An Island Built Around the Sea

Sanya’s tourism bureau places Wuzhizhou in Haitang Bay and gives its area as about 1.48 square kilometres. More than thirty water-sport activities and diving experiences shape the island’s present-day visitor identity.

More than thirty water-sport activities are listed by the tourism bureau, alongside events such as underwater photography competitions. These activities make the sea an organized visitor space: equipment, instruction, routes and safety practices mediate the encounter. The island’s identity is therefore not just a natural shoreline but also a designed system for getting people onto, into and above the water. That distinction helps readers see how tourism transforms an island’s use. The promotional page documents the breadth of the offer, though individual availability and current operating arrangements need separate checks before being presented as practical guidance.

The tourism board reports that the destination has invested in marine restoration and transplanted more than 68,000 coral colonies. The figure is the operator’s account of its work; its long-term ecological results are a separate question.

Sanya’s coral-reef regulation applies across the city’s administrative area. It prohibits visitors and operators from trampling, anchoring on or excavating coral, and bars harmful waste from being released into the sea. The rules put limits around the same activities that draw visitors to the island: operators and visitors must keep anchors, feet and waste away from reef habitat.