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Explore Yonaguni Japan's Underwater Monument, Hammerheads and Mantas

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Explore Yonaguni Japan's Underwater Monument, Hammerheads and Mantas Tel : +4645580850 | Epost :[email protected]| Web :www.frb.nu FÖRSTA RESEBYRÅN BOX 185 371 22 KARLSKRONA - Kalmar, Sweden Explore Yonaguni Japan's Underwater Monument, Hammerheads and Mantas Turkode Destinasjoner Turen starter 36311 Japan London Turen destinasjon Reisen er levert av 17 dager Naha (Okinawa) Fra : NOK Oversikt Yonaguni Island, mysterious jewel of the southwest Japan, a trully glorious place for diving! With over 70 dive sites to choose from, Yonaguni is guaranteed to scratch any diving itch. Schools of Big Eye Trevally and Barracuda, Dogtooth Tuna, Turtles, large Cuttlefish, and much much more. Between April and September, Marlin and Sailfish are on the menu and December and May gives you the best diving with the Hammerhead Sharks! Reiserute Day 1: Departure from London to Japan Day 2: Arrive Japan and flight to Ishigaki. Transfer to hotel Day 3 & 4: Dive with Mantas Ishigaki (total 6 dives) Day 5: Flight to Yonaguni - an afternoon dive on the monument Day 6-11: Yonaguni diving (total 18 dives) Day 12: Flight to Naha and transfer to Reef Encounters Day 13-15: Diving in Okinawa (total 8 dives) Day 16: Flight back to London Day 17: Arrive London Appeals of the sea around Okinawa Okinawa comprises of 160 islands, 49 of which are inhabited. It sits between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, in the path of the Kuroshio, the world’s largest warm current. Well connected by air and sea, the islands are easily accessible. Okinawa is endowed with an abundant natural environment fostered by its warm, subtropical climate. With its own unique history and culture, visitors from around the world come to enjoy the East Asia’s biggest resort island. One of the greatest attractions of Okinawa is the sea! The destination is well known within the diving world as one of those locations that everybody wants to visit. There are many attractive dive points dotted around the islands. The Blue Cave, very popular dive spote also available for beginners to enjoy The Kerama Shoto National Park boasts outstanding translucence, with visibility up to 40 or 50m. The appeal of the Miyako area lies in its caves bathed in beautiful blue light and its dynamic topography. In the Yaeyama Islands, known as one of the best places in the world for manta rays, there is a mysterious giant stone structure at Yonaguni Island. In an endlessly transparent sea, coral reefs shimmer in the sunlight and shoals of subtropical fish passing by. Great place to encounter an elegant manta rays will appear in front of your eyes this large migratory fish often visits the area, you might be lucky enough to encounter hammerhead sharks and even whale sharks. In the winter, migrating humpback whales visit Okinawa and its life-giving seas. Seawater temperature is around 28°C in the summer, and a warm 21°C in the winter. From families with children to professional divers everyone can enjoy the islands of Okinawa all year- round. The Yaeyama Islands include wonderful islands such as Taketomi Island, Iriomote Island, Yonaguni Island and Phontom Island (Hama Island) with Ishigaki Island in the center. You can enjoy an underwater world teeming with life, from relaxing spots to dynamic topography around the islands. There is a plenty of dive sites that attract divers from around the world. Yonaguni Island, this mysterious jewel of the southwest Japan, is a glorious place to dive! 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 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 - large schools of Hammerheads (100 or more at the time ) congregate around the island from January through to March. Most dive sites are located on steep cliff-like dropoffs, allowing great visibility, big pelagics, and strong currents to drift with. Naha, The Gateway to Okinawa, is located in Okinawa main Island. Diving spots are dotted along the west coast, and there’s loads of great diving on the outlying islands with their exotic topography. There are many dive spots that are accessible from the beach, which is perfect for beginners. Day 1: Departure from London to Japan Our dive package to Japan and Okinawa Islands are all available from London ( UK regional departures are available - just give us a shout - subject to availability and additional charges if any ) The total price for this dive package depends on availability on your preferred dates of travel, but in principle these are available all year round with only a few modifications. In order to book your dive package