We enjoyed a morning fun dive in Kushimoto under beautiful blue skies and calm ocean conditions for the first time in a while.
We headed out for fun diving in Kushimoto this morning.
After many days of unstable weather, we finally had a perfect day with sunshine and flat calm seas.
For the first dive, our guest requested a sea turtle dive, so we visited one of Kushimoto’s well-known turtle areas.
It had been a while since we last visited this site, but the area was full of life with schools of mullet fish and Neon Damselfish swimming everywhere.
And of course, we successfully found two sea turtles!!
We were especially lucky to meet a very relaxed turtle that stayed calm even with several divers nearby. It was the perfect chance for photos and observation.
On the way, we also checked on the Coral hermit crab living in a beautiful coral colony that we found last year.
Thankfully, all of them are still doing well this season. Perhaps because the water temperature stayed relatively warm this year, none of the individuals disappeared.
The contrast between the colorful coral and the Coral hermit crab makes this one of our favorite underwater photo spots in Kushimoto.
Near the end of the dive, we observed mouthbrooding behavior of Apogon aureus, which is currently in peak season.
More individuals carrying eggs have started appearing again, so it seems the previous breeding cycle has already finished.
If you can capture the exact moment when they reposition the eggs inside their mouths, you can clearly photograph the eggs hidden inside.
Definitely worth trying if you enjoy underwater photography!
The second dive was focused mainly on macro life.
Nudibranch season is still continuing, and we found Placida babai on Codium cylindricum, where they are commonly seen during this time of year.
Their color matches the algae very well, so they can be surprisingly difficult to spot at first. But once you learn their shape, your eyes naturally start finding them underwater.
Finally, we found one of my personal favorite nudibranchs — Tambja amakusana.
More and more Ryugu-type nudibranchs have started appearing recently, and today’s individual was sitting in a beautiful spot with an excellent background for photography.
It feels like we will start seeing many more tiny and colorful nudibranchs in the coming weeks.
The weather was fantastic this weekend, making it perfect diving conditions in Kushimoto.
I also switched to my 6.5mm wetsuit today. With sunny weather like this, it was surprisingly comfortable underwater.
For all wetsuit divers — maybe it’s time to start diving again soon!
From late June onward, wetsuit diving should become even more comfortable.
Please feel free to contact us anytime if you would like advice about schedules or wetsuit recommendations.
See you underwater!
Today’s Conditions
- Weather: Sunny with occasional clouds
- Air Temperature: 12–22°C
- Water Temperature: 19.7-20.2°C (Kushimoto)
- Visibility: 12m (Kushimoto)
Recommended Exposure Protection
- Neoprene drysuit with thin inner layer
or - Shell drysuit with BODY 2X undergarments
- or
- 6.5mm 2 piece wetsuit
-
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.
