When you talk about diving, there are many countries that may immediately come to mind as having some of the best diving spots in the world. Japan may not be on the top list, but the country still offers a lot of memorable and beautiful areas for diving enthusiasts. In fact, Japan has over 2,000 dive spots that offer a great view of marine life. One advantage of diving in Japan is that divers can all experience different conditions without even leaving the country – from the subtropical waters of Okinawa to the near-arctic conditions in Hokkaido. Also, Japan is a favorite destination for serial travelers. After you finish diving, you can visiting the tourist hotspots of Japan.

Here are five of the most interesting diving spots in Japan.

Maeda Point

Maeda Point is popular spot for divers because of its topography. The site has a steep almost vertical dropoff right off the shore that allows for 100 foot deepwater dives. Also, you’ll see many of types of creatures – from different types of fish to color-changing octupus. If you have flashlights, you can explore a dark underwater cave. The area can get crowded on the weekend so if you can, try to schedule your dive on a weekday or at least, come early on the weekend.

Izu Peninsula

Izu Peninsula attracts many divers because it is near Tokyo. If you’re staying in Tokyo, you can actually schedule a dive and be back before the day ends. The area has a wide variety of things to see – from fish and coral to caves and even shipwrecks. The fish are especially interesting. You can see tropical and cold-water species since currents from the north and south flow to the area.

Tappi-Zaki

Tappi-Zaki is the most famous diving spot in northern Japan. The area has a strong current that keeps the water clear. Also, the current provides plankton so the waters are alive with life. Aside from fish, you’ll see seagrass, colorful starfish, and urchins. The underwater landscape is unique because thousands on years ago, the water level was over 140 meters lower than today. The natural forces of erosion carved many of the interesting features including an arch and canyons.

Kerama Islands

The Kerama Islands is a wonderful vacation spot for lovers of tropical paradise. It is also a great place to schedule dives. The locals have policies that prevent too much commercial development so the diving conditions are very close to what nature intended. You can observe a great variety of corals and marine animals and plants. In fact, the islands are one of the best places in the world to spot rare tropical reef fish and crustaceans.

Zamami Island

Zamami Island belongs to the Kerama Island group which are known for the world’s most transparent emerald green waters (50-60m transparency). Those islands are also known as one of the world’s best diving destinations, having a number of coral species and marine lives as large as those in the Great Barrier Reef. (Over 400 types of corals, 5 types of sea turtles, mantarays, whalesharks, dugons and many kinds of tropical fish species all live around Okinawa.)

Yonaguni Island

Yonaguni Island is the westernmost island of Japan. It is well-known as a diving spot because of Yonaguni Monument. This unique underwater structure was discovered in the 1980s and feature big terraces that look like steps on a staircase with their flat sides and sharp corners. The Monument is so unique that scholars disagree on whether it is a natural or man-made structure.

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