Enjoy Diving in Kushimoto’s Ocean and the Kozagawa River in One Day!
Today was another beautiful sunny day in Kushimoto!
This time, we enjoyed a special cross-over diving plan with fun diving in the ocean during the morning and Japanese giant salamander diving in the Kozagawa River in the afternoon.
This is a unique plan that can be difficult to arrange during the busy summer season unless booked in advance, but it is possible to enjoy both the ocean and river in a single day here in Kushimoto area.
Our guest today joined us from Sweden during a short break from a working holiday stay in Japan.
During the morning fun dive in the Kushimoto area, we were lucky enough to encounter an Green sea turtle!
We have had great luck with sea turtles since yesterday. Judging by the size, it may have been the same individual we saw on the previous day.
The chances of seeing sea turtles around Kushimoto are definitely increasing!
You do not have to travel all the way to Okinawa to see sea turtles — you can see them right here in Kushimoto!
Later in the dive, we shifted our focus to macro photography because today’s guest brought a close-up lens.
Of course, it was definitely not because I personally enjoy macro diving… well, maybe just a little bit as usual! Haha.
Nudibranchs are still being seen in good numbers, and we observed many different varieties during the dive.
Even around a single rock, we can often find more than 10 types if we take our time searching carefully. It feels like there are even more waiting to be discovered.
For nudibranch lovers, this is a great season to visit Kushimoto. The water temperature is also slowly becoming comfortable enough for wetsuit diving if you do not mind slightly cooler water.
After a lunch break, we headed to the Kozagawa River for Japanese giant salamander diving.
It had been a while since our last Japanese giant salamander search during Golden Week, so I was a little worried whether they would still be in the area, but thankfully we successfully found two individuals!
Unfortunately, we could not see a fully exposed individual this time, but one salamander poked its head out from its hiding place, allowing us to carefully observe its legs, tail, and adorable eyes.
The water temperature in the Kozagawa River is still around 15°C, so dry suits are still essential there.
Meanwhile, the ocean in Kushimoto is now around 20°C, and we are starting to see more wetsuit divers in the area.
I have already completely switched to my 6.5mm wetsuit, and with sunny weather, it feels surprisingly comfortable underwater.
If the water temperature rises just another couple of degrees, wetsuit diving will become even more comfortable. Unfortunately, the warmer current has not fully arrived yet.
On the positive side, it means we have a longer season to comfortably practice diving with dry suits!
If you would like to try dry suit diving or enjoy both ocean and river diving in one day, feel free to contact us anytime.
Some dates during the July holidays is already fully booked, so we highly recommend making reservations early if you are planning to visit during the summer season.
See you then!
Today’s Conditions
- Weather: Sunny with occasional clouds
- Air Temperature: 13–23°C
- Water Temperature: 20.4°C (Kushimoto) 15.6℃（Koza-river)
- 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.
