FAQ

Before Enrolling

What are the minimum requirements for participation in water sports activities?
A participant must be aged 8 or above and be able to swim with clothes on for at least 50 metres/proficient in swimming.

How to enrol in a training course?

Applicants must first register as SmartPLAY (the system) users, while meeting the specified eligibility criteria for water sports training courses including those on the number of sailing hours, and holding relevant qualification proof such as certificates.

The relevant certificates or qualification proof must be uploaded onto the system for verification before the deadline for submitting ballot applications every month or before enrolment for activities on a first-come-first-served basis, as well as make a declaration that they will produce the original copies of the required qualification proof including those related to the number of sailing hours and logbooks for verification by the centres’ staff on the course days. Users are allowed to enrol in such courses via the system only upon completion of such verification.

You may refer to the “Monthly Water Sports Centres Recreation and Sports Programme Sheet” to find out how places of a particular course are allocated.

What is a package training course?
Water sports centres may design training courses for groups or organisations to suit their needs and interest.  The package training course will be scheduled according to the group’s or organisation’s preference and the availability of craft at the centres.  

After Enrolment 

What to pack for the activities?
You must bring your admission card, proof of recognised qualifications (if necessary) and original copy of the identification document(s) used during enrolment for verification.  Please bring your personal hygiene products and spare clothing.  When taking part in water sports activities, you must wear suitable clothing and gear.  You must also wear closed toe and heel rubber shoes suitable for water sports activities.  Slippers or sandals that offer no ankle protection are not allowed.

When do training courses start and finish?
Training courses start at 9:00 am and finish at 5:00 pm.  Lunch break is from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm. 

How to keep my belongings safe during the activities?
Our centres provide free lockers for participants.  Please bring along coins or a small/medium-sized padlock for use of lockers.

Should I bring lunch and beverages?
Please bring lunch with you.  For beverages, drinks vending machines and drinking fountains are provided at the centres. 

Do I still need to attend activities at the centres during inclement weather?
The arrangements under inclement weather conditions are as follows:

Activity	Weather Condition Weather warning(s) in force at 7 am (as announced by the Hong Kong Observatory) Note
	Thunderstorm Warning, Red Rainstorm Warning Signal, Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 1 or Strong Monsoon Signal	Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 or above
Fun Day and one-day training courses	Participants are still required to report to the centres.  Centre staff will decide whether or not the activities of the day should be held having regard to the prevailing weather conditions.  All sea trips included in the activities will be cancelled.	All activities will be cancelled.
Training courses lasting two days or more		The part of the course scheduled for that day will be cancelled.  The remaining part of the course (if applicable) will be held as scheduled.
Sea trips	All sea trips will be cancelled.
Note: If the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 or above is cancelled by 7 am, all activities of the day, including craft hiring and training courses, will be held as usual at the centres.

  

Other Information 

Are the centres open in winter?
We are open all year round, except for weekly rest days and the first three days of the Lunar New Year. 

Why did no one answer when I telephoned to enquire?
Telephone enquiry service is not available on rest days and outside enquiry service hours.  Our enquiry service hours are 9 am to 5 pm. 

The rest days for each water sport centre are as follows:

St. Stephen’s Beach Water Sports Centre The Jockey Club Wong Shek Water Sports Centre	Closed on Tuesdays
Stanley Main Beach Water Sports Centre Tai Mei Tuk Water Sports Centre	Closed on Wednesdays
Chong Hing Water Sports Centre	Closed on Thursdays

How to hire craft for practice?
Holders of relevant certificates and/or recognised qualifications who meet the requirements for hiring the type of craft concerned are eligible to hire craft from the centres for practice.  The relevant certificates and/or proof of recognised qualifications must be produced at the time of hiring .  

What do “sailing hours” mean?
“Sailing hours” refer to the actual amount of time that helmsman and crew (in the case of a double-handed dinghy) spent practising sailing skills at sea without an instructor on board.  The time spent on rigging and de-rigging on shore, manoeuvring and sailing at sea as well as launching and recovering the dinghy from the water to the shore are counted as sailing hours.  “Sailing hours” are not the same as the hours of hire of the craft. 

Why is there a need to log the sailing hours?
Sailing and windsurfing are sports that require practice to master the practical skill and absorb the background knowledge learnt at each level of training. Sailors/windsurfers have to practice at sea under different wind and sea conditions in order to turn the techniques they have been taught into skills that are instinctive. The sailing hours logged serve to quantify the amount of training the sailors/windsurfers have had and the experience they have gained.