Cross Line - Okinawa Main Island

Cross Line is one of our favourite wreck dives on Okinawa. It's an easily accessible site, a good choice for newer divers, but still offers plenty to explore. This isn't some vast, imposing battleship, but a cargo ship, the *USS Emmons*, sunk during World War II. We love the way she sits upright on the sandy bottom, pretty much intact, with the deck structures still recognisable. The wheelhouse is particularly cool, you can peek inside and see the gauges. Schools of batfish often hang out around the mast, just swaying in the gentle surge, and you’ll spot lionfish tucked into crevices in the hull. Look closely and you’ll find plenty of colourful nudibranchs crawling over the encrusted metal. We’d suggest going in the morning; the light filters down beautifully through the deck hatches, creating these ethereal shafts of light that dance on the inside. It’s an interesting experience, swimming through history that’s now teeming with new life.

Location

Okinawa Main Island, Japan, East Asia

Coordinates

26.509200, 127.884900

Type

wreck

Maximum Depth

21m

Difficulty

Beginner

Marine Protected Area: 沖縄海岸