Diving Destinations in Japan
Explore the most incredible underwater destinations in Japan. From tropical reefs to dramatic walls, discover your next diving adventure.
Mikomoto
Mikomoto Island is a small, uninhabited rock off the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula. Lying at the confluence of the Pacific and the Kuroshio Current, it offers Japan’s wildest drift diving. Experienced divers come here to fin alongside schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks that ride the currents above sheer walls. The island’s underwater topography includes plateaus, pinnacles and drop‑offs draped in soft corals and sponges. Add in sightings of sandbar and blacktip sharks, tuna, amberjacks, eagle rays and trevallies and you have one of Asia’s premier big‑animal dives. Because of the strong currents and depths of 25–30 m, Mikomoto is strictly for advanced divers comfortable with negative entries, quick descents and deploying surface marker buoys.
Miyako
Miyako Island sits almost halfway between Okinawa’s main island and Taiwan and is famed for its labyrinthine underwater topography. Most of its celebrated dive sites are around tiny Shimoji and Irabu islands just to the west. Here, volcanic limestone has eroded into cathedral‑like caverns, tunnels and blue holes that fill with shafts of sunlight. Iconic sites such as Devil’s Palace, Tori‑ike and Antonio Gaudi feel like underwater cathedrals where beams of light paint the stalactites and arches. Although big animals are rare, you’ll find sea turtles, schooling batfish, garden eels and colourful reef fish along the Yabiji reef to the north when conditions allow. Diving here requires good buoyancy control and torch technique, but the atmosphere is tranquil and the water is usually gin‑clear.
Okinawa
Straddling the subtropical Ryūkyū chain in Japan’s far south, Okinawa Prefecture is a mosaic of islands offering everything from shallow coral gardens to deep wrecks and wild drift dives. The main island provides easy access to the vibrant reefs of the Kerama National Park, where Tokashiki and Zamami Islands boast pristine hard corals, sea fans and more turtles than you can count. Just offshore, Cape Manza’s Dream Hole drops through a chimney into a colourful cavern system teeming with soldierfish, angelfish and feather stars. Further north, history buffs can dive the 100‑metre USS Emmons, a WWII destroyer resting intact at 35–40 m. Closer to shore, Cape Maeda’s Blue Cave offers an easy swim‑through with magical blue light – but expect crowds. Away from the main island, Okinawa’s outer islands extend the experience: Ishigaki’s Manta Scramble (April–Nov) promises manta ray ballets, Yonaguni’s currents bring hammerhead sharks in winter, and Miyako’s caves and tunnels deliver topography diving at its finest. Whether you crave reef fish, big pelagics, swim‑throughs or macro critters, Okinawa’s warm, clear waters offer a Japanese diving adventure for every level of diver.
Tateyama
The small fishing town of Tateyama in Chiba Prefecture hides one of Japan’s most adrenaline‑pumping dives. Just a five‑minute boat ride from the harbour is the famous **Shark Scramble**, where hundreds of banded hound sharks, stingrays and groupers circle in slow motion around divers. Locals feed the sharks to keep them away from fishing nets, so they remain placid and approachable while creating an unforgettable shark tornado. The dive is relatively shallow but subject to strong currents and cold water, so advanced certification and a comfort with low visibility and big animals are essential. When the sharks disperse, colourful soft corals, anemone gardens and schools of reef fish cover the seabed. This unique dive makes Tateyama a must‑do day trip for adventurous divers visiting Tokyo.