The best outdoor water sports in Hong Kong

Taking standup paddleboarding (or SUP) to a whole new level, Blue Sky Sports Club offers monster standup paddleboarding where up to 10 people can get on the same board. Monster SUP is a great team-building exercise and challenges your core strength, but it promises plenty of laughs and falling over too. If you’re looking to paddleboard solo, renting starts from $320 to $820. Blue Sky also offers a different kayaking experience with their transparent kayaks from $400, where you can see down into the waters as you go.

If you want a thrill-seeking experience this summer, then why not try out jet-skiing? Wake2Chill in Sai Kung provides jet-ski rentals at $1,800 for the first hour, and $1,600 for each additional hour. If you’re a first-timer, Wake2Chill’s staff members will give you a crash course on how to operate the jet-skis safely and chaperone you on board. But for the pros out there, you can rent out a jet-ski to ride by yourself (as long as you have a Grade 2 licence).

The Stanley Main Beach Water Sports Centre offers some of the cheapest deals for water sports equipment rental in Hong Kong. The area’s relatively gentle waves during summer makes Stanley the perfect destination for windsurfing beginners. Located inside the sport centre, HK Aqua-bound Centre offers windsurf equipment available for rental by the hour or for the whole day, as well as one-on-one private courses with their instructors.

If you’re looking for a memorable kayaking experience like no other, look no further than A-Team Edventures. Known for providing guided tours through the most scenic routes via kayak, A-Team allows you to experience Cheung Chau island in a whole new light and paddle away under the night sky as you make your way along the coast. Depending on the season, you might even see bioluminescent algae that make the waters glow blue. The guided tours ($700 per person, a minimum of four people per group) also takes you onto land and into Cheung Chau village to stroll through the night market. If you’re looking to try out more water activities, A-Team has plenty of standard kayaking tours around Tap Mun and Double Haven, as well as classes for surfing, standup paddleboarding, and even slacklining.

Hit the waters and get jumping and flipping with a wakeboarding session. Learn how to master the fundamentals of riding the waves on a wakeboard, or simply show off sick spinning moves to get your adrenaline pumping. Wakeboard Hong Kong offers a range of boats for wakesurfers to choose from, starting from $1,300 per hour between five to six guests. You can also try out wake-skating and wake-surfing.

Combining wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics all into one extreme water sport, kiteboarding is perfect for adrenaline junkies. Hong Kong Kiteboarding School offers a range of training courses including beginner-friendly classes for $499, which cover all the basics from theory and setting up gears to undertaking a practice run on water. Refresher courses and intensive beginner’s two-day courses are also available. Held either on Pui O Beach or Shui Hau Wan, depending on the season, the school also doubles as a kiteboard retailer and repair shop.

Hoi Ha Wan is one of four protected marine parks in Hong Kong, renowned for its 60 types of hard coral and 120 species of coral fish. Venture out to the marine park via minibus 7 from Sai Kung Pier and rent kayaks and snorkelling gear from one of the shops in the tiny village of Hoi Ha on your way there. Kayak for about 20 minutes and you’ll reach the main coral colonies, hop off, and snorkel underwater to witness the beautiful marine and coral life.

What better way to immerse yourself into Hong Kong’s waters than going scuba diving? Splash Hong Kong organises Splash Days every weekend for two dives in the Sai Kung area for $690, complete with food and drink for the day. You can go with your own gear or rent it for $250. Don’t have a licence?  You can easily get one by completing a five-lesson course with Splash from $5,400.

Inspiration Lake remains one of the best-kept secrets in Hong Kong Disneyland. Located just a short 15-minute walk from the main park, Inspiration Lake is a beautiful 12-hectare man-made body of water with stunning mountain views of Lantau Island. You can rent a pedal boat (two-seaters or four-seaters available) and tour the artificial lake for $120 for an hour, or grab a surrey bike and cycle lakeside for $120 per hour. Relax afterwards with a picnic on the grassy knolls and enjoy the scenic view of Lantau.