Random Post - Pics of where you dive...

[Islandbound 1]

I just wanted to throw out some pics of the location where my family and I skindive. I live on the western side of the Ryuku Islands about 450 miles south of Japan on Okinawa. The water here is about 70 during the winter and about 89 during the summer. We have everything from great whites to humpbacks within our deeper waters within 15km of our shores and the entire island is dotted with reefs at almost every point around the shoreline. There is very little beach here and the shore is mostly limestone which is very sharp to walk on. Most of the great dive sites are shallower than 60 feet but I personally havent been below 30 feet or so trying to take pictures.

 

The steps lead down to a very active reef half meter to 3 meters in depth. Within 20 meters of the steps there is a reef wall that drops about 10 meters to the ocean floor. Its a great site for sea snakes on the bottom there. I have only seen one shark here and that was last January.

 

Most of our coastline looks like this (there is a large reef at the foot:

 

This is a massive reef at Manzamo Beach:

 

One of the few large beaches on Okinawa at Okuma near the northern shores:

 

I was flying recently over the where I live and took this photo. This is pretty much the way Okinawa looks. Aqua blue waters and reefs, reefs and more reefs. Just below me is where a resident whale shark lives. Several years the Japanes Maritime Academy undertook a scientific study of whale sharks and used a deep water pen to retain one for study. Over the years the shark has taken to its new life with with gusto. We average about 10 typhoons a year here and the pen nets are removed from the ocean and the whale shark is let go. Everytime after the storm the whale returns to the pen area, the pen is reset and life goes on. The ahark is fed daily and is even now a popular dive attraction. For under $200 (US) you can swim and be videotaped with the shark. In the aqua blue waters with the clarity here the pictures come out very nice.

 

Just thought I would share!