An introduction to diving at Ishigaki Island’s famous manta scramble

Ishigakijima Island is part of the Yaeyama Island group, the southernmost islands in the Ryukyu island chain. Its subtropical waters are home to diverse marine life, from colorful fish and corals to sea turtles and reef manta rays. The reef manta ray is one of the world's largest ray species and is often spotted in the waters of the Yaeyama Islands.

Join one of Umicoza’s three introductory diving tours for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the beautiful underwater environment around Kabira Bay. You will have a high chance of swimming with huge reef mantas during the summer months (July to mid October), when they visit Kabira Bay in large numbers.

Throughout the year, diving instructors will take you to coral reefs and help you spot the bay's enormous variety of sea life, including sea turtles, anemonefish (clownfish), damselfish, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, and many more. Underwater photography service is free of charge. Your instructor will capture your scuba experience with unforgettable underwater scenes and share the photo data with you.

You do not need to have prior diving experience to join this tour. Umicoza’s multilingual instructors will teach you the necessary scuba diving skills in a shallow, safe coral reef before taking you to manta scramble or other areas of Kabira Bay.

Umicoza operates its diving activities with safety as its priority and according to strict ecotourism guidelines. Its experienced guides will give you access to the best marine-viewing spots around Kabira Bay with minimal disruption to the environment. Diving School Umicoza's globally trained guides speak English, Cantonese, Chinese and Japanese.