The Qingshui Cliffs of Hualien are iconic in Taiwan. The towering rock wall rise sharply out of the beautiful turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean, reminiscent of the Hawaiian archipelago. I have explored this area extensively over the years. Hualien County is practically my second home within Taiwan. I often will look down towards the milky blue waters from above, as I sit perched for sunrise. I have never, however, been IN the water below. I finally got that opportunity a couple weeks ago with OwlTing Experiences for the sunrise SUP tour along the Qingshui Cliffs.
My trip started from Taipei the night before, taking the slow train in to Xincheng Station, arriving at 12:30ish in the morning. It was raining and there were no taxis available at that hour to get me to Chongde. What would have been a 10 minute drive turned into a 40 minute walk in the rain. Eager to find a quick spot to guerrilla camp, I happened across a covered basketball court roughly 5 minutes from the start point of the tour. Fantastic.
After setting up the tent, changing out of my wet clothes, and getting comfortable I looked at the clock. 1:34 am. My alarm was set for 4:15, knowing I needed to take down my makeshift campsite and, more importantly go find coffee before meeting the team for our SUP tour at 5:30am. Sleep was fleeting, but my excitement for the sunrise SUP activity was all I needed (and coffee).
I arrived to Andy’s SUP house to gear up and go over the necessary details of the day. We had a group of seven total, with three guides to make sure we were safe and sound. We got fitted for wetsuits, life jackets, and waterproof shoes. Andy, the main man behind the operation, showed all of us the proper way to position our bodies on the board, how to hold the paddle, and how to use our momentum and legs to successfully paddle out on the open ocean. I have to shout out Bella here, because I was the only foreign adventurer on the trip, Bella helped translate what I didn’t understand, and was super helpful the whole day!
After about 30 minutes we piled into the van and headed for the coast. Considering the weather that we had in the weeks leading up to this day, we really lucked out. The sky was cloudy, but no rain, and it looked like we might actually get a sunrise.
Upon arrival to the black pebble beach, the skies were brightening up and the waves were crashing down. The swell was intimidating, as it looked like it would be a bumpy ride on the SUP boards. The anxiety turned to excitement the more I gazed at the coastline. Qingshui Cliffs truly is stunning. The cloudy turquoise waters, or as they are called in Taiwan, “blue milk,” is due to the shale and schist sediment falling off the cliffs. Its truly a sight to see from the cliffs themselves, but I never imagined how beautiful it would look floating over the divide from milky turquoise to deep blue.
We had further instruction from Andy on the coast, about how exactly to get beyond the surf with our boards and paddles. Basically, wait for a lull in the waves and charge full speed ahead! I waited a few breaks and I was off. We had full wetsuits and lifejackets, so the water temperature felt perfect. I imagine when summer comes, and the temperature gets to the 30’s, no wetsuit will be needed.
We cruised north along the cliffs, just far enough outside of the shore break to stay safe from inadvertent waves. Now, I have experience with SUP in the past, and going into this I thought I would be just fine. Of course, that was some years ago and this was the open ocean on a big swell day. I was getting tossed around like a rag doll the first few times I tried to stand up! But with good coaching, more focus, and a lot of laughter, I was able to stand up and cruise along the coast for a while.
We paddled out as a group for about 300 meters as the sun rose, then returned the same way. The whole time we were laughing with each other as each person fell gracelessly into the refreshing blue ocean. We would congratulate each other when we triumphed and stood up. Some of us were even able to take on rolling swells, get some photos taken of us, and pose before tumbling back into the ocean!
As we returned to the vehicle, we had one more challenge upon us. Get onto the beach without the board and paddle washing away with the waves. Andy and Bella were there to help guide us. Lie back, and ride the wave in until we could stand up freely. Luckily we all handled this well!
We rested with hot tea, provided by the SUP team, and watched as the “Jesus light” came shooting out of the clouds above. The team helped us take photos with our board, and we returned to change clothes and get on with the rest of the day, with all smiles and laughter from the group.
Getting this experience with OwlTing Experiences was incredible. It showed me a piece of Taiwan that I know so well, but never had the pleasure of experiencing it from this perspective. It was truly an awesome morning, and I’m ready for summer so I can go again!
