Yakushima: Isso Boat Dive Experience & Forest-Sea Connection

Summary

Guided diving from Isso port with flexible schedule and lunch

You’ll slip into Yakushima’s coastal waters with a local guide, exploring Isso’s dive sites where forest meets sea. Expect quick boat rides, easy entries with ropes, surface breaks at the fishing port, and lunch with fellow divers. There’s room for flexibility if your plans change — but it’s those small moments underwater that will stick with you.

What’s the experience like?

We were already squeezing into wetsuits when the morning clouds started to break over Yakushima. The air smelled like rain and salt, that weird mix you only get near a fishing port. Our guide, Satoshi, handed me my fins and grinned — he’d already guessed I was nervous about the backroll entry (I always hesitate). “Just look at the water,” he said, “not at your feet.” The boat ride from Isso Port was barely five minutes, but I still managed to lose track of time watching flying fish dart away from our wake. You could see the forest pressing right up to the shore — it’s true what they say here, that the woods feed the sea.

The first dive site had these permanent ropes running down into blue-green nothingness. I remember how quiet it got as soon as we dropped below — just bubbles and my own breathing. Satoshi pointed out a school of tiny silver fish flickering in the light; he tapped his slate to write “kibinago” and then mimed eating them raw (Li laughed when I tried to say it in Japanese — probably butchered it). Between dives we sat on the dock drinking canned coffee while old fishermen mended nets nearby. The sun came out for a bit and everything smelled like seaweed and diesel fuel. I didn’t expect to feel so comfortable so quickly.

You can do up to three dives if you want, but honestly after two I was happy just sitting on the harbor wall watching herons stalk around in the shallows. Lunch was simple — rice balls and miso soup at a picnic table with everyone swapping stories about currents or gear mishaps (someone’s mask always fogs up). If you need to log your dives, they’ll drive you back to their shop in Miyanoura for showers and paperwork; otherwise you can just wander off from Isso whenever you’re ready. It all felt very relaxed — no pressure if you want to skip a dive or start late because your ferry ran behind schedule.

I still think about that moment underwater when sunlight hit a patch of soft coral and everything glowed pink for half a second. Not sure I’ll ever see that exact color again.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Guided scuba diving in Isso area

• 08:00 Hotel pickup
• 08:20 Meet at dive site
• 08:30 Arrive at boat
• 08:45–09:45 First dive
• 09:50–10:40 Surface interval at port
• 10:45–11:45 Second dive
• 12:00–13:00 Lunch break at port
• 13:15–14:15 Optional third dive
• 14:45–15:15 Shower and change
• 15:15–16:00 Logbook entry
• 16:00 Finish diving tour

Top questions

How many dives can I do in one day at Yakushima Isso?

You can do up to three guided boat dives per day in the Isso area.

Is hotel pickup included for Yakushima scuba diving?

Yes, hotel pickup is included before meeting at the dive site.

Do I need my own equipment for diving in Yakushima?

No, full equipment rental is included in your booking.

Where do surface intervals take place during this tour?

Surface intervals are spent on land at Isso Fishing Port between dives.

Can beginners join this guided diving tour?

This tour is for licensed divers; most sites have mild conditions suitable for various experience levels.

What is included in lunch during the diving trip?

A simple lunch is provided at the port between dives.

How far are dive sites from Isso Port?

Dive sites are only 3–5 minutes by boat from Isso Fishing Port.

Can I join only afternoon or morning dives?

Yes, you can choose morning or afternoon dives depending on your schedule.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup, all necessary dive equipment and tanks for two guided boat dives in the Isso area, surface breaks at the fishing port with coffee or tea provided, an optional third dive if you want more time underwater, plus lunch before returning or heading back to Miyanoura for showers and logbook entries if needed.