Whale Shark

Photo: Simon Pierce · CC BY-NC

Whale sharks pass through Jokombo's blue water during the warmer months, attracted by the plankton blooms generated where the Kuroshio Current upwells nutrient-rich deep water against Ishigaki's eastern shelf. Encounters are unpredictable and brief — typically 5 to 15 minutes as the sharks maintain a steady forward motion — but the scale of a 6-metre animal swimming through a cloud of trevally makes it one of the most memorable experiences available at any Yaeyama dive site. Local operators report increased sighting frequency in May and June when plankton concentrations peak.