Scuba Diving near Tokyo: Izu Oceanic Park

While scuba diving was not the main objective of my first Japan adventure, I knew that my trip would not be complete without at least one day of diving. And while many told me to simply head to Okinawa for a few days, I wanted to incorporate diving into my already existing travel plans. Therefore, I looked into diving near Tokyo and after some research, I decided that I had to dive at the Izu Oceanic Park.

And I am more than happy I made that decision, as I loved my dives at the Izu Peninsula. After all, I encountered a vibrant underwater world full of life with soft and hard corals. It is a fantastic dive site that more than exceeded my expectations. And while it was harder than expected to plan my dives in Japan, the difficulties were more than worth it.

From the very beginning, I wanted more than one day of diving so I could see more of what the underwater world of the Izu Peninsula has to offer, but sadly it was not in the cards for this trip. But given how much I loved diving at Izu Oceanic Park, I will certainly be diving near Tokyo again when I return to Japan.

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Izu Oceanic Park (IOP)

Izu Oceanic Park, also known as IOP, is one of the best places to dive near Tokyo. It is located at the Jogasaki Coast on the east coast of the Izu Peninsula which is part of the Shizuoka Prefecture.

Diving at Izu Oceanic Park started in the 1960s when a local dive center was established at the dive site. Since then, the facilities on site have been extended into a scuba diver’s ideal dive site in terms of facilities. There are plenty of showers, an onsen, a gear washing area, an assembly area as well as a rest area with tables where you can eat your bento box during the surface interval.

A sign at the beach indicates the latest exit time of the day, so be sure to plan your dives accordingly. The showers usually close 2 hours after the indicated time, so you have plenty of time to wash your gear at the provided sinks and hang it to dry before taking a shower.

In addition to facilities for divers, there is also a 50 meter long saltwater pool that is open year-round and the smaller ‘Iso Pool close to the Sea’ that is open in summer. People are not allowed to swim in the ocean, so you thankfully do not have to worry about swimmers getting in your way as you traverse the slippery path into or out of the ocean.

IOP Underwater Postal Office

The underwater post box of Izu Oceanic Park is officially at a depth of 20 meters, which makes it the deepest underwater pot in Japan. However, my dive computer only logged a depth of 18 meters while I was hovering in front of it.

Do not forget to store the postcards in your BDC pocket, so you can throw them into the post box while diving.

The Best Time for Scuba Diving near Tokyo

You can dive at Izu Oceanic Park year-round, but the main diving season near Tokyo is from July to November. However, December is also popular at Izu Oceanic Park, thanks to the Christmas decorations. And of course, diving in the colder months also means you have a chance to spot angel sharks.

In summer, the water temperature reaches its peak of 26°C in August and September thanks to the ‘Kuroshio’ current that transports warm water from the Philippines to the Izu Peninsula. Meanwhile, the coldest water temperature (15°C) is in February and March. Between those extremes, the water temperature usually heats up or cools down two degrees Celsius per month.

Given that it is the most popular dive site of the Izu Peninsula, it is best to dive at Izu Oceanic Park during the week if you want to avoid the weekend crowds. Particularly weekends in summer tend to be crowded, so do your best to avoid those days.

If you are a digital nomad and plan to spend a while in Tokyo, you should know that avoiding weekend dives will likely not be an option if you book your diving trip with the Tokyo expat diver group. Therefore, I encourage you to organize this diving excursion on your own.

IOP Seasonal Events

There are yearly seasonal events at Izu Oceanic Park, during which the area is decorated above and below the surface. From September 30 to October 31, you can spot spooky Halloween decorations while diving, which makes it a fun experience. I was lucky enough to see some of it while diving near Tokyo even if I was there a few days too early.

During the Christmas season from late November onwards, parts of the underwater world turn into a merry wonderland with a 5-meter-tall Christmas tree and more. You can also rent a Santa or reindeer suit free of charge if you want to take some unique photos while diving. Just know, that the costume suits are limited.

