JAPAN SHARKS – TOKYO

Japan and diving??

After many years of searching, we are going on diving trips to Japan. This first trip is to Tokyo and the diving around there which is incredibly exciting. On this diving trip to Japan we hope to experience sharks in different places around Tokyo. Diving in the Pacific Ocean near a metropolis with nearly 40 million inhabitants sounds completely crazy, but there is incredibly exciting diving waiting for you here.

Bōsō Peninsula

East of Tokyo, you can almost always see bandad dog shark. It is a small shark species but here you can sometimes see hundreds of these cute sharks in the same place. They form what is popularly called a sharknado and is a truly different experience. In addition to dog sharks, several species of rays live here and species such as sawfish, angelfish are sometimes seen on the bottom here. Larger species such as thresher shark, shortfin mako shark, salmon shark and sometimes also Mola mola or lumpfish live here too. Turtles and a rich marine life with lots of invertebrates and several strange fish species can be encountered here. A total of four dives over two days you will do here.

Izu Peninsula with Mikomoto

The next destination is south of Tokyo, only a few hours drive away and you are in a completely different world from the intensely hectic pulse of the big city. The Izu Peninsula has beautiful nature, lots of beaches and the area is known for large sharks and a rich marine life especially out at the Izu Islands. The small island of Mikomoto is especially known for its schools of hammerhead sharks. Hammerhead sharks and other large sharks are found here all year round but it is the end of May - beginning of June that the chance of seeing them increases.
Here in Shimoda the focus is entirely on getting out and diving. Two days with a full four dives on the first day and then two dives the next day are planned. The sea here is often current and the amount of nutrients in the water normally attracts large numbers of fish.

If we are really lucky, large schools of scalloped hammerheads come here, sometimes also thresher sharks, mako sharks, angelfish and Japanese bullhead sharks. Several species of rays are regularly seen here on the bottoms.

Cape Ose – macro, fish and spirituality

In the northern part of the peninsula and just outside the city of Numazu lies a spiritual place, sheltered behind mountains and valleys and winding roads. Cape Ose is a narrow strip of sand that juts out into the sea and is covered in an ancient juniper forest. From the water’s edge, you can see Mount Fuji rising above the shimmering waters of the bay. Osezaki is also known as one of the best diving spots on the Izu Peninsula. The mysterious Kamiike pond is located at the top of Osezaki and resembles the eye of a needle from afar. It is considered one of the “Seven Wonders of Izu” for its shrines and natural rock formations. Despite being right next to the bay, the mysterious pond contains freshwater and is teeming with carp.

Ose Sanctuary for the Sea Protects Divers and Fishermen

Ose Shrine, located next to Kamiike Pond, is a sacred place for the fishermen of Suruga Bay. Since ancient times, fishermen have dedicated hand-carved models of fishing boats and votive drawings (ema) to the shrine. These works of art vividly depict the lives of fishermen and are considered one of the top 100 historical and cultural properties of Japanese fishing villages. Many divers and fishermen worship the Ose Shrine as the guardian deity of the sea.

Diving is among other thingsandad with macro on black sand, strange invertebrates and fish inside the bay. Outside the bay, lumpfish, rays, smaller shark species and sometimes kingfish are often seen. Frogfish, octopuses and various seahorse species or pipefish are common here. The Cherry Blossom Anthias endemic to Japan is seen here. Together with several other Anthias species, they give the impression that the reefs andas