We Witnessed Coral Spawning in Kushimoto Last Night!
It was a rainy morning here in Kushimoto, and the temperature was a little cooler than yesterday. Despite the weather, the sea remained calm, making for another great day of diving.
Just like yesterday, we spent the day enjoying macro diving.
Summer is one of the most exciting seasons to dive in Kushimoto. Along with colorful macro life, it’s also the time of year when divers have the rare chance to witness the annual coral spawning.
Before sharing today’s dives, we’d like to tell you about last night’s special night dive.
Our goal was to witness one of the most spectacular underwater events of the year—coral spawning.
This year’s coral spawning has been much earlier than last year’s, making it especially difficult to predict.
Normally, different coral species spawn between June and July, but this year some corals had already spawned in May.
Then, last night, the table corals that we expected to spawn in early July released their eggs all at once.
Around 10:00 p.m., the first corals began spawning.
About 15 minutes later, the surrounding corals joined in, and suddenly the entire reef was releasing eggs.
Countless orange egg bundles drifted through the water, creating a truly magical underwater scene.
This is a special natural event that can only be witnessed during a very short period each year.
Although predicting the timing is never easy, the excitement of witnessing it never fades.
The beautiful orange eggs floating through the water are sometimes called “summer snow,” and it’s a breathtaking sight that every diver should experience at least once.
Watching the eggs slowly rise from between the coral branches is fascinating.
Some of these eggs will eventually settle on the reef, grow into new corals, and help expand Kushimoto’s coral communities.
There are many different theories about what triggers coral spawning, but there is still much we don’t know about the corals in Kushimoto.
We’ve been observing them every year, yet we still haven’t found a clear pattern.
That’s why we continue our research and observations each season.
Has this year’s spawning already finished, or are there still more corals waiting to spawn?
We still don’t know.
One thing is certain—you have to be there to witness this incredible moment.
The guests who joined us at the last minute last night were very lucky!
A Relaxing Day of Macro Diving
Now, let’s take a look at today’s dives.
Today was all about macro photography.
July has just begun, and we’re already seeing many juvenile fish appearing underwater.
One of today’s highlights was a tiny baby Pteropterus antennata.
The blue dots of the sea urchin in the background and the orange coloration near the fish created a beautiful combination for photography.
We’ve also been enjoying an excellent season for young Paracentropyge venusta.
When juvenile fish stay in the same place for a long time, they gradually become more comfortable around divers.
This individual now allows photographers to get surprisingly close, even with a compact camera.
It isn’t very fond of dive lights, though.
If you’re photographing it, try shining your light gently from a distance rather than pointing it directly at the fish.
Nudibranch Season is Returning
With the recent typhoons now behind us, nudibranch numbers are increasing again.
By searching around colonies of Caleschara spices , we found several different nudibranch species.
Today’s cutest find was a tiny Thecacera picta, only about 1 mm long.
It was absolutely adorable.Definitely “Koike-sized!” 😄
We’re also beginning to see more aeolid nudibranchs, including Samla sp. 1, a species more commonly found in offshore areas.
Perhaps a new current has started flowing into Kushimoto.
Our final highlight was a huge Miamira flavicostata.
We first found this individual about two weeks ago, and judging by its size and color pattern, it appears to be the very same animal.
It successfully survived two typhoons and was calmly making its way across the sandy bottom.
Two Wonderful Days in Kushimoto
Yesterday, we experienced the incredible spectacle of coral spawning.
Today, we enjoyed a relaxing day of macro photography.
One of the best things about diving in Kushimoto is that you can experience both unforgettable natural events and an amazing variety of macro marine life during the same trip.
July has finally arrived, and the summer diving season is now in full swing.
Whether you’re looking for fun diving or trying scuba diving for the first time, we’d love to welcome you.
If you’re visiting Japan this summer, come and discover the underwater world of Kushimoto with us!
See you underwater! 😊
Today’s Ocean Conditions (Kushimoto)
- Weather: Sunny
- Air Temperature: 22–23°C
- Water Temperature: 23.3-24.1°C
- Visibility: 8 m
Recommended Exposure Protection
- 5mm wetsuit
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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
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◾️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.
