Kayaking: From an outdoor adventure to a vehicle for life education
In lesser-known areas of Hong Kong, there are plenty of spectacular natural locations both on land and in water. Dr Louie kayaks near the Bluff Island sea cave at the Hong Kong Geopark in Sai Kung in 2020.
Dr Louie, sitting at the pool side, teaches kayaking and life-saving skills at the University’s swimming pool.
Dr Lobo Louie Hung-tak, an EdUHK alumni and now Associate Head of Department of Health and Physical Education, has taken on many kinds of sports and outdoor activities, from table tennis, badminton, tennis, squash, football, hiking to kayaking. He has been hooked ever since he went on an outward bound trip more than 40 years ago. While he has broadened his exposure to a variety of sports over the years, the amount of joy he derives from kayaking remains undiminished.
It was during a 25-day outward bound experience trip in 1977 that the now all-rounded sport fanatic had his first encounter with the water sport of kayaking. During the 25-day training course, Dr Louie tried kayaking and a great deal of other activities that not many young people at that time had the opportunity to try. “I did kayaking, sailing, orienteering, hiking, camping and rock climbing. I also learnt some basic life-saving skills in the outward bound trip,” said Dr Louie.
The outward bound trip took place in the waters of Sai Kung, where Dr Louie paddled his kayak and created lifelong memories. “It was the first time I tried kayaking. I can still feel the waves on either side of me, gently bumping against my kayak. The waves were so beautiful,” Dr Louie said. During the 25-day trip, he fell in love with kayaking, as well as the broader scope of sports and outdoor activities. Dr Louie’s decision to dedicate himself to such interests would define the trajectory of his life going forward.
Dr Lobo Louie Hung-tak, fourth from right, back row, together with other outward-bound alumni, at the media conference announcing the cross-border kayak expedition from Hong Kong to Macau.
Dr Lobo Louie Hung-tak poses for a photo in Hong Kong the day before the 36-km cross-border kayak expedition.
His passion for kayaking as well as other sports and adventurous activities never left him. Even while he explored a wide range of sports and outdoor activities throughout the years following the fateful outward bound trip, he never stopped kayaking. He simply likes the feeling of riding on a kayak, being buoyed by the waves and gliding across the waters of Hong Kong. In 1982, his kayaking experience reached new heights when he, together with 15 other outward bound alumni, paddled kayaks from Tai O, Hong Kong to Macau. They completed the 36-km cross-border charity expedition in around nine hours.
Thirty-four years later in 2016, Dr Louie made a similar kayak trip again – this time traversing a distance of 47 km from Tung Chung, Hong Kong to Macau. “In 2016, we finished the sea journey in 11 hours due to the longer distance. Among the 12 people participating in the expedition in 2016, four were from the same group of people who joined the 1982 adventure,” Dr Louie said proudly.
Ever since he entered the field of sports through kayaking some 45 years ago, Dr Louie has picked up many other kinds of sports activities. He spent less time on kayaking while exploring other activities. However, the COVID-19 outbreak drew him back to his favourite water sport. “Given how vast the sea is, kayakers are able to keep a very safe social distance from each other. One can enjoy beautiful views while paddling. The pandemic could make one feel depressed due to all its circumstances, but the sea is a calm and relaxing place where one can reflect on recent events and unload their negativity,” Dr Louie said.
Kayaking near the Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen in 2020. The restaurant was towed out of Hong Kong in mid-June this year.
Dr Louie enjoys a wonderful experience kayaking in Victoria Harbour in 2021, where he takes in stunning views from both sides of the harbour packed with high-rise buildings.
Dr Louie has explored many of Hong Kong’s lesser-known destinations in its countryside by kayak. He has kayaked in Victoria Harbour as well. He said paddling across the harbour on a kayak was an amazing experience. “You are surrounded by high-rise buildings on both sides of the harbour. You can see the Star Ferry pier up close. You feel as if you’re in the very heart of Hong Kong,” the veteran sports lover said.
Because of his rich knowledge and wide breadth of practical sports experience, Dr Louie is nicknamed the “walking sports wiki”. He is a friend of the media too. Whenever reporters have a sports-related question, whether it is about how one can keep physically fit during the pandemic, how to avoid accidents during outdoor activities, or how to prevent or recover from a sports injury, they call Dr Louie, or “Leoi Sir” in Cantonese, for advice. Over the years, the walking wiki’s passion for sports and outdoor activities has evolved into an enthusiasm to teach and promote physical education among young people. According to Dr Louie, physical education incorporates elements of outdoor activities, serving as both a means to train a student’s physical fitness as well as improve their perseverance.
“A sport like kayaking is essentially an adventurous activity that is conducted in a natural setting. Adventure sports push a player’s physical and mental endurance to the limit. It forces students to step out of their comfort zone. Once you are in the middle of the sea on your kayak, you have to paddle back to the shore. Giving up is not a choice. It trains up a person’s perseverance,” the EdUHK sports icon said.
I believe one of the important elements of life education is to expose yourself to risk and reflect on the value of life, which happens naturally during outdoor activities.
Having kayaked for over 40 years, Dr Louie has benefitted abundantly from the sport as well as from mother nature. “I’ve learnt how to appreciate the beauty of nature. I’ve also strengthened my survival skills through outdoor activities like kayaking, orienteering and hiking. The University has been emphasising life education more lately. I believe one of the important elements of life education is to expose yourself to risk and reflect on the value of life, which happens naturally during outdoor activities,” he said.
As a graduate of the Northcote College of Education, one of the five predecessor institutions constituting EdUHK, Dr Louie has a special connection with his alma mater. Since coming back to serve his alma mater in 2021, Dr Louie has made efforts to incorporate learning survival skills as part of the University’s life education curriculum. Recently, he introduced an experiential course called “Outdoor Adventure Activities”. The course makes use of the school swimming pool as an outdoor classroom, where risks can be controlled at a manageable level, to teach students different kinds of outdoor sports, including kayaking, and develop their problem-solving skills. In the coming semester, he will teach another life education course titled “Life Education through Outdoor Survival Skills Development”.
We are proud of having an alumnus like Dr Louie who brings his love for kayaking and many years of experience in sports and outdoor activities to his teaching post at FLASS. We are sure his knowledge in physical education, teaching skills and experiences in adventure sports will be a big asset to the faculty and the University as well.