Diving at Izu Oceanic Park

Dives at Izu Oceanic Park are usually around 40 to 50 minutes long. The maximum depth of my own dives here was 27 meters, but it is possible to dive deeper. Given the chance to dive here again, I would love to check out the deeper wall sections, but if you only have two dives, the area above 30 meters has so much to offer that you should explore during those dives.

Diving at Izu Oceanic Park is shore diving, with a dedicated entry and exit area. There are ropes you can hold on to as you walk into the water over slippery rocks. Some divers walk in wearing their fins, but I much preferred putting on my fins once I was in the water. Especially, as there is a continuous flow of waves that hit you as you walk into the water.

I would rate the difficulty of the entry somewhere between the Double Arch dive site in Gozo and the entry of the El Cabron dive site in Gran Canaria. As long as you hold on to the rope and have stable footing when a wave hits you, you do not have to worry about it.

Once you are in the water, there is a very short surface swim to a buoy where you then descend down to 3.5 to 4 meters. From there, you can either explore the sandy area or swim right over a boulder area until you reach a sloping wall.

If you venture towards the sandy area, you can use the underwater post box, see garden eels, and if you are lucky an angel shark in the winter months. The sandy area is also where I spotted a Japanese pygmy seahorse, so keep your eyes open when you see coral-covered boulders in the sandy area. The sandy area is also where you will find the seasonal Halloween or Christmas decorations.

Meanwhile, the boulder and wall area is covered in hard and soft corals that tend to be larger as you dive deeper. The topography of this dive site was created around 4000 years ago by the lava flow of Mt. Omuro, so the boulders are quite large. Be sure to look into the nooks and crevices to spot everything from rare frogfish to blennies and nudibranchs.

There are several interesting rock formations, but I liked a specific one thanks to the fish that are usually found near it. Sakuradai (cherry breams) tend to be near one specific rock at a depth of 24 to 26 meters. They are quite shy, so you have to move as little as possible once you approach the rock and breathe slowly. I wish you the best of luck if you try to take a photo of them. I spent seven minutes in that area and did not manage to take a single photo that meets my standards.

At the end of the dive, you slowly swim over a shallow rock area where you can find anemones and a lot of shrimp. And of course, also a lot of moral eels that seem to love to pose for photos.

Marine Life

You can see a vast variety of marine life while diving near Tokyo at Izu Oceanic Park. Aside from hard and soft coral, you have a good chance of spotting the following marine animals:

I was more than lucky to also spot a Japanese pygmy seahorse while diving in the sandy area of Izu Oceanic Park, but they are a very rare sight while diving near Tokyo. Do not expect to see one as I was told the one I saw was the first one to be spotted in four years.

Which Dive Center to dive with?

I have done my fair share of dives around the world, but nowhere has it been as difficult to find a dive center that would take me to the dive sites of the Izu Peninsula. I knew in advance that many dive centers only accept divers who speak Japanese to avoid communication issues, and yet, organizing a day of diving was even more difficult than anticipated.

Even after doing extensive research about dive centers on the Izu Peninsula that can cater to English-speaking divers, things were troublesome, as communication via email failed and the dive center was nowhere to be found when I visited the address listed on their website.

And then, just as I was about to give up after being told ‘no’ by several dive centers in Atami, I stumbled upon the website of a dive center close to Izu Oceanic Park called ‘Dive Dream’.

Dive Dream

And let me tell you that it was a lucky find, as I ended up having a fantastic time diving with Dive Dream. After a short email exchange, I managed to organize my dives for the following day. All that was left to do, was catch the train to Izu-Kogen Station where the owner Morita picked me up.

While this dive center is not located right at Izu Oceanic Park, it is only a short car ride away. Morita is incredibly nice and while he does not seem to believe it, his English is great. He knows the dive site like the back of his hand and was happy to help me ID the fish we saw during the dive and tell me more about them. And while some instructors in Japan touch the marine life, Morita followed the rules of being a responsible diver.

