My favorite spot on the Izu peninsula is in Ito and called IOP, short for Izu Oceanic Park.
It is a bit of a drive, an hour south of Atami, but can also be reached by train. First, the grounds of the site itself are rather vast and picturesque. The main grounds lie on a grassy bluff overloking the ocean. There are lots of picnic tables for gear and eating, and lots of people picnic or take a snooze on the grass.
The facilities are usual, hot showers, places to wash off gear, drink machines. There are also shallow and deep pools for training. Tnaks oferred are 10L steel, 11L AL, and 14L steel.
The entry zone is reasonable, though it is a little rocky and subject to surf at times. What I like best abou thtis site is that although it is a shore entry, it has more of a feel of a boat dive for me. To the right (south) the site gets progressively deeper in a series of walls, terminating in the deepest wall, which goes ddown to recreational limits and beyond. All of these wall (but especially the deep one) are packed with soft corals and all kinds of sea life: squid, large fish, napolean wrasse, huge parrots, and an occasional shark. I never get tired of this side, and since the deep wall is about a 100 meter swim, it is relatively quiet even when the site is packed...Great spot for scooter use.
To the left (north) the site is shallower and has a field of large rocks on teh bottom. This area harbors more marine life and is frequented by large flounder in the late fall. (I saw one almost 3 feet across last month). There is also low lying kelp area and sandy bottom in that area as well.
It is a bit of a drive, an hour south of Atami, but can also be reached by train. First, the grounds of the site itself are rather vast and picturesque. The main grounds lie on a grassy bluff overloking the ocean. There are lots of picnic tables for gear and eating, and lots of people picnic or take a snooze on the grass.
The facilities are usual, hot showers, places to wash off gear, drink machines. There are also shallow and deep pools for training. Tnaks oferred are 10L steel, 11L AL, and 14L steel.
The entry zone is reasonable, though it is a little rocky and subject to surf at times. What I like best abou thtis site is that although it is a shore entry, it has more of a feel of a boat dive for me. To the right (south) the site gets progressively deeper in a series of walls, terminating in the deepest wall, which goes ddown to recreational limits and beyond. All of these wall (but especially the deep one) are packed with soft corals and all kinds of sea life: squid, large fish, napolean wrasse, huge parrots, and an occasional shark. I never get tired of this side, and since the deep wall is about a 100 meter swim, it is relatively quiet even when the site is packed...Great spot for scooter use.
To the left (north) the site is shallower and has a field of large rocks on teh bottom. This area harbors more marine life and is frequented by large flounder in the late fall. (I saw one almost 3 feet across last month). There is also low lying kelp area and sandy bottom in that area as well.