SCUBA DIVING

Ogasawara surely ranks as one of the top ten “dream places to visit for diving”.
It is precisely diving paradise, filled with various spots in a small area such as big fish including migratory fish, microorganisms, geography, shipwreck and coral reefs.

  • Diving area
  • Diving area
    Diving area
    Diving area

Diving Area

Diving area is loosely divided into three: around Chichijima Island, Hahajima Island and Kater Island.

The diving points around Chichijima Island (including Anijima Island) are within thirty or forty minutes at furthest by boat. There are more than fifty various points such as splendid points including dropoff and large migratory fish and calm points of beautiful sands and abundant corals, here and there in this area. Also, there is a number of shipwrecks sunk during the war, and this is only area for genuine wreck diving in Japan.

Kater Island is located about fifty kilometers north of Chichijima Island, and it takes more than two hours by boat. Therefore, it cannot be reached in any season other than summer with the wind dying down. It is one of the world’s most superb diving areas and the Ogasawara’s biggest diving points such as Tuna Cave of Yomejima where more than 100 dogtooth tunas gather and JACK POINT where dolphin passageway are scattered about the area. In summer season, many divers come towards Kater Island.

If you wish to make a dive around Kater Island, please make sure to take a diving course around Chichijima Island beforehand and check you have enough weight adjustment and buoyancy skill, etc.

Point Map

Points around Anijima Island and Otoutojima Island

Anijima Island and Otoutojima Island

Points around Chichijima Island

Chichijima Island

Points around Mukojima Island and Yomejima Island

Mukojima Island and Yomejima Island
  • Anijima and Otoutojima
  • Chichijima
  • Mukojima and Yomejima

Points around
Anijima Island and
Otoutojima Island

Shikahama

Shikahama is the dynamic point where Sand Tiger Shark live in the arch between the rocks. There's a good chance you'll see Sand Tiger Shark when the water temperature is low.

Nishijima Oiwa

In sandy area, there are garden eels and speckled stingrays, etc. Around corals, you can see dusky-finned bullseye, striped large-eye bream, clownfish and wrought iron butterflyfish, etc.

Takoiwa Rock

As with Dobu Iso, it is a point where you can encounter migratory fishes with high probability. There may be encounters with mantas and hammerhead sharks for several time a year.

Barachin (a wreck in pieces)

The pieces of a wreck form a fish reef, and there are wrought iron butterflyfish, blue emperor, clown coris and longfin batfish, etc. Many acropora shrimps also live there.

Mansaku

There are garden eels, longfin batfish, clownfish and Ise-ebi spiny lobsters. When going down to the deep spot, you can also see longfin anthias.

Points around
Chichijima Island

Nagasaki

Around corals scattered about the sandy area, there are banded boarhead, yellow spotted chromis and scissortail sergeant. In spring season, there are a lot of bullhead sharks.

Okifutago

There are plenty of fish such as banded boarhead, bluestripe snapper, yellow goatfish, crescent sweetlips. It is the best spot for taking a photo.

Starlight Parade

Because various kinds of fish in a school of very dense shade looks parade, it is named "Parade".

Dobu Iso

It is the most dynamic point around the island. It is impressive that dogtooth tuna’s schools swim between the huge crevasses.

HAZAMA

One of the big points at the southern point. As its name suggests, it is a point located between the islands, so the tide tends to occur and many migratory fish can be seen.

Points around
Mukojima Island and
Yomejima Island

Shinoiwa

There are a lot of Gunther’s butterflyfish and yellowback fusilier around soft corals at the deep spot. The rock cracks are densely covered with a number of Ise-ebi spicy lobsters.

JACK POINT

This point is on the opposite side of the rock and Tuna Cave. It's also a dolphin passageway, so there's a chance to encounter dolphins.

Tuna Cave (Maguro Ana)

It is the most popular point in Ogasawara. Besides dogtooth tuna, you can see bigeye trevally, turtles, sand tiger sharks and dolphins, etc.

Hirane

It is a point where the most migratory fishes can be seen. You can see all kinds of migratory fishes such as greater amberjack, dogtooth tuna, Spanish mackerel and eagle ray.

Diving Style

All dives are made from a boat, and the dives are usually drift style without anchoring. You may be involved in quite strong current according to the spot. However, it is enough for even beginners to enjoy the Ogasawara’s sea by dividing into groups by skill level, or changing an entry point. Also, there are plenty of points for anchoring in a calm place, and slowly enjoying watching fishes.

A daily schedule is that you go to the sea at around 8:30 a.m., make the second dive in the morning and the first dive in the afternoon. you can make up to three boat dives a day. You will return at around 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m, though the return time depends on the diving point.

Basically, once leaving the port in the morning, you will not come back till the return time, and you will have lunch on the ship.

