Our River-Ocean Inlet Tour

This tour goes to the shallow inlet between river & ocean – often with large breakers during Winter from NE monsoon conditions. Normally local fishing boats gather around the inlet

Location

Inlet to the ocean (South China Sea) & Hoi An River (the Thu Bon River which flows past Hoi An) is approximately 4 km towards the South of Karma Waters

Voyage time

Approximately 90 minutes round trip by lifeboat.

Departure time

Anytime the Customer requests and when boat is available. Daylight hours only.

Things to see and feel

See local fishing communities & boats. Birds include egrets, herons and kingfishers.

At the inlet is the Border Police (Bien Phong) controlling all vessels passing thru the inlet.

This area was a basin with Hoi An an important regional sea port - until after centuries of silting by the rivers created islands & made the waters too shallow for navigation. At the inlet the riverbanks to the North rarely flood, whilst those to the South flood almost every year - bringing much needed topsoil which produces excellent crops! Annually the Ancient Town of Hoi An floods.

The ocean - river inlet averages only 0.9 metre in depth at low Spring tide and during a strong North East Monsoon (September - December) large ocean swells from the South China Sea create dangerous breakers often closing the inlet for passage by boat.

Six of the seven Cham Islands (Cu Lao Cham) can be seen nine miles offshore. These islands were once the anchorage of large seagoing sailing vessels and the first port of call for vessels sailing South from China towards the Malaka Straights and onto India and Persia.

Upriver the Thu Bon River and Vu Gia River (which also leads into Danang) connect and form the Hoi An River which flows to the inlet - these rivers create the waterways connecting the lowlands & highlands of the ancient Champa Kingdom which once traded extensively with China and Java.

Best time to go

Early in the morning when the inlet is normally busy with fishing boats.

Guide

No Guide is provided on this tour - this is a low cost tour with boat operator only (limited English spoken).

Weather conditions

We sail in all but the roughest of weather 12 months/ year - we have overhead rain & sun protection and also rain protection with plastic folding windows.