Dive Dream has a sitting area where you can fill out the paperwork and there is also a small shop section where you can buy anything you might need but cannot rent. The rental equipment is in good condition too, so you do not have to worry about bringing your own gear if you only plan to dive once.

While this dive center mainly promotes diving at the Izu Oceanic Park, they also offer dives at other dive sites on the peninsula. Therefore, I will certainly be diving with Morita and Dive Dream again to see more of what the underwater world in this part of Japan has to offer.

Packing List

While I usually recommend traveling with your own scuba diving gear, you might want to consider renting gear if the Izu Oceanic Park is the only dive site you will explore while in Japan. After all, you will likely be moving around more than usual so that you can see some of the highlights of Japan. Nevertheless, you should bring your own mask and dive computer.

If you are also heading to Okinawa before or after diving near Tokyo, it is worth it to bring your own gear. Aside from your BCD, regulator (with a Din-to-Yoke adapter if you are from Europe), and fins, you should either bring a 7mm wetsuit or a 5 mm wetsuit depending on when you will be diving. I recommend bringing thin gloves and potentially a hood in the colder months. Boots with thick soles are advantageous as it is a shore dive site.

And of course, you should also bring your underwater photography kit. Diving in Japan is about the small things, so be sure to bring your macro lens alongside your underwater camera or diving phone case.

Diving Costs

Diving in Japan is more expensive than diving at other popular dive destinations in Asia. As such, two shore dives at the Izu Peninsula tend to cost between ¥13.500 and ¥16.000 (90 USD – 105 USD).

Where to Stay near Izu Oceanic Park

You can dive at Izu Oceanic Park as a day trip from Tokyo, but if you want a shorter train trip in the morning or are planning several dives in the area, I recommend staying in Atami or near Izukogen Station.

Given that I was hoping to do more than two dives and also wanted to explore the Izu Peninsula, I spent a few nights in Atami. Thanks to this, my travel time was only 44 minutes, and I was more than happy about it at the end of the day. I stayed at Izu-no-Umi Hotel, but if you want an accommodation with an onsen (hot spring), Atami Onsen Yamaki Ryokan or the Atami Seaside Spa & Resort will be better options for you.

If you want to stay close to Izu Oceanic Park, you can choose between several vacation homes, Pension Izukogen or Kamenoi Hotel Izukogen.

Getting to Izu Oceanic Park from Tokyo

If you want to get to Izu Oceanic Park as fast as possible, I recommend taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Atami, from where you will then catch local trains to Izukogen Station.

With an early start, you can be at the station closest to IOP by 8:11 AM or 8:40 AM, as a transfer that includes a Shinkansen ride takes a little under two hours. Thanks to this fast connection, you can dive at Izu Oceanic Park on a day trip from Tokyo.

Book your Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Atami now.

You have to arrive at Izukogen Station by 8:40 AM if you want to dive IOP with Dream Dive, so you have to take the JR Ito Line from Atami at 7:56 AM. It arrives in Ito at 8:19 AM, where you have to switch to the 8:20 AM Izu Express Line train. While the transfer time might be short, the train departs from the opposite platform, so you will be able to catch the train.

FAQ

Is it worth it to dive near Tokyo at Izu Oceanic Park?

After being told by many people to fly to Okinawa instead of diving near Tokyo, I did expect to love diving at Izu Oceanic Park. After all, I assumed that people had a reason for favoring diving elsewhere in Japan.

But then I descended and was instantly surrounded by colorful fish and beautiful soft coral at a slightly greater depth. It was obvious that those who told me to skip diving at Izu Oceanic Park were wrong – likely due to the fact that it is not commonly known among international divers that there is in fact great diving near Tokyo. Meanwhile, local divers in Japan definitely know how great the diving there is and might even enjoy the fact that it is a hidden gem that is mostly unknown to international divers. 

Therefore, I can only say that diving at Izu Oceanic Park is a must if you love diving and are spending a few days in Tokyo or on the Izu Peninsula. It is more than a worthwhile adventure, and ultimately, I can only encourage you to dive here before checking out more dive sites on the Izu Peninsula.