Tsao believes this is probably because the steep mountains on the east coast, and the strong currents along the west, made landing tricky, while the natives had a distinct reputation for head-hunting. It was not a place you would want to approach unprepared.
曹永和認為，原因很可能是台灣東有陡壁、西有強流，以當時的航海條件靠岸不易，再加上土著獵人頭的惡名昭彰，人們更不敢隨意靠近了。