We went beach diving in Kushimoto's Coral paradise
The Kuroshio Current has returned, and the coral reefs in Kushimoto are showing strong signs of recovery.
Today, we visited one of the beach dive sites known for its beautiful coral communities.
Kushimoto is often called the “town of corals,” and there are many beach areas where you can enjoy stunning coral scenery.
At this site, the Acropora muricata once suffered devastating damage a few years ago due to the meandering Kuroshio Current and a severe cold wave.
However, over the past few years, it has been steadily recovering.
It’s truly amazing to see how nature can restore itself, growing back from just a small number of surviving corals.
Depending on the area, you can also see a beautiful combination of table corals and branching corals.
There are only a few places on the main island of Japan where you can see coral communities like this.
The underwater scenery in Kushimoto feels almost like a tropical destination. Another great feature of this area is that the highlights are different between boat and beach diving.
There is also a seasonal highlight you can only see at this time of year.
That is the combination of Colpomenia sinuosa and corals.
A field of Colpomenia sinuosa spreads across the seabed, with Prites lutea rising within it.
This golden landscape is only visible during this season. As the water temperature rises, the Colpomenia sinuosa will disappear, so if you want to see this unique scenery, now is the best time to visit.
One of the charms of beach diving is the very shallow area.
At a depth of just 1 meter near the exit, Triplefin blenny are currently at the peak of their spawning season.
The female is on the left, and the male on the right. The male shows a completely black breeding coloration.
Even in shallow water, reproductive behavior is already very active.
As the season progresses, you can also expect to see more small and charming fish such as Mottled blenny, Omobranchus loxozonus, and Rhabdoblennius nitidus.
We’re really looking forward to how the ocean will continue to change in the coming weeks.
Tomorrow is the award ceremony for the 34th Kushimoto Underwater Photo Contest.
We’re excited to see all the winning works.
Next year will mark the 35th edition of this long-running contest.
Anyone is welcome to participate, so we hope to see your entries next season!
If you would like to experience these seasonal underwater landscapes, now is the perfect time to visit Kushimoto.
Today’s Ocean Conditions
Weather: Sunny
Air Temperature: 7–20°C
Water Temperature: 18.7°C
Visibility:10m
Recommended Suit:
Shell drysuit (inner layer such as NORD or Weezle recommended)
or
Neoprene drysuit (inner layer such as BODYX or Thermal Body Smoother) + hood
Announcements
◾️Event Information
• Tide Pool Barred-chin blenny Photo Tour confirmed!
◾️Media
• We are one of the guide shops responsible for posting seasonal ocean updates from Kushimoto on “海旬”.
• Instagram is regularly updated!
• Our YouTube channel is now available!
• A video of Japanese Giant Salamander was featured by diving_partner on their platform.
