I just got off the phone with my friend the lifeguard at 中角.
I was wrong in my assumptions as to why swimming isn’t allowed. It has nothing to do with the number of lifeguards and has nothing to do with the lack of a dedicated swimming area with swim lines.
The rules were established by the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration and is enforced by the North Coast Administration via the lifeguards.
So, what’s the reason? Coast Guard ruling. That’s it.
Probably because that area is pretty deep and can have some severe rip currents at times. But, this is just my personal opinion.
Here’s a picture of the official sign regarding the established rules and regulations of 中角.
On the map, the red lined boxed in area shows where only surfing is allowed. No swimming.
On the right, the red triangle with the exclamation mark says in English, “Swim at your own risk”. That’s incorrect. Check out the Chinese. It’s says, " 請注意安全". Nothing about swimming at all. So, as always in Taiwan, Chinese language always takes precedence over any half-assed English translation. No swimming.
On the left side, it shows the rules. Pay particular attention to part 2.
- Items and scope of recreational activities in the water area:
(1) Only surfing and stand-up paddle activities are allowed in this water area.
Then, see Part 3 for the penalties you can face if you ignore any of the established rules.
- Acts violating the provisions of this Announcement shall be fined between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000 in accordance with Article 60, Paragraph 1 of the Tourism Development Act, and their activities shall be prohibited; Paragraph 2 of Article 60 stipulates a fine of not less than NT$30,000 but not more than NT$150,000, and prohibits its activities
So, that’s it. It’s a rule.
Only surfing is allowed at 中角 based on the Coast Guard who is the ultimate authority over all beaches in Taiwan.
You mentioned you spoke to a police officer regarding this issue. The administration of the beaches is not the police department’s responsibility or jurisdiction and they have absolutely no say over how the beaches are run.
So, I recommend that you contact the Coast Guard Administration to lodge a complaint about the no swimming rule at 中角 and see if you can get it overturned. Good luck with that one.
Here’s another option. The red line boxed in area does not include 新金山海水浴場 on the right side of the map on the other side of the river jetty. I’d try that area. It’s usually empty on the weekdays and it’s a good place to swim and also good for beginning surfers. Very gentle waves and not particularly dangerous. My favorite part is that it’s usually empty.
