Northwest Channel
Dive site
Exposed channel on the northwest tip of Xiaoliuqiu where the South China Sea swell meets the Kuroshio edge. Moderate drift carries divers over a coral ridgeline populated by schooling fusiliers, large grouper, and the occasional oceanic triggerfish pushing in from deep water.
Conditions
Depth
10 to 28 m
Open water and up
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
15 to 25 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
21 to 29°C
3mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 22 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 22 |
| Vis (m) | 12 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 |
| Current | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate | Strong | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Yellowback fusilier
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Giant grouper
Photo: Ian Banks · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Green sea turtle
Photo: MARC MARTIN SOLA · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Oceanic triggerfish
Rare
Now and then
Field journal
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Gear