Shui Hau Wan is Hong Kong favorite site for kite surfers and clam fishers (on this website, you can see the real-time wind and wave conditions!). With its shallow warm waters, shielded from the waves, but not the wind, it is a beautiful spot that’s easily accessible. It is also a fragile environment and culture. Today, I saw more than a hundred tourists digging the muddy sand looking for shells without oversight… Sometimes I wonder if it is better to catch in the wild abundant specie or sustainable aquaculture…

Video of the site

Map of the site

水口灣是位於大嶼山南岸的一個隱蔽的海灣，退潮後面積可達0.2平方公里。潮間帶的生境主要以沙坪為主，亦是大嶼山其中一個中國鱟(Tachypleus tridentatus) 的繁殖地。面向海，右方有紅樹林及河口，可找到一些迴游性魚類如鰻魚。上游地帶是主要是棄耕地及灌木叢，雨季時蛙鳴不絕於耳。

政府曾計劃將水口劃為「具特殊科學價值」地點，後來擱置收場。2016年頭，大嶼山發展咨詢委員會建議在大嶼山大力拓展旅遊基建，包括在水口建水上樂園、動物農莊等，計劃若落實將為水口帶來生態破壞和人為扞擾。

Shui Hau Wan is a sheltered bay located in southern Lantau Island, and the intertidal area can reach 0.2 km2 during low tide. The major habitat in the intertidal zone is mainly sand flat and it is also a breeding ground for Tachypleus tridentatus, a species of the horseshoe crab. Facing the sea, mangrove and estuary are on the right where some migratory fish can be found such as eel. At the upper course, there are mainly abandoned farmland and shrubland. During rainy season, unceasing frog calls can be heard.

The government initially planned to designate Shui Hau as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, but the plan was later dropped. In the beginning of 2016, the Lantau Development Advisory Committee proposed numerous projects to develop tourism in Lantau Island, including water sports and animal farms in Shui Hau. Such proposals, if carried out, will inevitably cause substantial habitat destruction and human disturbances.

From: http://www.nature.edu.hk/field_sites/shui-hau

Photos of the site

I did see a WWF poster on the beach… But I doubt anyone on the beach had seen it… I hope everyone watches this video that tells us about the beauty of the site and how to care for it.