Top Snorkeling Spots Near Taipei: Dive into Marine Wonders

Let me save you a wasted afternoon: Taipei is not a snorkelling city. The Tamsui River is the colour of milk tea, the reservoirs in the hills are drinking water, and nobody has ever floated over a coral garden off Dadaocheng. I know, because on my first trip I packed a mask, fins and a snorkel into a carry-on and spent the first evening in Ximending wondering what I had been thinking.

What Taipei does have is a transport network that quietly turns the whole island into a day trip. In an hour or two you can be on a rocky northeast coast with clear green water. In half a day you can be on a ferry to a real coral island with turtles under the pier. I have done this in October and again in June, once with a friend who had never worn fins and once with a friend who dives every weekend, and this guide is what I wish I had read before I bought a ticket. It is honest about what you will see, what the day costs, how long the journey really takes, and which places I would skip.

I have sorted everything by travel time rather than by how pretty the brochure photo is, because travel time is what decides whether you actually go.

Near, medium and far: how I sort snorkelling from Taipei

Think of three rings around the capital. The near ring is the Northeast Coast and Keelung: Longdong Bay, Bitou Cape and Heping Island. You can leave your hotel after breakfast, be in the water by late morning and be back in the city for dinner. The water is cooler and the fish are smaller than in the south, but you do see real reef fish, urchins and, on a calm day, the odd moray, and the whole outing costs about the same as a decent lunch.

The medium ring is Penghu. It sounds remote, but it is a short domestic flight from Songshan Airport, which sits inside the city. A one-night trip is realistic if you travel light and book the return flight sensibly.

The far ring is the south and east: Xiaoliuqiu, Green Island and Kenting. Each one needs the high-speed train or a long regional train, plus a ferry in two of the cases, and each deserves at least one night. If you have a long weekend in Taipei, stay in the near ring. If you have a week in Taiwan and water is the point of the trip, pick one far island and build around it rather than racing between all three.

One note on words. When I say snorkelling I mean floating with a mask and a tube, looking down, no certificate needed. Several operators on the platform sell a two-hour "diving and snorkelling experience" where you can stay on the surface or take a shallow guided dip with an instructor holding your hand. Those are beginner products and I have said which is which below. If you already hold a dive card, you want a proper dive shop, not these.

Longdong Bay: the day trip I recommend first

Longdong means Dragon Cave, and the name is the most dramatic thing about it. The bay is a small, rocky cove on the Northeast Coast with a concrete boat ramp, a few dive-shop awnings and water that on a good day is a clear, slightly cold green. It has become the default answer for anyone asking where to snorkel near Taipei, and I think the default is right, for one reason: it is the only place within two hours of the city where the bottom is real rock and the fish are real fish.

What you actually see is modest and lovely. Damselfish dart in the shallows, wrasse work the crevices, sea urchins sit in the rock pools like pin cushions, and if you swim slowly along the rock wall you will find small groups of juvenile fish sheltering in the weed. It is not the Great Barrier Reef and nobody should pretend it is. It is a cool-water rocky reef, and it rewards patience more than ambition.

The journey is the part people underestimate. You take a train from Taipei Main towards Ruifang or Fulong, then a local bus to the bay. On a weekday morning the whole thing is a little under two hours; on a summer Saturday add half an hour for the bus queue. I always leave before eight. If you arrive after lunch on a sunny weekend, you will share a small cove with several hundred people and a lot of inflatable flamingos.

The practical details matter more than the fish here. There is a basic toilet and a tap, but nothing you would call a shower, and very little shade. A thin rash guard or wetsuit top is worth packing even in July, because the water is cooler than anything you know from Singapore and you will stay in longer than you think. The bay is part of a national scenic area, and the swimming zone is marked and enforced. Stay inside it, watch what the local divers are doing, and do not swim near the boat lane. If the flags say no, the answer is no, and the sea does not care how far you came.