  • Diving area
  • Diving area
    Diving area
    Diving area

Schedule

Schedule

Day 1
10:00 am
Departure from Tokyo Takeshiba
(a night on OgasawaraMaru)
Day 2
11:30 am
Arrival on Chichijima Island
12:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Two boat dives
*If the ship arrives behind schedule, you may be able to make only a boat dive.
Day 3
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Two boat dives
Option: Three boat dives / A boat dive at night
*Please request us for the options.
(A boat dive at night is held only if we have a certain number of people)
Day 4
Same as Day 3
Day 5
8:00 am – 11:30 amTwo boat dives
2:00 pm
Departure from Chichijima Island
(a night on OgasawaraMaru)
Day 6
3:30 pm
Arrival at Tokyo Takeshiba

Weather
&
Seasonality

Comfortable and warm climate throughout a year

Ogasawara belongs to subtropical zone. The lowest temperature is between fourteen and fifteen degrees and the highest temperature is around thirty degrees throughout a year. As Japan, the temperature difference is the least, and as subtropical zone, it is a very nice climate with low rainfall.

  • Ogasawara
  • Ogasawara
  • Ogasawara

Seasonality

SPRING
SPRING：(March to May)
SPRING(March to May)
Temperature:
between 20 and 25℃
Water temperature:
between 18 and 23℃

It is a season that humpback whales have babies and start to take care of them. Especially, the period from February to April is the best season for whale watching that you can see huge humpback whales with a length of thirteen meters and a weight of thirty-five tons dynamically jumping many times. In water, there may be encounters with large schools of sand tiger sharks and almaco jacks only for this season and large schools of wrought iron butterflyfish during breeding season. Also, with any luck, there may be encounters with whales.

Clothes:
On land: short-sleeve shirt or thin long sleeve shirt / Underwater: 5mm suit and hood vest, or dry suit
SUMMER
SUMMER：(June to August)
SUMMER(June to August)
Temperature:
between 26 and 28℃
Water temperature:
between 24 and 26℃

It is a season that the sea of Ogasawara is most attractive with the clearest and deepest Bonin Blue. In the sea with dead calm, there are a school of dolphins swimming, and there are also schools of redfin fusilier and dogtooth tuna underwater. We frequently provide a tour to Kater Island which can be accessed only in this season.

Clothes:
On land: short-sleeve shirt or thin long sleeve shirt / Underwater: 5mm suit and hood vest
AUTUMN
AUTUMN：(September to November)
AUTUMN(September to November)
Temperature:
between 27 and 30℃
Water temperature:
between 26 and 28℃

The sea is the clearest throughout a year, and it is a Bonin Blue season with the deeper blue sea and higher temperature. It is also the best season for dolphin swimming. so you can encounter them if all goes well. Since the water is warm, you can enjoy snorkeling with only swimsuit in the bright Bonin Blue sea.

Clothes:
On land: short-sleeve shirt or thin long sleeve shirt / Underwater: 5mm suit and hood vest
WINTER
WINTER：(December to February)
WINTER(December to February)
Temperature:
between 18 and 22℃
Water temperature:
between 20 and 24℃

Around December, Humpback Whales having eaten feed in the northern sea areas of Alaska, etc. come back to Ogasawara for breeding.Under the sea, there is a higher possibility to encounter sand tiger sharks (shirowani) coming up to the shoal during diving.The water temperature will be over twenty degrees, and you can enjoy swimming with dolphins, sea kayaking and snorkeling even for this season, throughout a year, in Ogasawara.

Clothes:
On land: thin long-sleeve shirt or winter clothes / Underwater: 5mm suit and hood vest, or dry suit

It is a wonderful experience

The sea of Ogasawara blue 《Bonin Blue》 that is one of the clearest sea in the world
Ogasawara is a paradise for diving, filled with various spots.
We , PAPA’S, will support your water experience through a variety of programs.

Diving Fee

Normal Season Busy Season Peak Season
Two boat ¥16,500 ¥17,600 ¥18,700
Three boat ¥20,900 ¥22,000 ¥23,100
Yomejima ¥21,450 ¥22,550 ¥23,650
Mukojima ¥23,650 ¥24,750 ¥25,850
Two day tour to Kater Island ¥47,300
Boat dive at night ¥10,175
Beach dive at night ¥6,875
  • *Please contact us for the busy or peak season.
  • *If going to Kater Island, you can make only two boat dives.
  • *It is scheduled that a two day tour to Kater Island is held from the latter half of June to the middle of july, a season of stable marine conditions. The fee covers four dives and meals from dinner on the first day through lunch on the second day.

Rental Fee

BCD ¥1,650
regulator/with a dive computer ¥4,400
regulator/without dive computer ¥2,750
suit ¥2,200
corrective diving masks ¥1,100
snorkel ¥550
fins ¥550
boots ¥550
hood vest ¥1,100
  • *Above is a rental fee for a day. If you rent for several days, a total fee is calculated by multiplying the above amount by the number of rental days.

Cancellation

If you cancel due to your matters, we charge for cancellation fee as follows.
(If a diving plan itself is cancelled due to the worsening of nature environment, or you cannot make a diving due to the operation change of OgasawaraMaru, we do not charge cancellation fee)

Twenty days before departure to Previous day of departure Departure Day Check-in Day
20% 50% 100%
Twenty days before departure to
Previous day of departure		 20%
Departure Day 50%
Check-in Day 100%