Miyako-jima · Japan · Cave & cavern · Wall
Antonio Gaudí
Layered arches and a smiley-face hole at 30 m
Area photo: Raita Futo · CC BY 2.0
Antonio Gaudí is a stack of overlapping rock arches off Shimoji-jima. The site runs from 8 m down to about 37 m, the main formation is entered near 25 m, and a hole in the rock at around 30 m reads as a smiley face from the right angle. Operators rate it advanced and ask for a deep specialty, because no-decompression time on the arches runs out fast.
Also known as アントニオガウディ.
Where it is and how deep
24.8205° N, 125.1369° EPublished position for this site.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
The formation begins around 25 m and falls away to roughly 36 m, so the plan is built around a short bottom time rather than a long tour. The arches sit on top of one another in layers rather than standing alone, and the route works through and around them, using the gaps in the rock as the frame for whatever lies beyond. Depth across the whole site ranges from 8 to 37 m, but the part that matters is all below 25 m.
The feature everyone comes for is the hole at about 30 m that resembles a smiley face. It only reads that way from one position, and it is large enough that a wide-angle lens is the difference between a photograph and a shrug. Out on the drop-off beyond the arches, fairy basslet hold off the wall. The shallow end of the site, up at 8 m, is where the ascent and the safety stop get spent.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Operators rate November to April, the north-wind months, as the best window, and run this coast from September.
Know before you go
- The formation sits deep enough that no-decompression time runs out quickly; computers get watched closely and the stay on the arches is deliberately short.
Dive videos
【宮古島 ダイビング】息をするのを忘れてしまう・・・海底に佇む芸術品がすごすぎた/アントニオ・ガウディ/ツインケーブ/中の島チャネル · Seiryu Travels on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Antonio Gaudí?+
The site spans 8 to 37 m. The arches are entered near 25 m and the main formation bottoms out around 36 m, which is why bottom time here is short and the dive is rated advanced.
Sources
- 宮古島のダイビングスポット — Marine Lodge Marea
- 宮古島のダイビングポイント (My Maps KML) — Marine Lodge Marea
More dive sites in Miyako-jima
Cave & cavern
A cross-shaped crack at 5 m, seen from the chamber below
Cave & cavern
Blue light falling through the ceiling of the main hall
Swim in from the sea and surface inside an inland pond
Cave & cavern
Two arches, two heart-shaped openings, a dark cave below
Similar dives elsewhere
Cave & cavern
Agios Vasileios
Lesbos · Greece
A cave that climbs from 23 m to 12 m inside an islet wall
A seamount 2 km offshore, dived at slack water for pelagics
An air chamber at the back of a vast cave in the cliff
.jpg){kind=link}
The Blue Cave above an abyss on Koločep's southern shore