Wear water shoes. The entry is over rounded stones and barnacled concrete, and I have watched more than one person start their day with a cut foot. Bring a dry bag for your phone, and a plastic bag for the wet gear on the train home, because the carriage back at five o'clock is the least forgiving place on earth for a dripping backpack.

Who is it for? Confident swimmers who want a real sea day without a flight. Who should skip it? Anyone expecting colour, large fish or warm water. If that is you, read on to the islands.

Heping Island Geopark: the one for kids and nervous swimmers

Heping Island sits off Keelung, joined to the mainland by a short bridge. The geopark on its north side has something no other spot on this list can offer: a seawater swimming pool fed by the ocean through the rocks, with real fish swimming in it and a shallow end where a small child can stand. It is the only place near Taipei where I would take a six-year-old with a mask, and I have.

The pool is ringed by honeycomb rock and mushroom rock formations that look like cousins of the ones at Yehliu, and the headland trail takes about forty minutes if you stop for the view back towards the harbour. From Taipei, take the train or an intercity bus to Keelung, which is roughly an hour, then a city bus to the island and a short walk. There is an entry fee for the geopark, and the pool has its own season that usually runs from late spring into autumn with a lifeguard on duty. Always check on the day, because they close it in poor weather and for water-quality tests.

Inside the pool the water is a metre or two deep, clear, and full of small reef fish that wash in with each tide. You will not see a turtle. You will see a child look down, gasp into the tube and discover that fish exist, which is its own argument for coming.

If you would rather not wrestle with buses, a guided day joins the coast together. The Bitou Cape, Zhengbin Fishing Port, Heping Island Geopark and Keelung Miaokou Night Market tour starts from S$51.00 and walks the Bitou cliff trail in the morning, stops at the painted houses of Zhengbin for photographs, gives you the geopark in the afternoon and ends in the night market for dinner. It is a long day with a fair amount of walking on uneven ground, so wear proper shoes and carry your swim things in a separate bag. The snorkelling is a small slice of a bigger coastal day, which for a first visit to northern Taiwan is probably the right ratio.

Two cautions. The night market is the right way to end the day, but it means a late return, so do not book an early flight the next morning. And the pool is not a reef: if you want coral and depth, you need the islands. Think of Heping Island as the safe, friendly version of snorkelling that still puts you in the actual ocean.

Bitou Cape and the rest of the Northeast Coast

Bitou Cape is mostly a walking destination. A boardwalk and a set of steps follow the headland, and the views along the coast are some of the best within reach of the capital. Down at the water there are small coves where, on a flat-calm summer morning, the visibility is good enough that I have seen people slip in off the rocks with a mask. I would not plan a trip around it. Treat it as a bonus when the sea is behaving, and look for local advice before you go in, because the coast takes its swell from the open Pacific and the rocks are sharp.

A few rules I follow along this entire stretch. Never snorkel alone. Never go in when waves are breaking over the rocks you plan to use. Wear shoes until your feet are in the water. And if you are unsure whether a cove is open, ask the nearest dive shop or fishing port, who always know. People in Taiwan are generous with this kind of advice, and the one time I ignored it I spent twenty minutes being washed sideways along a wall of barnacles.

The coast also has a lot to offer once you are dry. Fishing ports sell grilled squid and fish balls for a few dollars, there are tea houses with sea views, and the sunsets on a clear evening are good enough to postpone the train by an hour. This is what makes the near ring a better plan than it first sounds: the snorkelling is the excuse, and the coast is the reward.

Penghu: a short flight, a different sea

If you want water that actually looks like water on a postcard without leaving the weekend behind, Penghu is the one. It is an archipelago in the Taiwan Strait, a short domestic hop from Songshan Airport, and it feels like a different country: low basalt islands, windblown fields, stone walls and wide, shallow, pale-green bays.

