Kanokawa Nakanose

This dive site, Kanokawa Nakanose, is nestled off the southern coast of Iriomote Island, Japan. Renowned for its calm currents, it offers a serene and accessible diving experience, navigating through extensive and vibrant coral gardens. While no specific historical narratives are provided, the site has gained significant fame within the diving community as a premier location for encountering majestic manta rays, drawing enthusiasts annually. The marine environment here is exceptionally rich, featuring lush coral gardens, including impressive huge thistle corals that serve as vital habitats. These corals teem with a diverse array of tropical fish. Seasonally, the site welcomes schools of snappers, mud rays, barracudas, dogtooth tuna, and bigfin reef jacks. Most notably, Kanokawa Nakanose is celebrated for high manta ray sightings, particularly during the winter and spring months, and is also home to various red rockfish. For those seeking manta ray encounters, the optimal time to visit Kanokawa Nakanose is from winter to spring. During the summer, divers and snorkelers can anticipate breathtaking displays of large schooling fish such as snappers, mud rays, and barracudas. With its gentle currents and a maximum depth of 18 meters, this site is perfectly suited for scuba divers of all skill levels, as well as freedivers and snorkelers eager to explore its healthy coral reefs and abundant marine life.