Diving in Sue While Kushimoto’s West Coast Was Closed
Today, strong westerly winds affected the Kushimoto area, making diving on the west coast difficult.
Fortunately, Kushimoto offers more than one diving area.
Instead of cancelling the trip, we headed to the eastern side of the town and enjoyed a fun diving day in Sue on Kii Oshima Island.
One of the unique advantages of diving in Kushimoto is the geography of the area. Cape Shionomisaki divides the coastline into eastern and western dive sites. When strong winds affect one side, the other side is often protected and remains diveable.
This flexibility helps many visitors continue diving even when weather conditions change during their trip.
Today, we visited Sue, an area known for encounters with Japanese bullhead shark.
We observed three individuals during our dives. While sightings are not always guaranteed, Sue remains one of the best places in the Kushimoto region to look for this species.
The water temperature was around 21°C, slightly cooler than the west coast of Kushimoto. Because the seasonal warming arrives later here, various nudibranchs are still active.
We also enjoyed observing Protaeolidiella atra and several other nudibranch species during the dives.
Recently, as the Kuroshio Current has returned closer to the Kii Peninsula, the differences between Kushimoto, Koza, and Sue have become more noticeable again. Each area now offers its own unique diving experience.
If you’re planning a dive trip to Japan and are worried about weather conditions, remember that Kushimoto provides multiple diving areas within a short driving distance.
Rather than cancelling because of wind on one side of the coast, we can often choose the most suitable area for the day and continue diving safely.
We are already receiving many inquiries for July and August.
If you are planning a diving trip to Kushimoto this summer, we recommend contacting us early to secure your preferred dates.
Fun diving requests in Kushimoto, Koza, and Sue are always welcome.
See you underwater!
Today’s Conditions (Kii-Oshima)
- Weather: Cloudy with sunny periods
- Air Temperature: 25–28°C
- Water Temperature: 20.0-21.0°C
- Visibility: 5-8m
Recommended Exposure Protection
- 6.5mm two-piece wetsuit
Drysuit with thin undergarments
-
Announcements
◾️Event Information
• Tide Pool Barred-chin blenny Photo Tour confirmed!
• Coral Spawning Observation Night Diving Confirmed!
◾️ Diving Tour
•Shiretoko Drift Ice Diving Tour 2027, Hokkaido | Join On-Site in Shiretoko
-
◾️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.