The snorkelling here is about calm coves rather than big marine life. The sea is clearest in summer, and the bays on the sheltered side of the islands can be as flat as a bath. Operators run half-day boat trips and diving and snorkelling experiences, and you can add a sunset paddleboard or a whale-cave sailing outing to the same trip. Wind is the thing that cancels plans here, not rain, and from late autumn through winter the northeast monsoon makes the whole archipelago a no for most visitors. Plan for the warmer months and keep a buffer day in case the flights are disrupted.

Several things on the platform fit this stretch well. The Penghu Whale Cave sailing half-day experience with a sunset paddleboard session is from S$39.53 and is the gentlest introduction I know: you spend time on the water without needing to be a strong swimmer. For a proper in-water session, the two-hour Penghu diving experience starts at S$96.00 and is designed for beginners, with an instructor beside you the whole way. And if you do not want to hire a scooter or a car, the Penghu tourist shuttle round-trip tickets from S$9.00 link the main sights by bus.

Be realistic about price. Penghu is not a cheap trip once you add flights and an overnight stay, and it makes sense only if you are going to spend a full day on or in the water. For a single afternoon of snorkelling, go to the coast instead.

Xiaoliuqiu: the turtle island that is worth the train

Xiaoliuqiu, also called Lambai Island, is a small coral island off the southwest coast, and it is the best answer to a very specific question: where in Taiwan can I almost guarantee a green sea turtle? The turtles live around the island year-round, grazing on algae over the shallow reef, and on a calm day you can float above one within minutes of getting in.

The journey is long. From Taipei you take the high-speed train to Zuoying in Kaohsiung, transfer to a shuttle or local bus to Donggang, and take a short ferry across. Plan about five hours door to door, and plan to sleep on the island if you can, because a same-day return makes for an exhausting day with very little time in the water.

The island itself is small enough to circle by scooter in under an hour. The famous spot is a rocky shore on the west side where the turtles feed, and local operators run guided snorkelling there with fins, masks, life jackets and a guide who keeps you at a respectful distance. That distance is not optional. Do not touch, chase or ride a turtle, do not block its path to the surface, and do not use flash photography. The island has a strong conservation culture and the guides will correct you politely the first time and less politely the second.

For a simple two-hour session, the Lambai Island snorkelling experience is from S$13.48. For something deeper, the Xiaoliuqiu one-to-one scuba experience starts at S$81.00 and pairs you with an instructor for two hours with no licence required.

My honest view: if you only have one far island in you, make it this one for the turtles, and Green Island if you care more about big visibility and dramatic coastline. Xiaoliuqiu is more crowded in summer and the water can be cloudy after heavy rain, so look at the forecast the day before.

Green Island: the Blue Cave and the biggest visibility

Green Island is a volcanic island off the east coast near Taitung, and it is the most beautiful place on this list. The water is deep blue, the visibility is often twenty metres or more, the coral gardens are healthier than most of what you find on the main island, and there is a sea cave known as the Blue Cave that every operator will tell you about within thirty seconds.

It is also the hardest to reach. You take a train or a short flight to Taitung, then a ferry from Fugang harbour that takes under an hour, and the crossing is rough enough in bad weather that sailings are cancelled. Plan two nights, leave buffer in your schedule on both ends, and do not book a flight home the same evening you return.

The two-hour diving and snorkelling experience on Green Island starts at S$23.70. It is a beginner product with a guide, equipment and a swim around the Blue Cave area, and it is the best-value water experience on this entire list. If conditions are good, you can float above hard coral, parrotfish, butterflyfish and the occasional anemone with clownfish, and the colour contrast with the northeast coast is startling.

Two practical notes. First, ask the operator about the sea state before you pay; the Blue Cave in particular is weather dependent, and a good operator will move the session rather than take you into rough water. Second, the island has a hot spring on the south coast, a seawater one that sits at the edge of the sea and is lit up at night, and I would put that on your list for the evening after the swim. It is the best way I know to end a day in cool water.

