Miyako-jima · Japan · Cave & cavern
Devil's Palace
Blue light falling through the ceiling of the main hall
Area photo: Raita Futo · CC BY 2.0
The Devil's Palace is the best-known dive on Miyako-jima, a cavern system off Shimoji-jima entered through a crack in the reef at around 15 m. A lit entrance hall gives way to a pitch-dark corridor and then to a main chamber where blue light pours down through the ceiling. Depths through the system run 19 to 30 m.
Also known as 魔王の宮殿.
Where it is and how deep
24.8277° N, 125.1330° EPublished position for this site.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
The entrance is a crack in the reef near 15 m, and the first space beyond it is the entrance hall, bright enough to see across because daylight follows you in. From there the route narrows into a corridor that is genuinely dark — without a light there is nothing to see at all — and this is the stretch where buoyancy matters, because anything kicked off the floor stays in the water for the divers behind you.
The corridor opens into the main hall, where blue light drops from holes in the ceiling. Shoals of pygmy sweepers move through the beams as silhouettes, and aogihaze gobies and the fish local guides call devilfish live in the chamber. The system runs between 19 and 30 m, with the deepest part of the usual route near 25 m.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
November to April, during the north winds, is the window operators rate best, and the site is run from September.
Know before you go
- Stirring up the sand ruins the light for everyone behind you; guides ask for a frog kick and settled neutral buoyancy through the corridor and the hall.
Dive videos
Devil’s Palace・Incredible Cavern Diving・Miyakojima · Okinawa Island Diver on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification do I need for the Devil's Palace?+
Operators rate it intermediate and ask for Advanced Open Water plus dependable neutral buoyancy, since part of the route runs through a dark corridor with a sandy floor that must not be stirred up. A dive light is required.
How deep is the Devil's Palace?+
The system runs 19 to 30 m. The entrance crack sits near 15 m and the usual route through the halls works around 25 m at its deepest.
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
In The Logbook
- Cavern and cenote diving without cave trainingCaves & caverns · 8 min read
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