(水口) Shui Hau, A heaven for clam lovers

Time to show your creativity!

Some diggers even set up makeshift stand for their belongings.

Nothing beats a gorgeous sunny day on the weekend! Remembering a friend’s causal remark of how I’ve missed out on the clam digging excitement in Shui Hau last time, I made a few phone calls. Within an hour, we had a group of 15 members (both big and small), ready to embark on our clam digging adventure. According to the Hong Kong Observatory’s tidal information, the water in the area of Shui Hau would recede between 12 noon to 6 pm. Without further delay, our jolly group had a quick lunch at the food court in Citygate Outlets, and took a bus from the bus terminus located just outside the mall (if you arrive Tung Chung by MTR, please take EXIT B, walk through the fountain and you can find Ngong Ping 360 cable station, the bus stop is right next to you). We were told that both bus no.11 (Tai O-bound) and 23 (Ngong Ping-bound) would stop by Shui Hau.

Follow the signs and you’ll reach the bus stop for bus no. 11 and 23.

The bus meandered slowly up the hill and made a fast descent down the slope. After passing Chang Sha, one of the longest beaches in Hong Kong, we knew our destination Shui Hau was not far. Only 20 minutes ride on the bus and we were there! Instead of getting off at the Shui Hau football pitch, we got off at the village and made our first stop at the small store that rents out tools for digging clams. The family-run store even offers left luggage service!

If you have all you need for your mission,

get off at Shui Hau Football Pitch and you’d reach the beach in no time.

Besides clam digging essentials can be rented ,

the store also has homemade sweet treats and snacks on the menu.

Interested party can even ask for info on rooms to stay around the area.

A basket full of clam rakes - a must-have for digging clams.

Clam rakes… checked. Bottles… checked. Stools… checked. We were all set, and off we went! The store owner showed us the little path leading to the beach from the backside of the store. Through the fields and out to the greens, we were first greeted by scent of fresh cow poop along the way.

The path that leads from the backside of the store to the beach.

There was no lack of nature lovers with cameras and
telephoto lenses hung around their neck,
ready to capture the fluttering of colourful wings.

An all too often sight along the short path

towards the beach – cows grazing in the fields and

strolling leisurely on the way.

A small butterfly taking camouflage among the leafy shades.

Only a short 10-minute walk, the beach came into sight,

reaching far out to the South China Sea.

This funny looking tree couldn’t be a better signage,

directing “treasure hunters” to their treasures (clams in this case).

In a distance, I saw colourful tiny dots along the coast. They seemed to be moving. Oh my… they are all clam diggers at work! Without a second thought, my friends, namely family ASOP, quickly settled down their digging equipment, rolled up their sleeves and immediately got down to do some “dirty” work. In a matter of minutes, they have already brandishing their prizes and shouting for joy!

Shouts of “look at this” and “see what I’ve found” were heard from time to time in every corner of the bay. Seeing that my friends were all concentrating in their little territory, I ventured out to the shoreline. People say, the further out you go, the bigger clam you get.

The tide has pulled out several hundred metres.

Clam diggers could be seen all over the beach.

Mangrove and tiny seashells are clearly visible

on the mud flat now that the water has receded.

Patterns created by the movement of

the wave could be seen stretched for miles.

They aren’t just pebbles. On a closer look,

they are tiny seashells making slow moves across the mud flat.

Occasionally, one would spot oysters,

crabs or some other tiny sea life across the beach.

Clam diggers were scattered around the beach busying, and enjoying themselves around sand trenches. The activity is definitely a stress buster. I bet the only thought the diggers have at that time was “would the next biggie be hiding here?”

This digger concentrated very much on the ground in looking for his targets,

at the same time, he is being my camera target too!

are they going to set up a camp fire here?

noop... just digging happily with family!

See, another two diggers concentrating on finding the next big juicy clam.

Nature is the best classroom - for children

who are too small to venture on their own,

there is still plenty to see and learn on the beach.

Further out on the edge of the bay, a family was flying kite. I heard that Shui Hau Bay is a haven for kiteboarding too but tough luck, no kiteboarders was in action today.

Thanks to the easterly wind,

Shui Hau Bay is a natural choice for flying kites.

The bay’s shallow and flat-to-choppy waters

make it an ideal spot for beginners to pick up on kiteboarding.

On the other side of the bay were some serious clam diggers. Among them an old man, who seemingly makes a living by fishing and selling his catches. He parked his boat by the shore and worked the clam rake that only true clam diggers would do. Occasionally, he bent down to collect clams the size of a palm. A truly fascinating sight.

I couldn’t help but captured the old man at work –

that’s how clam digging was done by local fishing folk.

After watching him for what must have been a good 15 minutes, I returned to join the excited crowd of holiday clam diggers. Family ASOP have already dug up half a bucket of their prize for the day. About two hours of fun and dirty work, our clam digging league decided to call it a day, well before the tide would return.

Prize of the day!

Digging the clams by myself, i feel happy and full of satisfation!

Instead of going back the same route, we took a shorter route – or rather, the more commonly known route – through the beach store where the Kiteboarding Hong Kong Association was stationed. In no time (less then 3 minutes), the beach was out of sight and we were standing right next to the football pitch. The bus stop for bus no. 11 and 23 (Tung Chung-bound) is just across the road. No wonder Shui Hau has become an open secret for clam diggers alike – for its accessibility and therapeutic effect. The truth is, not only did clam digging exercise your back muscle, your arms, it brings great satisfaction and helps bust stress!

Very basic shower facility in the proximity of the beach store

and the Kiteboarding Association.

Behind the car park lays the path to the beach.

Go digging!

Useful information - bus schedule
Bus no.23 (from Tung Chung Town Centre to Ngong Ping) operates daily on a regular schedule and runs every 20-30 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays and every 15-20 minutes on Sundays and public holidays. Bus fares range from $8.6 per child and $17.2 per adult on a single journey (on weekdays and Saturdays), higher bus fares apply to Sundays and public holidays, starting from $13.5 per child and $27 per adult on each journey.

Bus no.11 (from Tung Chung Town Centre to Tai O) offers similar daily service with bus fares ranging from $5.9/child and $11.8/adult on weekdays and Saturday and $9.6/child and $19.2/adult on Sundays and public holiday. More information on the bus schedule are available on http://www.newlantaobus.com/nlb.html.