Kenting: beaches, a shallow reef and a very large aquarium

Kenting sits at the southern tip of Taiwan and it is the most conventional beach holiday on this list. There are resorts, beach bars, a night market and warm water for most of the year. It is also where the snorkelling is the most variable: the main beaches are busy with swimmers and jet skis, and the best reef sites are a short drive away at the quieter bays near the fishing harbour. Visibility changes with wind and swell, and in winter the northeast monsoon churns up the water.

Go to Kenting if you want a holiday that happens to include snorkelling, not the reverse. A traveller with young children, a mix of interests and a love of resorts will have a better time here than on Green Island. A serious snorkeller will find the water decent and the crowds distracting.

The one thing I would do on every visit is the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, from S$18.58. It sits on the southwest coast near Checheng and is one of the best aquariums in Asia, with a long underwater tunnel, a Kuroshio current tank and a coral reef exhibit that shows you what you are hoping to find outside. On a day when the sea is too rough to swim, it is the right plan B. I have spent an entire wet afternoon there and not once wished I were elsewhere.

For a beach day with no effort, the YOHO Beach Resort day entry is from S$13.00 and gives you a private stretch of sand, loungers and calm shallow water that is good for children. It is not a reef trip, but if the plan is a family beach day and a short swim with a mask in sheltered water, it does the job without drama.

What to pack, and what to leave at home

Most of what you need is cheaper and lighter than you think. I travel with a short list that has not changed in years.

Leave the fins at home unless you are a committed snorkeller. Operators supply them on the islands, and carrying them through Taipei's MRT at rush hour is a minor humiliation I do not recommend. Leave the underwater camera in your bag until you are comfortable, too. I have lost count of the people who spent an entire first session fiddling with a housing and never once looked at a fish.

Phone data is a practical item that people forget. A prepaid plan from the airport arrivals hall works, but an eSIM you install before landing saves the queue. Options such as the Taiwan eSIM with hotspot support start from S$3.00, which is small money for working maps, ferry timetables and a way to check the sea forecast on the beach.

Getting around Taiwan on a snorkelling trip

The thing that makes this whole plan possible is how good public transport is. Taipei has an efficient MRT, the national railway covers the coast, and the high-speed rail connects Taipei to the south in a couple of hours. For a snorkelling trip you will use all three.

For the city, a stored-value card saves time at every gate and bus. The Taiwan EasyCard for non-Taiwanese visitors is from S$5.00 and works on the MRT, city buses, many trains and even some convenience stores. If you prefer fixed-price rides in Taipei, the Taipei MRT one-day and multi-day tickets start at S$8.31.

For the airport, the Taoyuan Airport MRT ticket from S$24.04 is the cheapest way into the city and avoids the traffic on the highway. It runs to Taipei Main Station, where the railways, high-speed rail and the Keelung buses are all in the same area, which makes it the natural base for a snorkelling trip.

If you plan to head south to Xiaoliuqiu, Green Island or Kenting, the Taiwan High-Speed Rail unlimited pass from S$84.06 is worth a calculation. It only pays off if you take several long rides in the validity period, so count your trips before you commit. For a single return journey to Kaohsiung and back, a regular ticket will usually be cheaper. For a week of moving around the island, the pass starts to look sensible.

Two final transport tips. First, trains to the east coast sell out on weekends and public holidays, so book early. Second, ferries to the outer islands do not wait for latecomers, and a missed sailing can cost you a day, so arrive at the port at least forty-five minutes before departure.

Entry rules for Singaporeans and other visitors

Singapore passport holders can enter Taiwan visa-free for tourism, with a stay of up to 30 days per entry at the time this was last checked in late September 2026. The rule is set by the Taiwanese immigration authority, so always confirm the current conditions on the official site before you travel, and make sure your passport has at least six months of validity.

Indian passport holders and some other nationalities have a different route. Eligible travellers who hold a valid or recently expired visa or residence permit from certain countries can apply for a visitor visa online. The fee at the last check was USD 50, the visa is valid for 90 days from approval with a stay of up to 14 days, and processing is usually quick. Group tourist e-visas exist for people travelling with an approved agency. The conditions are narrow and change, so read the official page rather than trusting a blog, mine included.

