Perhaps most famous for the Yonaguni Monument, Japan’s Yaeyama Islands are located halfway between the mainland and Taiwan. They’re remote, requiring advance planning and hours of travel onboard a boat, but once you arrive, you’ll find that the effort you made to access the islands was well worth it. While there are quite a few different places to dive all around the islands, as well as offshore, some sites do stand out from others. Let’s take a look at five of the best.
Ishizaki Manta Scramble
An exceptional site for all divers, with depths between 8 and 16 meters, the Ishizaki Manta Scramble has barely any current, yet manta rays often visit, hovering above the coral reef. Although you can usually see manta rays here year round, their numbers are greatest between July and September, and again in October, when they sometimes return en masse for another “Manta Scramble”. Cross your fingers for good weather – strong north winds make the site too dangerous for the boat to get to.
Yonehara Out Reef
Accessible from the beach, and sometimes reached via boat, Yonehara Out Reef is located off Ishigaki Island and is an excellent site for all divers. Although currents can sometimes be strong, depths here are just between 3 and 15 meters. Featuring fantastic table corals, staghorn corals, lovely sea fans, huge colorful sponges, and an endless kaleidoscope of bicolor anthias, sergeants, butterfly fish, and others, the site is perfect for underwater photography. Along the outer side of the reef, to the East, you can sometimes see shoaling dogtooth tuna, huge barracuda, and schooling snapper.
Uganzaki
Featuring depths between 10 and 30 meters, and washed with strong east to west currents at times, Uganzaki is suitable for intermediate divers and above during calm weather and for those with more experience when the current is running. Despite the sometimes challenging conditions, the site offers exceptional underwater topography, with a lovely wall swathed in colorful soft coral and sponges. Here, you can find pyramid butterfly fish, lots of anthia and wrasse, peach colored fairy basslets, and other brightly colored fish. Watch for sharks, including the occasional hammerhead, and keep an eye out for passing manta rays and turtles.
Yonara Channel
Located just off Irimote Island, and only accessible via boat, the Yonara Channel is suitable for all divers, despite the fact that currents can sometimes be strong. The site is renowned for its garden eels, gobies and shrimp, and its manta rays, which are usually encountered between the months of April and June. Featuring fantastic gardens of varied coral and sponge, along with clean white sandy patches, it is ideal for both macro and wide angle photography.
Undersea Ruins
Also known as the Yonaguni Monument, the Undersea Ruins are accessible to all divers. Beginning just three meters from the surface, and dropping away in steps to eventually meet the ocean floor at a depth of 25 meters, the site is thought by some to be the ruins of an ancient civilization site, and by others simply a marvel of nature. Either way, it is a fantastic dive, with plentiful marine life, including shoaling barracuda and napoleons, barred flagtail, and on occasion, schooling hammerhead sharks.
Diving at the Yaeyama Islands is certainly an unforgettable experience, and when you arrive, you’ll find that the people are friendly and hospitable. With historic sights to see topside, plus a wealth of rare birds and other animals, the islands are amazing both above and below the surface. Be sure to start planning about a year before your trip.