Diving in Kyushu
Surrounded by the sea on all sides, Kyushu offers many diving opportunities from the Genkai Nada area where the warm Tsushima Current flows to Kagoshima in the far south. Because Kyushu covers a large area, its characteristics vary greatly from place to place. The warm waters of the Tsushima Current make the Goto Islands an excellent place to dive with lots of tropical fish, hard coral, and colorful soft corals. These islands are a popular dive destination for encountering large migratory fish and diving the famous 100m long shipwreck. The northern region, located just a few minutes outside the city of Hakata, is dotted with islands such as Shikanoshima, where divers, snorkelers, and those looking to escape the big city come to enjoy the warm waters and quiet beaches, especially in the summer. Iki Island is a great dive destination reached in just over an hour by ferry, offering both beach entry and boat diving. Additional diving in Kyushu is found on Okinoshima Island, a World Heritage Site, about 60 km from the mainland. It boasts great visibility, warm water temperatures, and abundant fish life. There is no public transportation, however, and takes 2 hours to reach by dive boat.
Dive Sites in Kyushu
Featured places to go in Kyushu
Southern Kyushu
Aquatic Life in Kyushu
Diving in Kyushu is full of amazing marine life. Gobies, seahorses, horseshoe crabs, and many different species of sea slugs are often seen on beach dives. Sea turtles lay their eggs on several of these beaches and are also seen underwater. Sharks and rays commonly occur from winter to spring and in the summer, squid spawning behavior is seen everywhere. By the fall, many tropical fish appear, becoming very lively underwater. Large schools of yellow-striped butterfish and horse mackerel are seen offshore and near remote islands and where large migratory fish such as amberjacks prey on them.