Are you residing in or visiting Taipei, Taiwan's capital? This spot, Long Dong, could be the most convenient location for you to go snorkeling or diving. Long Dong Bay is the largest bay on Taiwan's north coast, and it is located in New Taipei City's Gongliao District, about an hour east of the port city of Keelung.

Long Dong is ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving because of its clear waters and abundance of marine life. In fact, one of the best things about Long Dong, like many other dive sites in Taiwan, is that there are diving experiences for everyone. There are some excellent resources available, and people recommend that you look through them to ensure that you choose the right destination and activities for your skill level and interests. Starfish, shrimp, crabs, and sea anemones are all common sights.

Long Dong's main diving season runs from late April to early October. The ocean can be a little chilly in the springtime, with temperatures hovering around 23°C to 25°C, while the summertime brings warm water temperatures of 26°C to 27°C.

Location: Long Dong, Taiwan

Directions

Turtle Island is the next name on the list of the best dive sites in Taiwan that Toplist has compiled for you. Turtle Island, like Green Island and Orchid Islands, is a volcanic island located about 10 kilometers off the eastern coast of Yilan County, Taiwan. This is not the standard dive site.

While other dive sites around the world offer crystal clear visibility and endless schools of tropical fish, Turtle Island is truly unique and worth a visit if you have the time and experience. Because this is a geologically active site, there are active hot springs beneath the surface that continue to push bubbles up through small cracks in the ocean floor. While these types of adventures are popular in Iceland and other places, you can have a similar hydrothermal experience in Taiwan. This, combined with warmer water temperatures and a good amount of marine life, makes for an excellent boat dive location.

Location: Turtle Island, Taiwan

Directions

Kenting is a popular tourist destination for many local Taiwanese and foreign residents, as many people mentioned in every guide to Taiwan. But you didn't come here to see what is above the water; you came to see what is beneath the water, right? Divers can explore coral reefs, various underwater structures, and even wrecks in Kenting.

The Kenting township and the larger Hengchun Peninsula offer some really great experiences in and around the surface as well as deeper ocean dives around 20-30 meters for families, snorkeling, and experienced divers. White sands and coral reefs abound in Kenting National Park on Taiwan's southern tip. Kenting is a beautiful place for your first diving experience, with over 80 different types of coral and over 1,000 different fish (including the famous clownfish from Finding Nemo).

In addition, Kenting has dive sites for divers of all skill levels. A number of dive shops in the area provide a comprehensive range of diving courses, equipment rentals, guiding, and boat cruises.

Location: Kenting, Taiwan

Directions

Green Island is the next name on the list of the best dive sites in Taiwan that Toplist has compiled for you. Green Island is a small island off the coast of Taitung in Taiwan's Pacific Ocean. Lu Dao (literally "Green Island") is Taiwan's fourth-largest island and a popular diving destination for both locals and visitors to the country. The island also has a fascinating history that is well worth learning about. With crystal clear water, coral depths of up to 30 meters, fantastic sea life, and excellent visibility, Green Island is a must-spot to go for diving.

Green Island offers a diverse range of diving opportunities, including both shore and boat dives. Dive and boat operators on Green Island operate daily shore and boat dives during the peak season, but only once a week during the off-season. You can plan your trip around the best time of year for diving, which is between May and October when average water temperatures are around 29°C.

Location: Green Island, Taiwan

Directions

Penghu, off the west coast of Tainan, is one of Taiwan's more remote dive destinations if you want to get away from the crowds. Many visitors come to SUP or kitesurf in and around the island archipelago, making it a popular outdoor recreation destination. Diving is becoming a popular hobby and pastime for residents and visitors to Taiwan on Penghu. Others are likely to be found in and beneath the waters surrounding Penghu.

Why do scuba divers flock to Penghu? For starters, there is an incredible variety of sea life and pristine coral. In fact, the coral reefs in the Penghu archipelago are among Taiwan's healthiest and most intact. It is also a lovely tropical island with a rich cultural heritage that is only a short flight away from Taipei-Songshan, Taichung, and Kaohsiung, with multiple flights daily, and can be reached by ferry from Tainan or by plane from a number of Taiwanese airports.

Location: Penghu, Taiwan

Directions

Orchid Island will be the next name on the list of the best dive sites in Taiwan that Toplist has compiled for you. Orchid Island (also known as Lanyu) is another volcanic island formed by magma erupting from the sea. Coral reefs surround the island almost entirely, and the warmer currents attract a variety of colorful and active schools of fish. The diving on Orchid Island is incredible, with both hard and soft corals, walls, swim-throughs, and other natural and man-made structures.

Your Orchid Island diving adventure will take you to coral reefs with intricate rock formations, caverns, swim-throughs, and even a shipwreck, all of which are relatively isolated. Because visibility is usually good, you might see sea turtles, sea snakes, stingrays, and, if you are lucky, a humpback whale or, even luckier, a lesser-spotted whale shark.

There are many different dive sites in and around Orchid Island, including both shore entry and boat dives. Therefore, if you are interested in learning more about the area, contact a local dive tour operator or dive shop.

Location: Orchid Island, Taiwan

Directions

Xiaoliuqiu is the next name on the list of the best dive sites in Taiwan that Toplist has compiled for you. Xiaoliuqiu is a small island off the western coast of Taiwan, near Kaohsiung, measuring just under 7 kilometers in a square. This island is poised to become even more popular as one of Taiwan's more popular diving destinations. Because of its proximity to major cities and transportation networks such as Taiwan's High Speed Rail, it is a bit of a hidden gem in Taiwan.

Xiaoliuqiu is beautiful and has excellent diving. The beautiful coral island of Xiaoliuqiu is home to several green sea turtle nesting beaches. In addition, this spot has excellent diving and snorkeling, with numerous snorkeling shops and tours available throughout the island. Many different types of fish can be seen, but the sea turtles are the stars of the show. The island also has the highest concentration of temples in Taiwan, and it is a fun place to rent a scooter and zip around the streets.

Location: Xiaoliuqiu, Taiwan

Directions