Repulse Bay and the Beach Selfie Tours

You might know Hong Kong as the mother of Bruce Lee, and as one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

But did you also know that Hong Kong has beautiful natural spots and pleasant beaches? Hong Kong has around 40 public beaches. We went to check out Repulse Bay which, despite its name, is a highly un-repulsive place to spend a day, and escape the Hong Kong bustle for a while. The beach is man-made and does not compete with top-notch natural beaches, but for a city beach, it’s a great escape providing you with a dose of beach and salty water.

The beach is clean, very long, and wide with rows of trees providing shade in carefully measured intervals. In the north-west end of the beach there is a good beach volleyball court, while there is a lifeguard tower in the middle of the beach. On the backside of the beach there are a few shops and cafés and the road leading beachers back to Hong City or onward to the popular Stanley Market. Some quite big buildings overlook the beach, most notably the apartment complex The Repulse Bay, which has a huge square hole in the building to allow qi (and dragons!) to flow between the mountains and the sea in true feng shui style. The sand is light brown and fine enough to be pleasant to walk barefoot on. The swimming area is restricted with floating buoys connected with a net in order to protect against sharks. But don’t fear, the beach is safe, and the bay is naturally protected, so waves are small. You will not find colorful corals, but the water is clean and clear. During the season between March and November there is usually a lifeguard on duty. There are free public bathrooms and showers. On warm weekend days it gets busy, but on weekdays you can almost have the beach to yourself, EXCEPT…

The tour buses…

…that supply the beach with a new set of photo-tourists every 10 minutes. It’s quite fun to witness, actually. Most groups only stay 10-15 minutes. Fully dressed from top to toe in city clothes (probably a necessity in the overly cold aircon busses) and armed with smartphones on selfie-sticks and big cameras, they go to the beach not to enjoy the beach life, but to take beach selfies and group photos. In a whiff they are gone only to be replaced by the next arriving tour bus. Repulse Bay is a famous beach so it can only be expected that it is included in the itinerary of Hong Kong day tours.