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NOTES AND QUERIES
MUD SKIS OR SCOOTER, DEEP BAY, HONG KONG
(See JHKBRAS 13, 1973:168)
South China Morning Post, 18 June, 1979
“British soldiers flying helicopter patrols over the Mai Po marshes are seeing an increasing number of "mud skiiers" scooting towards Hongkong.
"They can move faster over the mud than a man can run over firm ground," said Sergeant Major Chris Wilson yesterday.
Added Corporal Jan Radford, another Army Air Corps helicopter pilot: "The other day I saw a group of 40 coming across and most of them had mud-skis."
A mud-ski is a piece of five-ply wood about 6 ft long with a curved brow which oyster farmers and crab fishermen usually use to pick up their catch.
They use the simple but sturdy piece of equipment around the shores of Deep Bay to transport themselves over the low-lying mangrove swamps.