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Photos: Hardy Hong Kong swimmers brave busy harbour for daily dips
For nearly 30 years, Sandy Lam has been part of a tightly-knit community of around 50 mostly elderly citizens who are regular visitors to Sai Wan Swimming Shed, tucked away off a steep hill, providing basic changing rooms and showers. The shed, built in the 1960s or 1970s, is the sole survivor of such structures. Residents, many of who have been swimming there for decades, plunge into the waters from steps reached by a spindly wooden bridge propped up on the rocks, just a stone's throw from the heart of the financial centre against a busy backdrop of container ships, ferries and fishing boats.
Updated on: Nov 05, 2018 9:21 AM IST
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View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Nov 05, 2018 9:21 AM
A swimmer enters the sea before dawn at the Sai Wan Swimming Shed in Hong Kong. For nearly 30 years, Sandy Lam has been rising early each day for a dip in the sometimes choppy waters off the western edge of Hong Kong island, next to one of the world’s busiest ports. (REUTERS / Hannah McKay)
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Lam, 68, hangs a towel to dry in the men’s changing room at the Sai Wan Swimming Shed. He is part of a tightly-knit community of around 50 mostly elderly citizens who are regular visitors to Sai Wan Swimming Shed, tucked away off a steep hill, providing basic changing rooms and showers. (REUTERS / Hannah McKay)
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Yin Sing, 83, looks out to sea from the Sai Wan Swimming Shed in Hong Kong. “We’re all friends and we’ve known each other for a long time,” Lam said. “We pay HK$150 ($19) per month which pays for the water and light in the shed, and for the changing rooms to be kept well.” (REUTERS / Hannah McKay)
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Lockers are seen in the men’s changing room. The shed, built in the 1960s or 1970s, is the sole survivor of such structures, popular in the first half of the last century when public swimming facilities were sparse in the former British colony, and is now a hit with tourists and newlyweds. (REUTERS / Hannah McKay)
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Chin Choi, 78, swims in the sea at the Sai Wan Swimming Shed in Hong Kong. Choi said she has been coming to the swimming shed for 36 years. “I come here every day at 7 o’clock in the morning. My daughter suggested I came here to swim because it would improve my breathing,” she said. (REUTERS / Hannah McKay)
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The residents, many of who have been swimming there for decades, plunge into the waters from steps reached by a spindly wooden bridge propped up on the rocks. (REUTERS / Hannah McKay)
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Tim Man Kwok, 72, lights incense next to a statue of the Chinese God of Land at the Sai Wan Swimming Shed. The location is just a stone’s throw from the heart of the financial centre against a busy backdrop of container ships, ferries and fishing boats. (REUTERS / Hannah McKay)
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A woman prepares to swim at the Sai Wan Swimming Shed. “I’ve been coming here for 40 years, every single day,” said 83-year-old Yin Sing. “I walk up the hill to come here, even on a Sunday.” (REUTERS / Hannah McKay)
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A man prepares for a morning swim. Most of the swimmers say the exercise keeps them healthy, although they have noticed changes in water quality over the decades. (REUTERS / Hannah McKay)
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