ハンマーヘッドシャーク - Wildlife of Japan

2022.07.16 update

The Sea of Izu Oshima: The Underwater Geopark （２）

Diving in Izu Oshima. The special here is that you can see Hammerhead sharks by the beach dives.

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This is the entry point of the lava coast, a trail made from the lava flow that is a maze-like diving path. This is where you can see where the namesake “Underwater Geopark” comes from.

I was diving in the path formed by the lava flow. This was right at daybreak, the sea is still quite dark.

As soon as we were in the water, we could see the hammerhead sharks. They appeared, one after the other, in a group of 5 and then up to 30 individuals. At about 15m (50ft) depth, we could feel the current of the tide coming on but I was clinging to a rock to keep observing the sharks. Even beginners, could have a good chance to see the sharks here so it is a really great spot!

Hammerheads were coming straight towards us. And boy were they close!

Every morning, immediately after the sunrise is the best chance to encounter these hammerhead sharks. They are seen in the area from mid-June to mid-October, and we went diving 3 times, and saw them each time.

Perhaps they are aiming for the first meal of the day at some first class feeding spot, rising from the depths along with the rising sun?

This was a little cake decoration to commemorate the 100th dive of one of our tour members. It was an image of the “Keikai’s Hammerheads” handmade for them by the Saiyu staff.

Image & text : Mariko SAWADA

Observation : Sep 2021, Keikai Beach, Izu-oshima, Tokyo, JAPAN

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2021.07.25 update

(Video) Hammerhead Sharks of the Yonaguni Island

Japan’s westernmost island is the Yonaguni Island. It is said that on a good visibility day in the summertime, you can see all the way to Taiwan. One of the things that make Yonaguni famous, are the schools of Hammerhead Sharks that can be observed here while diving.

We visited early April, which is the end of the hammerhead season, so we thought it would be difficult to encounter them, but we were able to see many schools multiple times.

Yonaguni Island’s Hammerhead Sharks　与那国島のハンマーヘッドシャーク

An unexpected encounter with a large school of hammerheads.

The hammerhead sharks at Yonaguni Island are all females and are generally calm and do not bite. Usually, they are found swimming at a depth of 35m to 40m, but this time we could encounter them at a relatively shallow depth of 25m to 30m.

Of course, while diving, we also visited the ‘Yonaguni Underwater Monument.’What looks like a terrace cut at right angles, looks man-made, but the natural formation is not actually a ruin. It is found in a spot that has a fast moving tide.

We stayed at Guesthouse FIESTA, where the owner prepared a wonderful BBQ for us.

The Yonaguni marlin are also famous. There are also many fishing boats that mainly target the marlin. We could get some fresh sashimi from the local Kinjo Tackel Shop. During our stay, we could also enjoy the fresh greater amberjack and green jobfish

We also had some locally produced ‘Island tofu (Shima tofu)’ cold and the last of the seasonal ‘Island Coriander/cilantro (shima pakuchii).’

This baby goat isn’t on the menu! This is the 2-month old goat of the Dive Shop Marlin, and it has been guaranteed the lucky designation as a lifelong pet.

Image & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Observation: Apr 2021, Yonaguni Island, Okinawa
Special Thanks: Yonaguni Diving Service MARLIN, Guesthouse FIESTA

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