Whatever passport you hold, carry a return or onward ticket and proof of accommodation, and keep your swimwear and your paperwork in separate bags. Customs officers are not interested in your snorkel, but they will be interested in a passport that has been through the washing machine.

A three-day and a seven-day plan

Here is how I would actually spend the time, depending on how many days you have.

If you prefer the east, swap Xiaoliuqiu for Green Island and add a day. If you prefer a lazier pace, take Penghu on day four and spend the rest of the trip on the beach.

Whatever you choose, leave one day without a fixed plan. The best moment of my last trip was an unplanned detour to a fishing port because a bus driver told me the squid was good, and he was right.

Safety and sea manners I stick to

Snorkelling looks harmless and that is exactly why people get hurt. Most accidents I have heard about from guides involve tired swimmers, strong currents and people who drifted away from the group without noticing. A few habits keep a day easy.

Wear a life jacket on any guided session, even if you swim well. It costs nothing, it lets you float and look instead of kick, and on the cooler northern coast it stops you burning energy you will want later. Agree a signal with your partner before you get in, and keep one eye on the shore so you notice if the current is taking you sideways. If you feel yourself drifting, stop, turn towards the beach and swim across the current, not against it.

Look after the reef as if you were a guest in someone's home. Do not stand on coral, do not pick up shells or urchins, and do not feed the fish. Sunscreen should be applied well before you get wet, and a rash guard does the same job without the chemicals. On Xiaoliuqiu in particular, the turtles are protected, and the guides will end your session early if you crowd them.

Finally, eat lightly before you go in and drink water on the boat. I once spent a ferry crossing to Green Island regretting a very large breakfast, and the Blue Cave looked rather less blue for it.

When to go, and what a typhoon does to your plans

Summer is the obvious season, and it is also typhoon season. From roughly July to October a storm can cancel ferries, close beaches and shut down a flight to Penghu with a day's notice. May, June and early autumn tend to be the sweet spot: warm enough water, calmer seas, fewer holiday crowds. Winter is a poor season for snorkelling in the north and for Penghu, though the south and Kenting remain more forgiving.

Build slack into any trip that depends on a ferry. Book accommodation that can be changed, buy insurance that covers weather disruption, and treat the forecast as the real itinerary. When a typhoon is forecast, local operators will usually reschedule or cancel on their own, and I have never regretted listening to them.

Frequently asked questions

Can you actually snorkel in Taipei city?
No. There is no snorkelling inside the city, and the rivers and reservoirs are not for swimming. The closest real snorkelling is on the Northeast Coast and Keelung, roughly one to two hours away.

Which spot is easiest for a complete beginner?
Heping Island Geopark for a very gentle first swim, and the guided sessions on Green Island or Xiaoliuqiu for a proper sea experience with a guide and life jacket.

Do I need a diving licence for the diving and snorkelling experiences?
No. The beginner sessions listed here are designed for people with no certification, and an instructor stays with you. If you want to go beyond a shallow guided session, you will need a recognised course.

When is the best time of year?
Late spring and early autumn are my favourites. Summer has the warmest water but also the typhoon risk, and winter is poor for the north coast and Penghu.

How do bookings on HolidaySG work for these experiences?
You choose a date and option, pay online, and our team confirms your booking before the ticket is issued. E-tickets are emailed after our team confirms, so book a few days ahead rather than the night before.

What happens if there is a typhoon?
Operators normally reschedule or cancel when the sea is unsafe. Refund terms depend on the booking, so read the cancellation and refund details on the product page and on our refund page before you pay.

Is it safe to snorkel with the turtles on Xiaoliuqiu?
Yes, with a licensed guide and a life jacket. Keep your distance, never touch a turtle and follow the guide's instructions exactly.

Can I bring children?
Yes, but pick the spot. Heping Island and the Kenting beach resort are the easiest. The islands need a ferry and a longer day, which is hard on young children.

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