Exploration
Asia’s most challenging Deep Water Soloing Sites
4 Spots - Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia - take a pick!
If rock climbing is simply not thrilling enough for you, why not go rogue and climb a cliff face meters above a deep body of water without any ropes? That’s exactly what many avid sports climbing enthusiasts are doing – Deep Water Soloing (DWS).
The added psychological challenge of plummeting into the waters meters below while scaling cliff faces free hand is gaining popularity with alternative climbers. Without the restriction of bolts dictating climbing routes, or ropes to tie you down, how high you go is entirely based on your skills, stamina, and perseverance.
With the natural landscape of the region, Asia is witnessing a growing community of Deep Water Soloists flocking to the region’s islands to explore the unique limestone karsts and warm waters. Where are the top spots you ask?
1. Railay Beach (Thailand)
The mecca of Deep Water Soloing, Railay, Thailand
© Base Camp Tonsai
The Railay Peninsula is fast becoming one of the top spots for Deep Water Soloists from across the globe. The gold and grey limestone islands stand out proud from the Andaman sea with tufa lines and stalactites making for interesting climbs.
There are many cliffs near Along Ao Nang right off Tonsai beach with amazing roofs which tower about 20 metres over warm waters before you free fall to a deep water dive. Due to its popularity, there are already over a 100 established routes varying in difficulty levels, making it an ideal place for beginners all the way to the pros.
Enthusiasts outclimb each other in terms of height
© Briefcasetobackpacks.com
The limestone karsts situated further out in the sea are exposed to more erosion and prove to be more challenging to traverse before you decide to explore the deeper waters. Key islands to check out are Poda Island and Chicken Island. If you’re a beginner, start out with Aonang tower, Ko Rang Kai, and The Playdium with larger ledges and simpler routes to get your hand at climbing and falling. Once you’ve got the “hang” of it you can challenge yourself with the tougher routes of Ko Ma Tang Ming, the Tidal Wave Wall, and the Spider Man Wall.
Difficulty range (scale of 10): from 5 to 8
2. Cat Ba Island (Vietnam)
Cat Ba Island at Lan Ha Bay
© Asia Outdoors
Cat Ba Island is a town bustling with activity, but a short boat ride out offers amazing DWS sites of the popular Halong Bay and down south the DWS playground of Lan Ha Bay, it has the same magnificent limestone towers of Halong Bay, but comes with the attraction of white sandy beaches.
The popular sites to get your chalk on are the Three Brothers, Hawaii Five-O, Unemployment Wall, Jellyfish Wall, Turtle Cave and the Polish Pillar (Chopstick), each with its own unique formation that has literally weathered time.
Turtle Cave
© Climbing ZA
The Unemployment wall
© Climbing ZA
The best period to visit Cat Ba for DWS is between February-June or September/October. The temperatures are cooler in these months and the water is more pleasant.
Difficulty range: from 5 to 7
3. El Nido, Palawan (Philippines)
El Nido
© House Under a Rock
Back in 2014, experienced climbers James Pearson and Caroline Ciavaldini travelled across the Philippines in search of DWS sites and discovered the hidden potential of El Nido. With 1,780 islands, El Nido is home to numerous limestone karst cliffs lining up along the Bacuit Archipelago.
A lot of the rocks in the area have been eroded over the years into sharp black daggers, but there are hidden gems with steep solid rock with many pockets and clear tufa lines that are perfect for DWS. While these are in harder to find spots, the cliff faces and the exceptionally clear waters below make it a worthy search.
James Pearson scaling El Nido’s toughest crags
© Francis Taranto Jr.
While the islands offer great rock faces for DWS, the waters in certain areas tend to be shallower and dangerous during low tide period. However, there are so many more routes to try out, so you are not gonna miss out on any.
Over the years, many more have explored the lesser known area of El Nido and have established at least seven areas, 30 DWS lines, and the number is increasing with each visit from DWS enthusiasts.
Difficulty range: 6 to 7
4. Langkawi (Malaysia)
Scale different heights and stalactites
© Langkawi Adventure
Little known for adventure sports, Langkawi is slowly gaining popularity with its DWS crags.
A few hours out from Langkawi’s main beach sits a limestone island in the middle of a lagoon. The varying sides of the karst tower gives the crag a new “edge” for DWS thrill seekers to explore on each side of the formation. Due to the harsh erosion, some of the surfaces have clear lines to traverse, but these are cut sharp into the rock. Due to the erosion patterns, the crags here also lack pockets, making it a more challenging climb.
Closer to the beach, there are gentler crags to explore with unique tufa lines and more pockets, this trades of with shallower waters that means you need to be more cautious of where and how you fall.
Langkawi
© Langkawi Adventure
Regardless of wherever you’re thinking of scaling next, hang tight to these few tips:
Protip #1: Always check on the tides before embarking on a DWS trip. In the case where the tides are too low, you run risks of shallower waters that might exposed underlying rocks that are dangerous for your falls.
Protip #2: While the deep waters protect you from your fall, it is still important to learn how to fall properly to avoid getting hurt. The DWS mantra: Feet first, arms close, body relaxed.
For more such stories, like us on Facebook.