Lanyu: Scuba Diving in Taiwan

Climbing into the back of a pickup with oxygen tanks and fins, we make our way back to Chicken Rock for our second dive of the day. Under the water, we swim between coral tunnels to hunt for clams, sea snakes, Nemo, and other life. It's fly fish season, so diving on the other side of the island with the ships is forbidden to protect the precious food source. I get it. We've been eating char grilled fly fish every day since coming ashore and it's delicious. It's our daily routine now: dive, eat fly fish, dive, drink, sleep, repeat. Not bad for a short spring holiday.



This is our first visit to Lanyu and the fresh seafood is amazing. The diving isn't bad either. I wouldn't mind a return trip to go explore the sunken ships nearby. Like Ludao, Lanyu is a coral island with a thriving underwater reef as well as many interesting rock formations, caves and other places to explore both on and off land. Unlike Green Island, it's big. The whole thing takes multiple hours to circle by scooter as compared to Green Island's short, little joyride.



Lanyu, also known as Orchid Island, is located a good three hours from Taiwan and supports a local population of traditional Tao. There are some Taiwanese on the island as well, but they are mostly seasonal workers, such as our scuba guide Xiǎobō. He was on working holiday as an instructor after quitting his job at Asus. We were also diving with a bunch of Google engineers. Apparently, this is where the techies go to unwind.



Between dives, we spent our time scooting around in search of pretty rocks and food. We found all the formations, including a few that aren't on the maps. If you go, ask your host about the secret cave next to the more famous Lover's Cave. Maybe they'll tell you. There's also a secret little swimming hole hiding under the rocks on the East side of the island.



On your way around, keep an eye out for a great little driftwood cafe serving fresh crushed juice to-go in mason jars and little rope bags. We got in the habit of swinging by there to stock up before heading around to find a cave or catch a sunset. Speaking of, the best place to watch the sun go down is Mantou Rock on the west side. You can watch it disappear from view in the company of some local goats looking for their dinner on the rocks.

Where to Stay

We stayed at Blue Ocean Scuba Center. Of course, we were on a scuba trip, so sleeping literally above the dive shop made things super convenient for us. I'd stay there again though. It was clean and cute with fresh breakfast served every morning. Plus, the location was good. Walking distance from the harbor, it made both our arrival and departure easy. Our host was also always nice and knowledgeable with some great tips for making the most of our time.

Getting There

I want to go back. I do, but the sad truth is that in less time it takes to get to this island, I could also fly to Indonesia. This fact really puts things in perspective on how committed you have to be to get out there. First, it's a 3- to 5-hour train ride from Taipei to Taitung. After that, it's a three-hour vomit-inducing ferry out to the island. We did it. We held our stomachs, tilted our heads back and kept it together. I'd probably do it again, but I am starting to question the logic behind this.