommodation, conservation organisations and destination experts in Hong Kong. If your work fits responsible, small-group ocean travel, we would love to learn more.

Partner with Ocean Calling
You might like

New: tiger sharks in Fuvahmulah, January or March 2027

from CHF 2,900

Book now →