Legends say that in the year 1626 AD, a Spanish ship set sail from the Philippines and reached the northeast coast of Taiwan. Because they did not know the name of their location, to be able to record it in their log, they named it San Diego in Latin, a common custom of the Spanish people, to name locations with “San”. This is the earliest record of foreigners arriving at the northeast coast of Taiwan. Early residents thus translated the name of the area according to the sound of the Latin name, becoming “Sandiao” in Taiwanese. “Sandiao” was located around a cape, and thus the area was named “Sandiao Cape”.
Here, there is the beautiful sight of water rising over land coupled with the astounding view of sky meeting the ocean: to the right, the Pacific is a body of calm water, but to the left, when viewed from San Diego Cape, the East China Sea area is an unceasing stretch of waves and spray for thousands of hectares. This is caused by a large fault to the southeast of Naha city, Okinawa, to which the rock layers that San Diego Cape lies upon connects with. Additionally, this is the best location to see Turtle Island. Here, when one looks to the distant, they’ll see a giant turtle quietly floating on the surface of the water.
We suggest you choose a day when the weather is good and arrive before sunrise, usually around 4 AM. This is your chance to enjoy the soft sea breeze in a magical environment, where the ocean and the sky come together in a burst of hazy light 15 minutes before dawn. While the golden rays shine towards the horizon, suddenly, the sun will break through and slowly rise. Every changing second is magnificent.