Sha Chau 沙洲, Tai O 大澳 and Western Waters with Professor Chan Lung-sang (陳龍生教授)

Date :
Saturday, 10 January, 2015
Time :
08:30 – 17:00
Venue :
Central Public Pier. Please arrive at 08:15 for 08:30 boat departure. Please note there is free time after lunch to explore Tai O on your own before return by ferry to Central at 15:00.
Cost :
$680 Member; $800 Non-member; $300 Student with valid ID. Cost includes a simple lunch.
Limit :
30
Note :
For insurance purposes, please enclose a photocopy of your HKID or other identity document when you send in the registration form and cheque payment. Please wear comfortable shoes as we will be at sea and exploring on land most of the day. Kindly bring sufficient water, sunscreen / sunblock, hat, sunglasses, etc.
Enquiries :
Sef Lam at [email protected] or 2525-5063

Sha Chau is one of the westernmost islands in Hong Kong with a long sand bar which is exposed at low tides. An extensive fault zone is also exposed on the island. Archeological artifacts of Neolithic age were unearthed on Sha Chau and the nearby islands. On this trip, Prof Chan will take the group along the western channel to describe the geology and morphology of the western parts of Hong Kong, discuss the archeology of the areas in context with the geology and rock formations, and hopefully see some white dolphins in action.

After exploring Sha Chau, we will ride to Tai O for a simple lunch. Afterwards, participants can return to Central with the group by 15:00 ferry or stay on your own and explore Tai O at your leisure.

Tai O is one of Hong Kong's old Tanka fishing villages with stilt houses that are interconnected to form a water-borne community. The former Tai O Police Station has been renovated into a boutique hotel and this might be another place to visit. You can even take a bus to see the Big Buddha, walk around the tea garden, view the sutra logs and meditate quietly in the Wisdom Path.

For those choosing to stay on, there are public buses or taxis to Mui Wo for a ferry (fast ferry takes half an hour and slow takes one hour) to Central. You can also catch a bus or taxi to Tung Chung to take the MTR back to Central.

In case of adverse weather conditions or unfavourably high winds, we may have to modify or cancel the trip at the resource person’s discretion.

Resource Person

We are very privileged to have Professor Chan Lung-sang (陳龍生教授) as the leader of the trip. Prof Chan is professor in Earth Sciences at the University of Hong Kong as well as College Principal of HKU SPACE Community College and HKU SPACE Po Leung Kuk Community College. He received his doctorate degree in geology from the University of California, Berkeley and is arguably the first Hong Kong native to receive formal training in geology. His research interests include tectonics of South China and Hong Kong, earthquake geology and applied geophysics. He is devoted to promoting Earth Science education, and has led field trips to South China, Tibet, Taiwan, North America, Australia, Italy, Cyprus, Arctic region and Antarctica for students.