Yonaguni

Yonaguni Island, mysterious jewel to the southwest, is a glorious place for diving! With over 70 dive sites to choose from, Yonaguni is guaranteed to scratch any diving itch. Throughout the year there are schools of Big eye Trevally and Barracuda, Dogtooth Tuna, Turtles, large Cuttlefish, and much much more. Between the months of April and September, Marlin and Sailfish are on the menu and between December and May, Hammerhead Sharks can be seen at certain dive locations. Of special interest are the large schools of Hammerheads (100 or more at times) that congregate around the island from January through March. Most dive sites are located on steep cliff-like dropoffs, allowing for great visibility, big pelagics, and strong currents to drift with.

 

While in Yonaguni, Reef Encounters will be diving with Mr. Kihachiro Aratake - the man who discovered the world famous underwater ruins in 1987. These ancient formations lie underwater on the southeastern edge of Yonaguni at various depths. With clean geometric lines and flat surfaces, the ruins have ignited an interesting debate about their origins. If they are truly man-made, they are likely that of an ancient temple predating all known buildings. However, some geologists claim that the structures result from simple erosion processes.

Doug has been leading diving trips to Yonaguni for many years and is an expert in diving the underwater ruins. His wealth of knowledge about the history of the area will make your dive excursion a memorable one. Some of Doug's favorite sites are Southwest Point and Grand Castle.  Read about these dive sites and others in our Yonaguni Dive Sites page.

• Check out the itinerary for the Feb 2009 Reef and Ruins Tour! NEW!!
  

• For further reading about Yonaguni Island and the underwater ruins, have a look at the info on Wikitravel Yonaguni.

• Check out some of the Package Tours to Yonaguni we have available. Contact us to arrange plane flights, accommodation, equipment and training for your exploration of Yonaguni Island.