East Asia · Japan
Muroto, Kannoura & Shishikui
Kannoura, Japan's one known place to watch whitespotted bamboosharks spawn
Muroto is the cape at Shikoku's southeastern tip, a UNESCO Global Geopark where the Kuroshio runs straight onto the coast. With Kannoura and Shishikui, it makes up the dive coast of southeastern Shikoku. Short boat runs reach big rocks such as Tebichibae and Shakushi, draped in soft coral and patrolled by amberjack, while Kannoura's reef is the one place in Japan known for a chance to watch whitespotted bamboosharks spawn.
About diving in Muroto, Kannoura & Shishikui
Many of Muroto's dive points cluster around the cape. Boats leave from Bōshi or Kirakawa harbour and reach them in about 10 to 15 minutes, tying onto a buoy or dropping anchor on arrival. The sea sets the plan: when wind keeps boats out of the open water at Kannoura, dives move inside the bay, and a rough day there can become a beach dive instead.
The geopark's rugged terrain carries on underwater as big rocks, an arch and scattered boulders. Soft corals grow on the rock all year alongside emperor angelfish, striped boarfish, triggerfish and pinecone fish, and goldies swarm over the flat top of Tebichibae. Off Muroto, over 30 artificial fish reefs give cover to smaller fish. The Kuroshio brings clear blue water and schools of pelagics, amberjack among them, while nudibranchs and other small life fill the slower parts of a dive.
The coast suits divers at ease with boat entries and the odd current who want rock topography, schooling fish and small life in one area. Nagabae rarely has current, though its 21 m bottom calls for Advanced Open Water, and Tebichibae's arch lies on the seabed at the 26 m foot of its rock. Anyone who needs a guaranteed dive on a fixed date fares poorly, since wind in winter and typhoons later in the year can cancel whole days.
Best time to dive Muroto, Kannoura & Shishikui
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Fair |
Spring water temperature changes from year to year: a cool spring brings more nudibranch species, a warm one more pelagics, and seaweed grows thick in the shallows. Bigfin reef squid spawn then, and hammerheads turn up on the run out to the sites. From May to July whitespotted bamboosharks spawn at Kannoura. The water reaches about 25 °C in June and peaks in August; through summer, baitfish schools draw amberjack into midwater. Summer into autumn is typhoon season, though storms from the south also carry in tropical strays. Winter brings steady visibility, schools of striped boarfish and spotted eagle rays, but days of strong northwest wind close the sites.
Dive types & marine life
Whitespotted bamboosharks arrive in spring and spawn at Kannoura from May to July, a sight no other Japanese coast is known for. Amberjack chase baitfish schools through summer, spotted eagle rays and striped boarfish schools are a winter sight, nudibranchs build from winter into spring, and frogfish turn up in the bay.
- Reef
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
- Groupers
- Nudibranchs
- Eagle rays
- Squid
- Frogfish
Best dive sites in Muroto, Kannoura & Shishikui
- 1
Tebichibae
Muroto's signature rock, rising from 26 to 11 m, with a soft-coral arch at its base.
- 2
Shakushi
Westernmost Muroto point, a rock field to 18 m where amberjack hunt baitfish.
- 3
Nagabae
Calm point to 21 m where scattered boulders gather glassfish and a resident grouper.
- 4
Kannoura
Broad reef from 3 to 28 m and the place to look for whitespotted bamboosharks.
Site guides
Reef
Whitespotted bamboosharks spawning, a sight no other Japanese reef offers
Reef
Boulders 1 to 3 m across that draw the fish
Reef
A surface-piercing rock ringed by scattered rocks below
Reef
Large rocks from 26 m to 11 m with an arch on the bottom
How to get to Muroto, Kannoura & Shishikui
Kōchi Ryōma Airport is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Muroto down Route 55 along the coast; from Kōchi city the drive is about 80 km. Trains run to Nahari, with buses on to Muroto in about 60 minutes. Bōshi and Kirakawa ports have free parking.
Photos from Muroto, Kannoura & Shishikui
Rsa · CC BY-SA 3.0
Questions divers ask
Which Muroto points suit a diver wary of current?+
Nagabae rarely has any current. At Shakushi and Tebichibae, current can be strong enough to call off the dive.
Can the Muroto points be dived at night?+
No. Shakushi, Nagabae and Tebichibae are all daytime-only points.
Is a wetsuit warm enough for spring diving?+
Early May water runs about 18 to 19 °C, and divers in wetsuits feel the chill at that temperature.
Sources
- 室戸（四国）のダイビングスポット情報 — Scuba Monsters
- Kochi | Where to Dive | Japan Diving — JNTO
- カアナパリ ブログ — Kaanapali
- Best time to swim in Muroto in Japan: sea temperature by month — seatemperatu.re
- Muroto, Kōchi — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Dark rocky shoreline and scattered offshore rocks below green scrub, with deep blue open sea under a clear sky by Rsa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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