Ishigaki · Japan · Reef · Coral garden
Yonehara Reef
A 5 m coral shelf dropping to three coral heads on sand at 20 to 25 m.
Area photo: Tzuhsun Hsu · CC BY-SA 2.0
A boat-entry reef on Ishigaki's north shore, built around a coral shelf at 5 to 6 metres that drops away to sand at 20 to 25. Three coral heads stand on that sand, densely covered in table and other corals, and the site as a whole covers a depth range of 5 to 30 metres.
Also known as Yonehara Double Reef.
Where it is and how deep
24.4589° N, 124.2074° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive starts on the coral shelf, which sits in 5 to 6 metres of water and forms the shallow top of the site. From there the ground drops away into a sandy area at 20 to 25 metres, and working down that drop is the first half of the dive; average depths across the site as a whole run from 5 to 30 metres.
Three coral heads stand out of the sand at the bottom of the drop, densely covered in table and other corals. They are the focus of the deep part of the dive, and the shelf above gives somewhere to finish the profile shallow, trading depth for the long bottom time the top of the reef allows.
Marine life and season
- Pristine corals
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Fair |
Season follows Ishigaki: Manta sightings peak April-November; typhoon season (Jul-Sep) and winter winds disrupt boat schedules.
Know before you go
- The Yonehara shore is known for strong rip currents. That applies to the swimming and snorkelling beach rather than the boat dive, but it is worth knowing before entering the water from land here.
Dive videos
[4K footage] Dive into Yonehara Double Reef【米原Wリーフに潜る_4K】 · フルスコア8K on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Yonehara Reef?+
Depths run from about 5 to 30 metres. The coral shelf sits at 5 to 6 metres, and the sandy area below it, where the three coral heads stand, is at 20 to 25 metres.
Can you dive Yonehara from the beach?+
No. The site is boat entry only. The Yonehara shore nearby is a snorkelling beach and is known for strong rip currents, so it is not a substitute entry point for the reef dive.
Sources
- Yonehara Double Reef — Scubago
- Ishigaki — Wikivoyage (fr)
More dive sites in Ishigaki
A well-known manta cleaning station spanning 5 to 25 metres.
One of the world's highest manta encounter rates, in 10 to 20 m.
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