East Asia
Amami Ōshima
Japan
Pufferfish sculpt two-metre geometric nests into the sand at 25 m
21–29°C · vis 30mbeginner
Region
Diving in East Asia
16 curated dive destinations across Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in East Asia. Conditions peak around Apr, May, Jun and Oct.
Green Island · photo Yuriy Kosygin
- Destinations
- 16
- Countries
- 3
- Peak season
- Apr–Oct
Common encountersReef fish swarmsNudibranchsSea turtlesMacro crittersOctopus & cuttlefish
Destinations in this region
Kuroshio-fed reefs with resident green turtles off Taiwan's volcanic isle
22–29°C · vis 30mintermediate
Reef manta rays circle shallow cleaning stations in Kabira Bay most of the year.
21–29°C · vis 25mintermediate
Japan's macro heartland on a sand slope three hours from Tokyo
13–27°C · vis 25mbeginner
Protected soft coral forests on volcanic rock off southern Jeju
14–27°C · vis 25mintermediate
Shore-entry coral slopes at the warm southern tip of Taiwan
22–29°C · vis 30mbeginner
Kerama Blue visibility over coral gardens with turtles on nearly every dive.
20–29°C · vis 30mbeginner
The world's northernmost table coral reef, growing at 33° north
16–28°C · vis 25mbeginner
Kuroshio-swept volcanic drop-offs with 30 m visibility and big fish
24–30°C · vis 40mintermediate
Mainland Japan's only reliable schooling hammerhead dive
16–28°C · vis 30madvanced
Limestone arches and chambers with light shafts through the roof
22–29°C · vis 40mintermediate
Wild dolphin encounters in Bonin Blue water 1,000 km from the nearest city.
20–28°C · vis 35madvanced
East Asia
Japan's most-dived site, a limestone cavern lit blue from below
21–29°C · vis 35mbeginner
Korea's clearest water over black volcanic arches and caves
10–26°C · vis 30mintermediate
Hundreds of resident green turtles around a six-kilometre island
24–29°C · vis 30mbeginner
Winter hammerhead schools stack over pinnacles beside the disputed sunken Monument.
21–29°C · vis 30madvanced