Dive off the shore of Ishigaki Island to see the huge Pacific stingrays
Ishigaki’s beautiful stingrays offer some of the best diving in Asia. Seeing them spinning over the coral reef is like witnessing a magnificent water ballet. Spring through fall is the best time to see stingrays.
Just off the coast of Ishigaki is a dive site known as a “scramble manta.” It’s also known as the “cleaning station” – an area of coral reefs, subtropical anemones and marine plants that is home to thousands of feeder fish that ingest parasites that lurk on the skin and gills of stingrays. It’s a fairly easy dive to see the mantas, with temperatures just 50 to 65 feet (15-20 m) deep around 21 ° C (70 ° F) and always with fantastic visibility.