Yonaguni Monument (Underwater Ruins, Iseki Point)
Okinawa & Yonaguni, Japan
Giant terraced rock formations, natural or man-made depending on who you ask, with schooling hammerheads in winter.
- Advanced
- Rock formations
Diving in Japan
2 destinations and 17 documented dive sites. The strip under each destination shows its season, month by month.
Dive sites to know
Artificial reef
down to 7 m
Amuro Fish Reef
Okinawa & Yonaguni, Japan
Shallow 7 m artificial reefs off Amuro Island overgrown with finger coral and busy with fish.
- Open Water
Reef
down to 15 m
Gorilla Chop
Okinawa & Yonaguni, Japan
Beach dive in northern Okinawa named after a shoreline rock shaped like a gorilla's karate chop, with plenty of coral and colourful fish.
- Open Water
Drift
down to 30 m
Irizaki Point
Okinawa & Yonaguni, Japan
Blue-water drift off Yonaguni's western tip watching hammerheads in open ocean, with dogtooth tuna, barracuda and bigeye trevally.
- Advanced
- Whale sharks
Reef
down to 15 m
Manta City Point
Okinawa & Yonaguni, Japan
Shallow manta spot near Kabira Bay, around 10 m deep, where even beginners can watch manta rays glide past.
- Advanced
- Manta rays
Pinnacle
down to 40 m
Shimosone
Okinawa & Yonaguni, Japan
Open-sea reef south of the Keramas with rocks rising from a 30 m seabed and 30-50 m visibility; summer-only.
- Experienced
- Sharks
All dive sites in Japan
Okinawa & Yonaguni, Japan
- Yonaguni Monument (Underwater Ruins, Iseki Point)Advanced25 m
- Amuro Fish ReefOpen Water7 m
- Gorilla ChopOpen Water15 m
- Irizaki PointAdvanced30 m
- Manta City PointAdvanced15 m
- ShimosoneExperienced40 m
- Taketomi Island Submarine Hot SpringOpen Water20 m
- UganAdvanced40 m
- Yonara ChannelAdvanced30 m
- Kabira Ishizaki Manta ScrambleAdvanced25 m
- Osaki Hanagoi ReefAdvanced40 m
- GinaOpen Water25 m
- USS EmmonsExperienced45 m
- Nishihama (Hateruma Island)Open Water15 m
- Sunabe SeawallOpen Water25 m
- Blue Cave (Cape Maeda)Advanced40 m
Susami Bay, Japan
- Susami Underwater PostboxOpen Water10 m
Photo credits
- Furuzamami Beach, Zamami Island, Kerama Islands, Hashi photo, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Stepped rock terraces of the Yonaguni Monument, Melkov, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