please advise us your preferred travel time. Also consider when it is the best time to visit the Kerama Islands as the water temperature can vary it depends a lot on the season. The usual route for the flights is from London via Osaka or Tokyo - there is a possibility to stop over in those cities too - let us know. Day 2: Arrival in Ishigaki Morning arrival in Japan is required in order to catch the domestic flight to Ishigaki. Upon arrival at Ishigaki you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight Hotel Peace Island Ishigaki or similar Day 3 & 4: Diving the Ishigaki Island (B) We have included 2 full days of diving with focus on Ishigaki's famous manta sightings. The stay can be extended if you wish to see more of the island and / or explore the underwater wonders with more in depth diving as the island and the waters surroding it has plenty more to offer. Overnight Hotel Peace Island Ishigaki or similar (3 nights) Diving Ishigaki Island Ishigaki's climate is semi-tropical and the ocean which surrounds the Yaeyama archipelago remains warm year-round. Scuba diving is an extremely popular activity within travellers from both Japan and abroad - the aim is to dive with manta rays. The most reliable place to view these magnificent creatures is 'Manta Point' (also known as 'Manta Scramble') which is located just off the Kabira's coast. Mantas make their way to this point to clean and feed on plankton, however, there are other sites where they are a frequent visitor. In terms of diving on Ishigaki there are some other quality sites such as a cave which is located just off the coast of Yonehara. The ocean to the west of the Uganzaki peninsula is also favored by many dive operators on the island. Ishigaki's Hirakubo peninsula, which extends to the north east of the island is also home to several dive spots, and manta rays have even been photographed by people paragliding along the peninsula's coastline. Coral Ishigaki has an abundance of coral in its waters and the ocean teams with life. Indeed, in many cases expansive areas of coral are located so close to the coasteline that a snorkel is often preferred over the scuba gear. Shiraho is a town located on the south west coast of Ishigaki and the waters are famed for having one of the largest areas of blue coral in the world. There is also a number of drop-offs and cave diving opportunities to be enjoyed on the island and it is often said that Ishigaki compares well with better known dive locations across the Asia. Day 5 - 11: Fly to Yanaguni Island and awesome diving (B,L,D) On day 5 a short flight takes us to one of the South East Asia's most mysterious dive sites, Yonaguni Island. The island is undergoing heavy construction works due to installation of a new radar tracking system You will have to expect the island to become more popular within next few years. The accomodation options are very restricted on the island and we usually stay at a local Ryokan in the village of Sonai where everything within a walking distance. The village has a few shops, a couple of restaurants, bars and karaoke bars but is very charming an intimate. Our dive center is within walking distance. Overnight local Ryokan (7 nights) The Yonaguni Monument The mysterious underwater monument off the coast of Yonaguni-Jima was discovered in 1986 by Sou-Wes founder and divemaster Mr Kihachiro Aratake when he was scouting the seas around the island for new hammerhead shark-watching points. The discovery sparked a debate as to whether they are naturally formed or man-made structures created by an ancient civilization. If the monument is indeed man-made or modified by humans, that would date it back to the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years BC, when the sea level was 40m lower than it is now and Yonguni-Jima was part of a land bridge connecting Japan, Taiwan and China mainland. This would make the monument the oldest man-made artifact on The Earth, significantly pre-dating the pyramids of Egypt. While there are arguments for and against this view, most divers – including numerous scholars as well as the late skin diver Jaques Mayol who visited the island and wrote a book about the monument – became convinced that they are a man-made structures once they saw them with their own eyes. The key features of this unusual site include perfectly perpendicular terracing reminiscent of terracing at Incan ancient sites, a staircase, two megaliths standing side by side, a triangular-shaped pool with a drainage channel, a room carved out of the rock, decorative rock carvings and a formation which looks distinctly like a face, reminiscent of the famous heads at Easter Island.
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