Wakayama: Diving The Land Of Water And Fire

Colourful corals meet bizarre cold water critters at the northernmost tropical reef in the world

- Andrew Marriott

There is a place where you can dive amidst gardens of colourful soft corals in the morning, and then hike ancient pilgrimage routes amongst towering millennia-old trees after lunch. After breakfast, you can swim with giant groupers and turtles, and then after lunch, visit towering waterfalls while wrapping it all up with dinner with monks in their monastery high in the mountains. The only thing as stunning as the geography of the land is the seascape that begins right at the shoreline. This profoundly spiritual place is also far off most international tourists’ radar, so there is a sense of peace and tranquility. All this can be found just over an hour’s drive from a major international airport. No, this is not Bali. This is Wakayama; this is Japan.

WHITE SANDS, DIVE SHOPS, AND NOT A FOREIGN TOURIST TO BE FOUND

Wakayama Prefecture is located just south of Osaka, with the principal city being about 30 minutes from Kansai International Airport (KIX). I had the privilege of doing a land shoot in Wakayama for ASIAN Geographic in December 2018, and we focused on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are abundant in the area. I was blown away by what I saw and experienced, but there was one thing that left me feeling like I was missing something. As we drove around the coastline, I noticed how clean it was and the clarity of the water, but I saw something else: dive shops, a lot of dive shops. I’ve been diving for 20 years and in the dive media business for a pretty good chunk of that, but I had never heard of diving in this part of Japan. Okinawa, sure, but on the main island of Honshu, this far north? Never.