In addition to the many outdoor and indoor swimming pools at Hong Kong's hotels that are available for hotel guests, there are numerous public swimming pools, including those at Kowloon Park and Victoria Park. Prices are HK$19 (US$2.45) for adults and HK$9 (US$1.15) for children and seniors. Avoid hot weekends, when the pools can become quite crowded.

There are also about 40 beaches in the SAR that are free for public use; most of them have lifeguards on duty April to October, changing rooms, and snack stands or restaurants. Even on Hong Kong Island itself you can find a number of beaches, including Big Wave Bay and Shek O on the east coast, and Stanley, Deep Water Bay, South Beach (popular with the gay crowd), and Repulse Bay on the southern coast. Repulse Bay, by far the most popular beach in Hong Kong, becomes unbelievably crowded on summer weekends.

There are prettier beaches on the outlying islands, including Hung Shing Ye and Lo So Shing on Lamma, Tung Wan on Cheung Chau, and Cheung Sha on Lantao. It is, however, advisable to check on water pollution before plunging in, especially on the islands. Furthermore, I wouldn't recommend the waters around Sai Kung Peninsula. There seem to be fatal shark attacks here every couple of years, due to fish migration, though most of the public beaches have shark nets and guards patrolling the water.