Hanazawa Drop - Ishigaki & Yaeyama
Hanazawa Drop, near Ishigaki, is a solid entry-level wall dive, perfect for those getting comfortable with a bit of vertical exploration. The wall itself starts quite shallow, around 5m, and drops gently to about 16m, making it easy to manage your depth. We often see schools of cardinalfish hugging the overhangs here, and the cracks in the wall are home to moray eels peering out. It’s a relaxed dive, usually with minimal current, and a good spot to practice buoyancy control while enjoying some interesting rock formations.
- Location
- Ishigaki & Yaeyama, Japan, East Asia
- Coordinates
- 24.461500, 124.202500
- Type
- wall
- Maximum Depth
- 16m
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Marine Protected Area: 沖縄県漁業調整規則第37条表第1号
Nearby Dive Sites in Ishigaki & Yaeyama
- Antoniogaudei
- Antonio Gaudi - 26m
- Cross Hole - 24m (wreck)
- Crystal Beach - 17m
- Crystal Park - 11m (reef)
- Emperor’s Chair - 17m
- Hanadainone
- Hateruma Island - 18m
- IOT - 18m
- Ishigaki double reef (reef)
- Kaiho Sports Club - 2m
- Kanokawa Nakanose - 17m
- Kinmenone - 18m
- Kohamajima Island - 18m
- Kurima Beach - 10m
Nearest Dive Centres to Hanazawa Drop
- BLUE SEASON IRIOMOTE - ["PADI"]
- Blue Water
- Diving School Marea Miyakojima - ["PADI"]
- DIVING SERVICE HEKIKAI
- MARINECLUB
- MOANA Diving College ISHIGAKIJIMA - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Ishigaki & Yaeyama
Home to 442 recorded species including 289 reef fish, 119 hard corals, 8 seagrass & algae, 6 sea cucumbers, 6 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 crabs & lobsters.
Notable Species
- thalassia (Thalassia hemprichii) - Seagrass & Algae
- seagrass (Halophila ovalis) - Seagrass & Algae
- cymodocea (Cymodocea rotundata) - Seagrass & Algae
- Species code: Ea (Enhalus acoroides) - Seagrass & Algae
- Species code: Hp (Halodule pinifolia) - Seagrass & Algae
- Fluorescence grass coral (Galaxea fascicularis) - Hard Corals
- halodule (Halodule uninervis) - Seagrass & Algae
- Staghorn coral (Acropora nasuta) - Hard Corals
- Stony coral (Porites cylindrica) - Hard Corals
- Honeycomb coral (Favites abdita) - Hard Corals
- Corrugated coral (Pavona varians) - Hard Corals
- Thin birdsnest coral (Seriatopora hystrix) - Hard Corals
- Stony coral (Porites lutea) - Hard Corals
- Staghorn coral (Acropora tenuis) - Hard Corals
- Cauliflower coral (Pocillopora verrucosa) - Hard Corals
- Smooth cauliflower coral (Stylophora pistillata) - Hard Corals
- Lesser star coral (Cyphastrea microphthalma) - Hard Corals
- Staghorn coral (Acropora humilis) - Hard Corals
- Encrusting pore coral (Montipora aequituberculata) - Hard Corals
- Staghorn coral (Acropora aspera) - Hard Corals