ENG-1970 — Page 103

Hong Kong's visual attractions do not end at the water's

edge, as the pictures on these pages show. They were taken during the year on a fisheries research and extension expedition to the Macclesfield Bank and Helen Shoal in the South China sea due south of Hong Kong. The expedition was part of a continuing Government effort to encourage the development of the fishing industry, to increase supplies of fish and to improve the economic status of fishermen. In addition to helping with these important tasks, the divers who produced the pictures shown here are members of a growing band of underwater enthusiasts who are finding the experience of venturing beneath the clear blue waters off Hong Kong reward enough in itself. The past few years have seen a considerable growth in the popularity of skin- diving in Hong Kong and there are a number of well-organised clubs ready and willing to introduce both local residents and visitors to the delights of Hong Kong's underwater world.

The title page picture shows a member of the expedition photographing fish 120 feet beneath the surface on the Macclesfield Bank. The photos on the following pages, taken by Ho Bat-kai, Eric Lee and John Fortune, show some of the typical marine fauna of these waters.