From Kushimoto's Ocean to Koza River with Guests from Thailand and the Netherlands!
Today, we enjoyed another international day of diving with our guests from Thailand, who joined us again after yesterday, and guests from the Netherlands!
We started the morning with fun diving in Kushimoto, then headed to Koza River in the afternoon for our first giant salamander dive in a while.
Visibility was good in the morning, and we enjoyed exploring the underwater world in great conditions.
Since the beginning of November, we've been seeing more Babded boarfish. (^^)
The water was still slightly hazy, but we could see at least 15 meters!
Recently, visibility has been more suitable for macro diving, so I haven't taken many photos of guests swimming with fish.
However, today I decided to photograph our guests with Stripy butterflyfish, a fish I always try to show divers who haven't visited Kushimoto for a while. (^^)
These fish are also very popular with international guests, and everyone seems to love seeing them!
Today, we spent less time looking for tiny marine creatures and focused more on finding larger animals.
While searching along the sandy bottom, we discovered a Inegocia ochiaii!
It was about one meter long and really impressive!
Its colors aren't particularly bright, but its huge mouth and massive body certainly leave an impression!
During our final dive, we discovered another Harlequin shrimp in a new location!
This individual didn't have any food with it, so there's a good chance it may move somewhere else soon.
If we have another opportunity to visit this site, I'll definitely check whether it's still there!
Underwater visibility in Kushimoto has been improving recently!
The water temperature is around 23–24°C, and more divers are starting to feel a little chilly in wetsuits.
However, the abundance of fish and marine life still makes it feel like peak diving season!
This is also a great time to practice diving in a drysuit.
Why not take advantage of our drysuit rental campaign and enjoy the beautiful underwater world of Kushimoto?
Afternoon River Diving: An Incredible Surprise at the Very End!
After finishing our morning fun dives and taking a lunch break, we headed to Koza River to search for Japanese giant salamander, the Japanese giant salamander!
We visited an area we couldn't reach on November 2 because of the rain, when ocean diving had also been canceled.
The river had a little more water than usual, so we had to carefully avoid the stronger currents while searching.
Fortunately, we managed to find two giant salamanders!!!
Because of their positions, we could only see parts of their bodies today.
Even so, it was more than enough to appreciate just how enormous these fascinating creatures are!
After watching the salamanders with our guests for a while, we were getting ready to head back.
Then I suddenly remembered something!
There was a nest where we had previously observed giant salamander eggs, so I decided to take another look.
And then...
I suddenly found myself face-to-face with a parent giant salamander!!!
I was completely surprised, but apparently the salamander was just as surprised as I was! (^^;)
It quickly disappeared deeper into the nest.
Can you see the little black tadpole-like creatures at the bottom of the photo?
They're baby giant salamanders!!!
The eggs we had observed previously had hatched, and the nest was now full of tiny babies!
What an incredible surprise!!!
They were quite far back inside the nest, so it was difficult to take clear photographs.
But discovering them was so exciting that I could hardly contain myself!
After doing some research, I learned that newly hatched giant salamanders are tadpole-like in appearance, before their legs develop.
Now I really want to go back and photograph these babies with my DSLR camera!
Today, I was using a compact digital camera, but the babies were a little too far away for the shooting conditions to be ideal.
Still, being able to photograph the parent together with the babies was a huge success!
After two years of giant salamander diving, I finally had my first encounter with baby giant salamanders!!!
What an unforgettable experience!
Experience River Diving in Koza River!
At Aqua Vista Kushimoto, we offer not only ocean fun diving but also river diving experiences in Koza River, where we search for Japanese giant salamanders!
Koza River offers a completely different underwater world from the ocean.
Since these are wild animals, sightings of giant salamanders cannot be guaranteed, but the river has many fascinating things to discover! (^^)
You're also very welcome to combine river diving with fun diving in Kushimoto!
We offer fun diving, river diving, discover scuba diving, and scuba certification courses.
Please feel free to contact us if you're interested in diving with us!
See you underwater!
Today's Diving Conditions
Weather: Sunny, then cloudy
Air Temperature: 15–22°C
Water Temperature: 15–21°C (Kushimoto / Boat Diving)
Visibility: 10–15 m (Kushimoto / Boat Diving)
Mornings and evenings are getting chilly, so if you're diving in a wetsuit, make sure to bring warm clothing for the time spent on land!
We also recommend an inner vest for wetsuit divers. A drysuit with light thermal undergarments is another great option!
Recommended Exposure Protection
5 mm wetsuit + inner vest or Drysuit (for ocean diving in Kushimoto )
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.
