On 17 and 18 October, 10 members of the CUHK Rowing Team Alumni Association took on the challenge to travel to Macau in an unconventional way – by becoming the first group ever to row from Hong Kong to Macau and back, an 80 km-long journey. The aim of the challenge was to raise HK$100,000 for WWF-Hong Kong’s marine and dolphin conservation work.

The 10 rowers, a combination of current students and alumni led by Mr. Chiu Tak-wing, expedition leader and president of the association, made use of 5 boats (with 2 rowers per boat) to complete the 20-hour trip, starting at Tung Chung and going through the Pearl River Estuary to Hac Sa Beach in Macau, with Tai O being the destination of the return trip. CUHK Vice-Chancellor Prof. Joseph J. Y. Sung personally greeted the rowers at Tai O upon their successful return and congratulated them on completing this meaningful venture.

The Pearl River Estuary, a core habitat of the Chinese white dolphin, is also one of the busiest shipping channels in the world and the location of the Hong Kong- Zhuhai-Macau Bridge construction sites. Through their gruelling journey, the team had hoped to learn more about the threats faced by dolphins in their own habitat. Members were elated to actually encounter dolphins on several occasions, both during practice trips and the actual journey. Rowers also contributed to marine health by picking up floating pieces of garbage as they pass by them.