All activities / Scuba Diving / Green Island (Ludao)
Scuba Diving in Green Island (Ludao)
Green Island, or Ludao, is a small volcanic island about 33 kilometres off Taitung on Taiwan's southeast coast, ringed by hard coral reefs and warm, clear water. It holds more than twenty dive sites, a giant brain-coral colony among the largest known, and Zhaori, one of only a handful of seawater hot springs on earth. Boats and shore entries suit everyone from first-timers to experienced divers.
Why here
Green Island packs some of Taiwan's best and most accessible diving into a rim you can drive around in half an hour. More than twenty sites circle the island, from gentle shore reefs off Shilang and Chaikou to boat dives on coral walls, drop-offs and current-swept points where jacks, barracuda and turtles pass. The water is warm and often very clear, and the reefs are healthy hard-coral gardens; the island is also home to one of the largest brain-coral colonies ever recorded, hundreds of years old. Between dives you can soak at Zhaori, a rare seawater hot spring fed by geothermal heat right at the shoreline, one of only about three such springs in the world. Ferries and short flights from Taitung make it an easy add-on, and the island's dive shops run everything from a first Discover Scuba to full certification and guided fun dives.
Best months
Diving is possible year-round but the season peaks from about May to October, when the water sits around twenty-nine degrees and visibility often runs beyond twenty metres. From November to April the northeast monsoon brings wind and swell and cooler water near twenty-four degrees, so trips depend more on the weather and a wetsuit is welcome. Some sites have current and are better suited to experienced divers, while the sheltered shore entries are calm enough for beginners. Typhoon season from summer into autumn can close the crossing for a day or two, so build in flexibility.
Getting there & around
Reach Green Island from Taitung, either by a short flight or a passenger ferry from Fugang Harbour that takes under an hour in good weather and can be rough in the monsoon months. On the island most people rent a scooter to reach the dive shops and shore sites, which cluster around Nanliao, Chaikou and Gongguan. Dive centres arrange gear, guiding and courses, and many offer accommodation packages. Bring your certification card and logbook; the crossing can be cancelled at short notice in high wind, so keep a buffer day.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Islands Dive
SchoolIslands Dive is an SSI dive centre on Green Island offering Discover Dive introductions, Open Water and Advanced Open Water certification, specialty courses and macro night dives. The team reports visibility above twenty metres, with a warm May to October peak around twenty-nine degrees and cooler twenty-four degree water from November to April. It works Green Island's reef and wall sites in small groups and can be reached at islandsdiving@gmail.com.
Taiwan Dive Center Green Island
SchoolTaiwan Dive is one of the island's largest PADI operators, and its Green Island branch sits at Chaikou in Ludao Township, Taitung. It runs Discover Scuba sessions, guided fun dives and full PADI courses across Green Island's twenty-plus dive sites, from shallow shore reefs to boat dives on coral walls and big rock formations. The company also runs bases at Kenting, Xiaoliuqiu and Penghu, teaching in Mandarin and English from a first breath underwater to professional level.