Hedo – Okinawa’s most northern diving spots

Hedo offers some truly remarkable dive sites. To reach them, we must journey all the way up to the Ginama fishing harbor. From there, it’s just a 10 to 20-minute boat ride to the farthest dive site, known as Canyon. Here, divers explore canyon structures ranging from 15m down to 30m, leading into breathtaking deep wall dives adorned with huge fan corals. Positioned at the northernmost tip where the East China Sea meets the Pacific Ocean, currents are common but result in clear visibility. As a result, all dives are conducted as drift dives, with guides deploying DSMBs at the end for boat pickup. Due to the currents, depth, and drift dive procedures, Hedo’s dive sites are not suitable for beginner divers.

The most iconic dive site at Cape Hedo is undoubtedly The Hedo Dome. It’s a must-see for every diver, and if conditions permit safe diving, the boat will head there. The Hedo Dome is a cavern system with a spacious entry chamber, offering three ways to ascend into an air dome. Yes, you can ascend to the surface inside the cave, revealing a breathtaking view. This expansive air chamber allows for multiple dive groups simultaneously, but my aim is always to have my divers there alone. Depending on our timing, we’ll either head straight to the air dome and then explore the rest of the cave system with its lobsters and critters, or if another group is already there, we’ll reverse the plan.

At Hedo, we can do 2 or 3 dives. There are a total of 4 dive sites to explore, but The Hedo Dome is always a top choice. Another notable site is Twin Rocks. Depending on the current direction, the boat drops us along a sloping reef descending to 30m. Drifting along the reef, we encounter two underwater mountains, the Twin Rocks, teeming with fish, beautiful fan corals, and abundant macro life.