Ogasawara

Ogasawara Islands

Despite officially being part of Tokyo, the Ogasawara Islands are a 1000km away and a 25 hour ferry journey from the capital. These remote islands are a natural haven for rare animals and plants and was recently declared a UNESCO natural World Heritage Site. The ‘Galapagos of the Orient’ also has some world class diving with beautifully clear waters,  an abundance of coral and marine life and World War Two wrecks that have littered the sea bed for the last 60 plus years adding to the uniqueness of these islands. The waters are also renowned for being one of the best sites for diving with dolphin and whale – an amazing experience.


We found this fabulous video of diving in Ogasawara on Youtube produced by PelagicProductionsUW from 2 days diving in June 2012.

Highlights

The World War Two ship wrecks provide plenty of exciting diving at different levels. From a wreck just a few metres deep and visible from Sakaiura beach to wrecks sitting at 27-45m covered in coral, marine life and even unexploded bombs and ammunition add that something extra to the dive.

Long-snouted Spinner and Bottlenose Dolphin are common in these waters all year round and often join divers. 

The Humpbacks come to the island waters from January through to mid-April with the Sperm whales visiting from July through October. There is the chance of seeing these huge creatures up close when diving for a breath taking experience.

The waters around Chichijima and Mukojima are popular spots for seeing schooling migratory fish such as Dog-Tooth Tuna from June until November. Other common sights around the islands are Sand Tiger Shark and Green Turtle.

January to February

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March to April

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May to June

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July to October

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November to December

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