Speaking of Blue Cave in Okinawa, the one at Cape Maeda (真栄田岬) on Okinawa’s main island is much more famous, but Irabu Island also has one! The Blue Cave (青の洞窟) on Irabu Island is a sea cave underneath a 70-meter cliff. As you enter the cave, you will enter a world of blue.
The light that sneaks into the cave goes straight through the highly transparent water and is reflected by the white calcareous seabed. So it is almost as if the illumination is from the bottom of the sea that gives off this cave the blue lighting.
The phenomenon creates mysteriously fantastic shades of blue in the grotto. It is a perfect example of how nature is the greatest artist!
How to Enjoy Irabu Island’s Blue Cave
The only way to get to Blue Cave is by boat. If you are interested, book a snorkeling tour or hop aboard one of the glass bottom boats heading to Blue Cave from Sarahama Port (佐良浜港). Either way, you will surely be enchanted by the cave’s beauty.
Travel sickness won’t be an issue as it only takes around 10 minutes by boat to get to Blue Cave.
If you don’t want to get too wet, there are also kayaking or SUP tours for you to join. The boat will carry you to the Blue Cave. From there, you can paddle around the cave and observe the coral reefs and fish from above.
The best way to explore Blue Cave is by diving or snorkeling. And don’t worry if it is your first time diving. Your underwater walks will be safe as a dedicated guide will be available to each group!
Furthermore, there are sidemount diving tours. Unlike normal diving with a single back-mounted cylinder, the diving equipment used is sidemount, which provides better stability and balance as you have one cylinder each attached and aligned with your torso. Especially in the coral reef area where the water depth is rather shallow, sidemount diving will ensure your body won’t touch the coral. This means that even beginners can swim underwater while getting close to the coral!
Note that the weather is usually unsuitable for diving from October to February. If that is the case, the tour will be either canceled or replaced by a kayaking tour, depending on the tour provider.
Tips:
☛ If you have time, choose tours with one diving and two snorkeling sessions so you can visit other nearby caves!
☛ Snorkeling tours are better than diving tours if you can only do a half-day tour. As the space inside the Blue Cave isn’t significant and only goes as deep as 5-meters, the view you can see on a snorkeling tour is similar to a diving tour. But you will need to carry heavier equipment on a diving tour, which isn’t necessary.
☛ One tour company that offers English tours is the eco guide cafe. Refer to HERE to enquire and book! If you understand Japanese, you can also book with Yuumutsu (島人ガイド) or Ira Blue Tours (イラブルーツアズ), or Zumiya (ズミヤー).
☛ The best time of the year to visit the Blue Cave is from May to October.
Sea Creatures That You Can Most Likely See While Diving at Blue Cave
Coral reefs grow around Irabu Island, providing the best home to tropical fish. So at Blue Cave, it will truly be the closest trip to the film “Finding Nemo”. In addition to clownfish, there are also sea turtles! If you are lucky, you might be able to see more than one turtle in one go!
If finding the clownfish is too tiring and tedious due to their size, you can try to locate the tang fish instead. They are larger in size and usually travel in a shoal. So when they swim past, it would be relatively hard to miss them!
How to Get to Sarahama Port for Tours to Blue Cave
- From Miyako Island’s Hirara area, take the bus bound for Sawadashako (佐和田車庫) and get off at Sarahama (佐良浜港).
- Sawada no Hama Beach is around a 15-minute drive from Shimojishima Airport (下地島空港) and a 20-minute drive from Miyako Airport (宮古空港).
Explore Other Parts of Irabu Island
In addition to the Blue Cave, Irabu Island filled with beaches as beautiful as Miyako-jima Island has other tourist spots that might interest you. Because many tourists would spend most of their time on Miyako Island, you will have more space at the attractions on Irabu Island. Plus, the small island has a few stunning hidden gems awaiting you to visit!
So, refer to our Irabu island article to enrich your itinerary!
