Middle Island Challenge (熨波洲渡海泳賽)

Off the southern coast of Hong Kong Island, Middle Island sits between two bays. The Middle Island Challenge is an open water swimming race held in the sea at Deep Water Bay on Hong Kong Island. Organized by Events Horizons as part of the Events Horizons OWS Series HK, the competition takes place in the coastal warmth of May. The start line forms on the sand of Deep Water Bay Beach, a shoreline measuring 400 metres across the head of the bay. Swimmers line up on the tide line for three distinct course distances designed for different generations of athletes. The shortest event is a 400-metre sprint open to swimmers aged 6 to 75.

The intermediate 1.5-kilometre course welcomes participants aged 9 to 75, while the premier 3.8-kilometre challenge accommodates swimmers aged 12 to 75. The 3.8-kilometre route takes competitors out of the bay to complete a full loop around Middle Island. Navigating around the island requires steady pace management, checked by mandatory timing gates along the course. Swimmers on the 3.8-kilometre course must pass the 1.0-kilometre checkpoint within 28 minutes and reach the 2.5-kilometre checkpoint within 75 minutes, finishing within an overall cut-off time of 120 minutes. Time limits for the shorter courses are set at 15 minutes for the 400-metre race and 50 minutes for the 1.5-kilometre race. Athletes who take on all three distances qualify for a special souvenir and contend for the triple crown trophy awarded to the lowest cumulative time.

Deep Water Bay: sheltered waters, green peaks, and submarine cables

Deep Water Bay forms an amphitheater of salt water framed by green topography. The bay is surrounded by Shouson Hill, Brick Hill, Violet Hill, and Middle Island. Under the monitoring of the Environmental Protection Department, the water quality of Deep Water Bay Beach is officially rated as Grade 1. In early maritime records, the bay was originally named Heong Kong Bay on an 1841 British nautical map. Deep Water Bay serves as the landing point for the SEA-ME-WE 3, TGN-IA, and TVH submarine telecommunications cables connecting Hong Kong to continents across the globe.

Middle Island and the Deep Water Bay Valley

Middle Island is situated 100 meters away from the southern coast of Hong Kong Island, positioned directly between Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay. The island features a public beach situated near the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club clubhouse.

The southern bays: bathing sheds, promenades, and swimming heritage

The Seaview Promenade runs along the coast to connect Deep Water Bay Beach directly with Repulse Bay on the east side. To the west, the Mills & Chung Path links Deep Water Bay Beach toward Wong Chuk Hang. Repulse Bay was developed into a beach in the 1910s and features views looking back across the water to Middle Island. Its sandy strip was artificially extended, measuring 292 metres in length and standing as one of the longest beaches in Hong Kong. The water quality of Repulse Bay Beach is rated Grade 1 by the Environmental Protection Department. On the cliff overlooking the west side of Repulse Bay once stood Eucliffe, a large castle that featured its own swimming pool.

Continuing along the shoreline, Middle Bay lies between Repulse Bay and South Bay. The Hong Kong University Alumni Association opened a swimming pavilion at Middle Bay in 1957. By 1962, there were 49 bathing huts located at Middle Bay. The Urban Council began replacing these bathing sheds with public changing rooms in the late 1960s, completing a new beach building in July 1975. Just beyond lies South Bay, a 250-meter-long sandy beach characterized by calm waters and backed by gentle hills. Facilities at South Bay include changing rooms, showers, barbecue pits, bathing sheds, and a safety raft anchored in the water. To safeguard swimmers along this stretch of coast, the local environmental department monitors water quality and actively manages red tide events.

Ap Lei Pai is an uninhabited island located between the East Lamma Channel and the Aberdeen Channel. The island is connected to the southern part of Ap Lei Chau by a tombolo, allowing foot access across the sand spit that connects to the base of Mount Johnston. Around the headland, Chung Hom Kok Beach is situated on the western shore of Chung Hom Kok within Chung Hom Wan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. The beach has a length of approximately 169 metres and provides an open view across the water to Round Island. The water quality at Chung Hom Kok Beach is classified as Grade 1 by the Environmental Protection Department.

History marks the surrounding headlands as well as the water. The Chung Hom Kok Battery was constructed at the southern tip of the peninsula around 1938. Directly beneath the battery site lies a coastal cave known as Cheung Po Tsai Cave. Local legend suggests the Qing dynasty pirate Cheung Po Tsai utilized the coastal cave as a shelter. Across the peninsula, Hairpin Beach is located on the eastern coast of Stanley, offering wide perspectives of Shek O Peak and D'Aguilar Peak.