Laomei Green Reef (老梅綠石槽) is one of Taiwan’s most awe-inspiring geological wonders. Known for its extensive array of stunning rocks covered by green algae, this unique spectacle is located on a beach in Laomei Bay adjacent to a tranquil fishing community near the North Coast in New Taipei City’s Shimen District (石門區).
For more interesting scenes of Laomei Green Reef, please watch the following video.
Stretching some 1,500 m (4,921 ft), there are hundreds of distinctive rows of stone troughs in different shapes on the beach. They turn a vibrant green during the winter’s monsoon season due to flourishing algae on their surface.
The rocky ridges of the stone troughs look like skinny green dolphins lying in rows on the beach. When billowing waves hit these stone troughs during the northeast monsoon seasons, the splashing water is as spectacular as fireworks.
Origin of Laomei Green Reef
These distinctive reefs on the beach are in fact a great work of Mother Nature. They were created by volcanic activity in the Datun Mountain range (大屯火山群) between about 2.5 million and 700,000 years ago.
When sea waves splash against the hardened lava on the beach, they accomplish mechanical weathering and erosion, forming wave-cut sea grooves and reefs. Moreover, with continued erosion by ocean waves, the softer parts of the lava-turned rocks were washed away, while the harder ones remain.
Eventually, these rocks transformed into hundreds of neat rows of reefs and bizarre trenches with an average depth of 50 cm (19.6 in), where seawater easily goes in and out along with the tide. Even better, these distinctive rows of stone troughs are naturally aligned in parallel to each other on the golden sand of the beach.
These parallel volcanic reefs and trenches are in fact the perfect environment for algae to grow on in winter. As a result, after the northeast monsoons weaken in spring every year, these stone troughs are covered with vibrant green algae, creating a rare and awesome view.
When to visit Laomei Green Reef
Laomei Green Reef is the only place in Taiwan that has such a spectacular sight, and it is referred to as one of Taiwan’s natural wonders. In April 2019, Laomei Green Reef was selected by CNN as one of Taiwan’s most beautiful places as well.
Laomei Green Reef has become one of the most popular FB check-in spots in northern Taiwan in recent years. However, visitors need to make sure they come at the right time.
The seaweed will gradually disappear with exposure to the sun after the weather becomes warmer. Therefore, the best time to view this magnificent phenomenon is around April and May each year when the northeast monsoons die down, in particular, around Tomb Sweeping Day (Qingming Festival), which falls on April 5 each year.
Moreover, visitors also need to know the correct low-tide hours of the day, so that they can fully enjoy this amazing scene. The relevant tidal information is available on the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau’s official website.
Additionally, When going to Laomei Green Reef, visitors may also stop by other interesting destinations in the same vicinity, such as Fugui Cape Lighthouse (富貴角燈塔), Shimen Cave (石門洞), Fuji Fishing Harbor (富基魚港), Fugui Cape Park, and Windkanter Area (風稜石區) on the same trip.
