www.japan.travel · Official Tourism
Official Ishigaki page noting Yonehara Beach diving/snorkeling and stronger bay currents.
Dive Spot Guide•
Hanazawa Drop
Calm Ishigaki drop-off with rich macro life
Boat-access Ishigaki drop-off for macro hunters; calm currents and a small root make it a tidy photo dive for most divers.
About Hanazawa Drop
Hanazawa Drop is a boat-access Ishigaki macro dive with a classic drop-off feel and a small-root focal point that rewards slow, careful searching. The site is easy in calm water but still feels like a real reef edge, so the best dives are the ones where buoyancy, trim, and the day's line all stay tidy. You are not here to rush the route; you are here to move slowly, watch the cleaning action, and let the shallow-to-deeper transition do the work.
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Research Estimate At Hanazawa Drop
Conservative baseline from public research. No community dives logged yet.
VisibilityVisibility: 20m
AccessSimple entry
CoralMixed health
Aquatic LifeGreat variety
FacilitiesBasic facilities
CurrentLight current
Where Is Hanazawa Drop?
This spotNearby spotsExplore nearby spots on the map
Community sourced coordinates.
Hanazawa Drop Planning Details
Depth range, seasonality, and planning context.
Reported Depth
8m - 16m
Depth Note
The site is centered on an 8m average with a deeper feature at about 22m, but recreational planning is commonly capped around 16m.
Best Season
March to October is the broad sweet spot; winter and typhoon periods can bring rougher conditions.
Typical Conditions
A mild-current drop-off with a shallow average and a deeper root feature; it suits slow macro searching and careful buoyancy.
Safety & Access At Hanazawa Drop
Hazards, restrictions, and access requirements.
Key Hazards
Strong current
Safety Notes
Stay on the briefed route and keep an eye on weather. Yonehara can carry stronger currents, and the beach area has no lifeguards or jellyfish nets.
Access Restrictions
Best approached as a guided boat dive. The site is easy on calm days, but the drop-off and bay conditions still reward local guidance.
Local Intel For Hanazawa Drop
Community notes to help plan your visit.
Scuba Diving
An easy site with calm currents, suitable for beginner and intermediate scuba divers.
Freediving
Not a freedive-first target. The better use case is relaxed scuba or photo diving with good buoyancy control.
Snorkeling
The wider Yonehara area works for snorkeling, but Hanazawa Drop itself is mainly a scuba site because the key feature sits deeper.
Wildlife at Hanazawa Drop
Species commonly reported at this site, with direct links into their wildlife guides.
Recent Logged Visits At Hanazawa Drop
Community dive logs and visit reports for this site.
Dive Spot Log Averages At Hanazawa Drop
Average conditions based on logged dives & visits.
Conditions
Avg. Visibility20m
Activity
No dive activity logged yet.
