Even When the Ocean Is Closed, There’s Still Amazing Diving Around Kushimoto
Today brought beautiful blue skies and felt just like the middle of summer. It looked like a perfect day for diving.
However, due to the swell from Typhoon No. 9, underwater visibility in the Kushimoto area deteriorated significantly, making it unsafe to dive.
As a result, all diving in the Kushimoto area has been suspended until Sunday.
We are planning to resume ocean diving on Monday, but depending on sea conditions, operations may not restart until Tuesday.
Although the ocean was closed, there was still another great option.
Today, we headed to the Kozagawa River with our guests. In the morning, we enjoyed a Japanese Giant Salamander dive, followed by a river dive at another site in the afternoon.
Being able to enjoy both ocean and river diving is one of the unique attractions of the Kushimoto area.
Diving with Japanese Giant Salamanders
It had been a while since our last Japanese Giant Salamander dive.
We expected the river to be much warmer by now, but the water temperature was still around 18°C.
It was possible to dive in a wetsuit, but we recommend a dry suit if you get cold easily.
Once again, we were lucky enough to find a Japanese Giant Salamander.
Watching this incredible animal quietly peeking out from between the rocks is always a special experience.
If you can see both its face and little hands at the same time, you’re very lucky. Seeing its entire body is even rarer.
The Japanese Giant Salamander is a protected natural monument of Japan and one of the country’s most unique freshwater animals.
It’s a truly special dive that can only be experienced in a few places.
Crystal-Clear River Diving in Kozagawa
In the afternoon, we moved to another dive site further downstream.
Both sites offered outstanding visibility of around 20 meters.
The Kozagawa River is famous for its exceptionally clear freshwater, and some dive sites reach depths of around 6 meters.
River diving offers a completely different atmosphere from ocean diving.
Sunlight shining through the trees creates beautiful underwater scenery, making it an excellent place for wide-angle photography.
Looking closer, you’ll also find many freshwater fish, including Yoshinobori, Bouzuhaze, Ayu, and Oikawa.
Whether you enjoy macro photography or wide-angle landscapes, river diving in Kozagawa offers something unique.
When the Ocean Is Closed, We Always Look for the Best Alternative
Sometimes typhoons or large swells make ocean diving impossible.
When that happens, river diving may be available if conditions are suitable.
If you’re interested in river diving when the ocean is closed, please feel free to let us know.
We always choose the best possible dive site based on the day’s weather and sea conditions, so you can enjoy the best diving experience available.
Tomorrow, the Kushimoto area will remain closed, so we’ll be taking our guests to a more sheltered dive site on the eastern coast, depending on the conditions.
We’re very sorry to everyone who had planned to dive with us this weekend.
We hope to welcome you back to Kushimoto soon under much better ocean conditions.
We also have a few fun diving spaces available on the first and last days of the July holiday weekend.
If you’re planning a trip to Japan and would like to experience both Kushimoto’s beautiful ocean and its unique river diving, we’d love to dive with you.
Today’s Ocean Conditions (Koza-river)
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- Weather: Sunny
- Air Temperature: 22–29°C
- Water Temperature: 28.8-22.0°C
- Visibility: 20m
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Recommended Exposure Protection
- 5mm two piece wetsuit or Drysuit
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- 5mm two piece wetsuit or Drysuit
