Sun, surf and short shorts—plus everything else you’ll need this summer.
By Editorial staff.

The heat is on, so you better make sure you’re ready for it. But summer isn’t only about wearing pastels and eating ice cream—it’s about staying active, keeping cool and being seen. With these pages we’ve done our best to get our readers prepared for the coming weeks. The rest, as they say, is up to you!

Wet and Wild
Water sports are a great way to deal with the stifling heat of summer. And since Hong Kong is surrounded by so much water, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that just about any water-related activity, from diving to windsurfing, can be found at private and public facilities, beaches and marinas around the SAR.

Swimming is one of the most popular ways to keep cool, so it's good to know that Hong Kong has 36 gazetted bathing beaches and 34 public swimming pool complexes. The sometimes too popular public pools include those at Kowloon Park in Tsimshatsui and Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. A further note: In order to increase public convenience and accessibility, the LCSD recently introduced a trial scheme that enables people to use their Octopus cards for admission at four public swimming pools. (See their Website, www.lcsd.gov.hk, for more up-to-date information on this scheme.) University pools are also clean and good to use if you know anyone at one of the Hong Kong universities. For those willing to pay more, almost all Hong Kong hotels have pools that will be less busy. Those that are open to the public include the Mandarin Oriental (2522-0111), JW Marriott (2810-8366), Sheraton (2369-1111) and Kowloon Shangri-La (2721-2111).

Water skiing and wakeboarding provide speed, excitement and challenge all in one. The Hong Kong Water Ski Association (2504-8168) provides general information on water skiing venues; one popular place is the Deep Water Bay Speed Boat Co. Ltd. (2812-0391). They charge $580 per hour inclusive of instructors and equipment. You can also book sessions at the Tai Tam Wakeboarding Centre (3120-4120), which is supervised by expert coaches for $600-$800 per hour. The Cheung Chau Windsurfing Centre (2981-8316) provides the less "splashy" option of windsurfing, the only sport at which Hong Kong has won a gold medal. Both The Windsurfing Hong Kong Association (www.windsurfing.org.hk) and Windsurfing Hong Kong (www.surfasia.com/hk) provide concise information on windsurfing locations, training sessions and equipment providers.

If you prefer to venture under the sea rather than on top of it, you can go with friends for a two-week basic scuba diving course for $4,250 with Pro Dive (2890-5634). But if you still can't make up your mind after reading all this, or if you're particularly enthusiastic about all types of water sports, then you might find a water sports center worth visiting. The LCSD manages four water sports centers in Chong Hing (2792-6810), Tai Mei Tuk (2665-3591), Wong Shek (2328-2311) and St. Stephen's Beach (2813-5407) that offer a whole range of courses on sports catering to all levels of expertise.

If you feel like a different kind of sporty challenge, why not have a go at water polo or synchronized swimming? For those interested in playing water polo competitively, there are training sessions at both the Wanchai and Kowloon training pools. For further information on teams and events, check out the Hong Kong Water Polo Web page at http://98.to/hkwpt/. The Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association (2572-8594), meanwhile, can provide more information on courses in both synchronized swimming and water polo.

Rowing is a great way to keep fit and have fun. The organization to contact for recreational and competitive paddling is the South China Sea Outrigger Club (http://home.ust.hk/sorf/oc/, paddle_hk@hotmail.com), which offers two free tryout sessions. During weekends, recreational sessions are held that last one and a half hours, while for competitive paddlers, weeknight sessions are also available. Paddlers can either pay per session or take out an annual subscription for $800. Alternatively, the Hong Kong Paddle Club (www.hkipc.com) takes part in international dragon boat and outrigger canoe competitions.

Water Watch
So now you know about all the cool stuff you can do in the water. But the question is, do you really want to go in it? Pollution and overcrowding tends to plague the beaches closer to Central; the best ones, of course, are in the New Territories and the outlying islands. There are over 30 great beaches throughout the territory, and summer weekends are predictably busy.

While the beach may be a place for relaxing, one should not forget about the potential risks of swimming in potentially unsafe waters. You can check out the EPD ratings (www.info.gov.hk/epd) on the different beaches in terms of water quality (bacteria, debris and pollution) and the number of visitors. Usually, beaches on the outlying islands such as Cheung Chau, Lantau and Lamma score high on the EPD's ratings—meaning high water quality and low visitor numbers—while more centrally located beaches like Deep Water Bay, Repulse Bay and Stanley score well on quality but are often overcrowded.  Ratings for Tseung Kwan O's beaches have fallen, having degenerated to a "poor" level due to rapid development and an increase in the area's population.
It is also important to watch out for shark warnings, since you never know when Jaws V will occur. Swimmers should avoid swimming alone, and swimming at dawn, dusk or at night isn't a great idea, either. And of course, never go in the water if you are sporting any open wounds. Furthermore, it is important not to enter the waters when the blue and black flag with the shark's fin is hoisted, since that means that the "after darks," as some Aussies say, are out. In general, though, swimming in Hong Kong's waters are generally safe, and most public beaches are gazetted or have shark nets.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has introduced new rules regarding public safety. Children under the age of 12 and unaccompanied by adults are prohibited from using public swimming pools. Also, pools are only open to the public when there are lifeguards on patrol. For beaches, lifeguards are on duty when a red and yellow flag is posted, from 9am-6pm on weekdays and 8am-7pm on weekends.

Generally it is a good idea to practice water sports responsibly by checking information on the latest weather situations, visibility levels and tidal information. The government is usually the best provider of such important public information, and you can always find it at www.hkinfo.gov.hk and www.lcsd.gov.hk.