Is a Typhoon Really Coming?! Fun Diving in Surprisingly Calm Conditions
The original forecast predicted very rough seas in Kushimoto, but when the day arrived, the conditions were surprisingly calm.
It was so sunny, and the wind was much calmer than expected. It was hard to believe a typhoon was actually approaching!
Our guest decided to come despite the uncertain forecast, and luckily, we were able to enjoy two days of fun diving together♪
Today, we focused on practicing macro photography.
Photographing tiny marine life may seem difficult at first, but once you learn a few tips, you can get some beautiful shots.
Taking macro photos in a swell requires a little more technique than usual, so today’s conditions actually gave us some good practice (^^)
And nudibranchs are perfect subjects for practicing macro photography. There are plenty of them around right now, making this a great time for anyone who wants to work on their macro photography skills!
Possibly because some nudibranchs had been moved around by the swell from the typhoon, we found many of them crawling across the rocks today.
One of them was this Favorinus mirabilis. Its beautiful cerata immediately caught my eye.
It was around 3–5 mm in size and is a species found in southern waters. This year, many southern species of nudibranchs have been carried to Kushimoto by the Kuroshio Current.
I feel like we’ve been introducing a lot of nudibranchs this summer.
There really are so many of them right now!! Even when we’re just swimming along, we keep spotting them.
Today, we found another species for the first time this year — a juvenile Eubranchus sp.28!!
This is a southern species that can also be found around Okinawa and Hachijojima.
And it was only around 2 mm in size! lol
Speaking of tiny nudibranchs, we also found an area where several juvenile Bornella anguilla had gathered together.
They ranged in size from around 5 mm to around 2 cm.
Where there is food, there are nudibranchs. And this spot was a perfect example of that.
Our guest took lots of photos of nudibranchs and seemed to get a better feel for the right shooting distance.
With each dive, the photography became faster and smoother!!
It was great to see our guest improving throughout the day (^^)
Of course, we also observed plenty of other marine life, but today’s main focus was nudibranchs, so this blog has been almost entirely about them!
To finish today’s blog, here is a pair of Harlequin shrimp holding on through the swell!!
As we move into October and November, the number of guests starts to settle down.
That makes it easier for us to accommodate requests such as practicing underwater photography, searching for nudibranchs, or visiting Uchiura Beach, which opens from October.
October and beyond is also a great time to observe a variety of marine life. If you’re planning to dive in Kushimoto, feel free to contact us with your requests.
If you’re considering fun diving in Kushimoto, please check our Fun Diving Rates & Schedule.
See you next time!
Today’s Diving Conditions
Weather: Cloudy →Sunny
Air Temperature: 23–31°C
Water Temperature: 26.4–26.5°C (Kushimoto)
Visibility: 10 m (Kushimoto)
Recommended Exposure Protection
5 mm wetsuit (for ocean diving)
Announcements
◾️ Diving Tour
• Shiretoko Drift Ice Diving Tour 2027, Hokkaido | Join On-Site in Shiretoko
◾️ Event Information
• Drysuit Diving in Kushimoto | Free Drysuit Rental Campaign 2026
• Nudibranch Safari in Kushimoto | Seasonal Macro Diving Event
◾️ 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.
