Where to go for shark diving in Japan

If someone shouted, “Shark!” on the beach, chaos might ensue, with the Jaws theme playing symbolically in the background as people screamed and climbed ashore. But for trained divers, these mysterious deep-sea creatures are no object of fear—on the contrary, you can actually swim with them, albeit with extreme caution and respect.

Shark diving is exactly what the name suggests: an underwater activity in which participants encounter sharks in their natural environment. In cage-free shark diving, people swim with sharks in open water without a protective cage—relying on skill, calmness, and an understanding of shark behavior to stay safe. This is a high-risk activity suitable only for experienced divers, and most services require participants to have open water certification and dozens of logged dives.

An island nation known for its coral reefs and crystal clear waters, Japan is home to several places where ocean adventurers can encounter a pod of sharks — yes, that’s the correct term for a pod of sharks — including hammerheads, sharks, and sharks. hound sharks and sand tiger sharks.

Shark diving can be an exciting and awe-inspiring experience, bringing people up close and personal with the environment’s powerful animals. As well as having the appropriate training and qualifications, it’s important to always go with an experienced guide or dive service who is familiar with the location and species you’ll be swimming in. Here are a few places you can do this in Japan:

Kamimoto Yonaguni’s Hammerhead Shark

Hammerhead sharks, with their distinctive T-shaped heads, can be seen in a few locations across Japan, most notably Kamiko Honjima, a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Shizuoka Prefecture. Surrounded by several spectacular dive sites, it is said to be one of the best places in the world to witness mass gatherings of these giant sea creatures.

The best time to see sharks in the waters around Miyukimoto is from June to November. In addition to hammerhead sharks, you can encounter incredible marine life, including sandbar and blacktip sharks, and occasionally dolphins, sunfish, and sea turtles.

Yonaguni Island is a small island at the southern tip of Okinawa and an excellent place to watch hammerhead sharks. It has many popular dive sites, including the mysterious Yonaguni Monument, a massive underwater stone structure thousands of years old. Some believe it is man-made, hence the name “Japan’s Atlantis.”

The waters around Yonaguni Island are clear and deep, and many divers come here to watch the seasonal migration of hammerhead sharks. Hammerhead sharks can be seen on drift dives in Yonaguni between November and May, sometimes with more than 100 sharks in a single school.

Ito’s banded hound shark

Ito is located at the tip of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, just a two-hour drive from Tokyo. This is also a great place to swim with banded hound sharks. These smaller sharks are known for their striking banded markings, which is how they get their name. They are relatively docile and often avoid interaction with humans, making them a calm, even endearing, observational creature.

Initially, banded hound sharks in the waters around Ito were a problem for local fishermen because they would burrow into nets and eat the fish they caught. In 2009, a local diving service began an initiative to lure sharks away from fishermen’s catches by feeding them elsewhere, which proved highly successful. Red stingrays and banded hounds now gather year-round in such numbers that one dive site is dubbed “Shark City” or “Shark Scramble” (named after Shibuya’s famous pedestrian crossing). While diving here, hundreds of sharks can be seen circling in tornado-like formations.

Although Banded Terriers are generally calm, they may bump into divers while feeding. Being able to change your own mask, restore your regulator, and dive into waters with strong currents of more than 20 meters are skills Ito needs for diving.

Sand tiger shark in Ogasawara

The Ogasawara Islands are an archipelago of more than 30 subtropical islands that were listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011. There is incredible marine life here, including the sand tiger shark, a species known for its pointed snout and mouth full of visible sharks. , sharp teeth. However, despite their ferocious appearance, sand tiger sharks are not generally considered a threat to humans.

The waters surrounding Chichijima are one of the island’s most famous diving spots, and sand tiger sharks can be spotted offshore. In Chichijima’s Futami Bay, these seafloor-dwelling sharks occasionally wander among shipwrecks, creating a stunning sight.

There’s no denying that getting to the Ogasawara Islands is a long journey – although technically they’re located in Tokyo, 1,000 kilometers from the city and take about 24 hours to reach by ferry. However, for marine life lovers, the trek is worth it. In addition to being home to sand tiger sharks, the islands are a popular spot for dolphin and whale watching, especially during the spring humpback whale calving season.

More information

The world of shark diving is both thrilling and beautiful, and it reminds us of the importance of protecting our oceans. To learn more about wildlife conservation and endangered sharks in Japan, visit the Japan Wildlife Conservation Society’s website.

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