Tokunoshima is a large raised coral island near the middle of the Amami islands, and most of its dive sites are boat sites. Most dives run between 4 and 25 m over coral reef, isolated pinnacles and the caves, arches and tunnels that the uplifted coral has left behind, many of them crowded with sea turtles. What brings divers here is that pairing: turtle caves close to shore, and Tonbara, a set of offshore rocks where giant trevally and dogtooth tuna pass from June to October.
About diving in Tokunoshima
Boat sites make up about 90% of Tokunoshima's dive points and beach sites about 10%, and many points still have no name. The boat runs to near or distant areas depending on the season, the weather and the wind direction. The coast divides into areas: the north coast with the densest fish, the east coast with white sand, macro life in the inner bay and the giant coral, and the south, which only intermediate and advanced divers dive. Night dives run from the beach for safety, not from a boat.
Tokunoshima is a raised coral island, and the reef shows it. Undersea caves, arches and tunnels cut through the uplifted coral, especially around the beach sites, and sea turtles are everywhere in them. The west coast is generally deeper, with bold terrain. Offshore, the open-ocean rocks of Tonbara draw big roaming fish such as giant trevally and dogtooth tuna.
The island suits divers who are comfortable on a boat. Tonbara can be dived only by advanced divers, at slack water on neap tides, and Kuroaze, with current around the pinnacle, calls for a sound grasp of deep diving. Kanami Blue Hole runs so hard at mid and spring tides that it cannot be dived then, so the plan follows the tide table. Divers who want gentler water have Shiotobiya, a boat site with mild currents that suits beginners.
Best time to dive Tokunoshima
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
From mid-January to late March humpback whales come to the waters around the island to raise their calves. The water sits around 20°C (68°F) in winter, and from November to May the usual suit is a drysuit or a 5 to 6.5 mm wetsuit with a hooded vest. The rainy season in May and June can lower the visibility a little with run-off. June calls for a 5 mm suit, and from June to around October the calm weather opens Tonbara. July to October is the warm stretch, peaking near 29°C (84°F), when a 3 or 5 mm wetsuit is enough.
Dive types & marine life
Sea turtles live in large numbers at Senma Coast, where encounters run close to 100%. Giant trevally and dogtooth tuna turn up often at Tonbara, which is reachable from June to October. Humpback whales arrive from mid-January to late March to raise their calves, the season for whale-watching and swim trips.
- Reef
- Cave & cavern
- Night
- Sea turtles
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Reef fish swarms
- Whales
Best dive sites in Tokunoshima
- 1
Tonbara
The island's top point: offshore rocks whose edges fall away to 100 m.
- 2
Kamisama Sango
A giant coral formation on the east coast that the island counts as its treasure.
- 3
Kanami Blue Hole
A thrilling terrain site with some of the densest fish on the island.
- 4
Senma Coast
The island's signature beach site, starting at 4 m over rock and table coral.
- 5
Kuroaze
A northeast pinnacle past the coral reef, with about 25 m of water around its base.
Site guides
Coral garden
A giant coral head the size of a small hill
Cave & cavern
Near-certain sea turtles among caves and crevices off a beach
Wall
Giant trevally and dogtooth tuna on rock towers in open water
How to get to Tokunoshima
Tokunoshima Airport in Amagi has JAL flights via Kagoshima and links to Amami and Okinoerabu; ferries sail from Kagoshima Shinko port. The island is large, so there is no airport pickup for a dive on arrival day: divers drive or take a taxi from the airport straight to the port in use.
Photos from Tokunoshima
Opqr · CC BY-SA 3.0
clear_and_sunny · CC BY 3.0
Dive videos
カメパラダイスの徳之島でカメを救出？！初めてあのサメに会えた【Diving in Tokunoshima Japan】 · Keiko Japanese on YouTube
（2023.9）鹿児島・徳之島ダイビング 〔ポイント紹介：グンカン＆キャニオン〕 4K映像 Kagoshima Tokunoshima scuba diving Gopro 4K · 南の島でダイビング on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What experience do fun dives at Tokunoshima require?+
Beach fun dives need a dive certification. Boat dives also need a boat-diving course or at least two earlier boat dives, and about 90% of the island's sites are boat sites.
When can divers go to Tonbara?+
From June to around October, when the sea is calm, and only at slack water on neap tides. It is a site for advanced divers.
How do divers get to Tokunoshima?+
By JAL flight via Kagoshima to Tokunoshima Airport in Amagi, or by ferry from Kagoshima Shinko port. There is no airport pickup for a dive on arrival day, so divers go by rental car or taxi straight to the port in use.
When are humpback whales around Tokunoshima?+
From mid-January to late March, when they come to the waters near the island to raise their calves. Whale-watching and swim trips run in that window.
Are night dives at Tokunoshima done from a boat?+
No. The boat sites lie in open ocean, so night dives are run from the beach for safety.
Sources
- 徳之島のダイビングポイント — Marine Service Kamui
- アクセス/宿泊/送迎 — Marine Service Kamui
- ホエールウォッチング&スイム — Marine Service Kamui
- ファンダイビング — Sea Divers Navi
- 徳之島ダイビングツアー — Redfin
- トンバラ — Redfin
- 千間海岸 — Redfin
- 金見ブルーホール — Redfin
- 黒畦 — Redfin
- Tokunoshima — Wikivoyage
- Tokunoshima: Where Turtles Swim and Whales Sing — Savvy Tokyo
Photo credits
- Aerial view of a green island ringed by a thin pale band of fringing reef in deep blue sea, with scattered white clouds over it by Opqr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- View from a forested hilltop over farmland to a bay of turquoise shallows inside a reef edge, with deep blue sea beyond by clear_and_sunny, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
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