Beach notes

There are a few relatively small but quiet sandy beaches on the west side of Cape Maeda.  Walking west out of paid parking you can find several access paths along the north-south running road. The Maeda Flats is an easy to access beach location to get your feet wet swimming or snorkeling. It is shallow enough for small children to play, with a gradual drop off about 20-30 feet from shore. The drop off leads to a deeper area of about 10 feet depth where local dive shops often run discovery SCUBA programs. This is also a nice area to snorkel as it is well inside the barrier reef, but has some interesting features and plenty of sea life to see. There is no natural shade in the area so be sure to bring your pop-up tent or beach shade and be sure to hydrate when spending time in the hot Okinawa sun. Beach 51 is the next sandy area to the south and has some natural caves which provide great natural shade during a long day at the beach. With a less gradual drop off than you’ll find at the Maeda Flats, during high tide you’ll be in neck deep water just 10 feet from shore. The lagoon all along the west side of Cape Maeda has beautiful water and interesting snorkeling, but even well inside the lagoon you will encounter considerable currents at each of the beach locations.

Fishing notes:

If you leave the paid parking and walk past the shower facilities you will see several paths to your left. Following these paths you will see access to the variety of cliffs and rock ledges that local fishermen like to perch themselves on for hours at a time while chasing fish. While some beautiful fish can be caught while fishing from the rocks at Cape Maeda, bear in mind that rock fishing is one of the most dangerous sports in the world and many people lose their lives rock fishing every year. Please consider wearing proper non-slip shoes, having a fishing buddy with you, and most importantly wear a life jacket or have some form of flotation attached to you when navigating the dangerous rocks. If you are fishing from the end of the cape, the water can easily be over 100 feet deep and strong currents move swiftly around the Cape.

Snorkeling notes:

When snorkeling in the lagoon on the west side of the cape caution should be heeded to tides, rip currents and swells. Assess conditions carefully when entering the water. Several rip currents exist in the area, and lateral currents run very strong north south in the winter, and move in the opposite direction in summer pulling swimmers toward the cape. Snorkeling at the edge of the barrier reef and over the drop off is never recommended for beginners, or for those unfamiliar with the area. Even for experienced swimmers and snorkelers, you must consider the combination of swell, winds, and tides before venturing to see the beautiful, but often dangerous, drop off.

Parking notes

There is a paid parking lot that has a significant capacity but is busy during the summer and other peak times.  Check the Maeda Point website for updated hours.  Parking outside of the lot and along the narrow local roads is not recommended and ticketing/towing is actively enforced.

Surfing notes

Cape Maeda has some fun surfing waves, and will hold a swell of 3 to 6 feet. Swells above the 6 foot range will not break properly on the abrupt reef and generally close out, making the area un-surf-able and dangerous during larger swells as waves break”top to bottom” on a sharp, shallow reef with no hoping of exit for the surfer. During winter, north swells of 3-4 feet at short intervals make surfing possible but conditions are rarely good as the north winds create semi permanent onshore/side shore winds until well into April. One hazard to watch out for during winter surf at Cape Maeda is the short period waves which usually have an interval of less than 8 seconds. Surfers have reported being wiped out on the reef’s edge and not being able to “get their feet under them” as they continue being pounded by the short-interval surf. This can be a dangerous situation being stuck in the impact zone along the drop off. During the summer season, surf days are few and far between as we wait for typhoons to make their way along the East China Sea and send south swells to Cape Maeda. But when they finally arrive it’s a beautiful thing. Summer south swells up to 6-8 feet make great surfing conditions and when accompanied by southerly or light easterly winds Cape Maeda becomes a great surf zone. Summer swells tend to create longer interval swells, which is in itself a different kind of hazard; long interval swells have more energy, are more powerful, and the waves move fast. Also, sets are more pronounced during long interval swells and it is more likely to be in the water when a rogue wave (a waves at least 3 times the size of the average hourly wave) arrives and gives you a wake up call. Also, south swells come along with south currents, which can pull surfers to the north and around the cape into deep, dangerous water.

SCUBA diving notes

Maeda Point is an extremely busy and popular diving location.  Many local dive and snorkel shops use the site for tours and training.  The Blue Cave, east of the main dive stairs, is also a popular tourist spot for discovery dives and for snorkelers.  Entry and exit, while dependent on tides, is fairly straightforward and the dive stairs can be accessed on the north side of the dive shop.  The stairs will be closed during inclement weather or bad conditions.  It is recommended that you check the status of the site, via the Maeda Point website, before traveling to Maeda Point as the closure criteria is sometimes inconsistent. The entry point, although fairly straight forward, can be made difficult by surging waves even during the smallest north swells. And getting out it should be remembered that the long hike up the stairs can lead to over exertion after a dive. Please be careful not to push yourself to hard after diving as your body has already been under stress. As the area to the right of the stairs sees plenty of boat traffic, be mindful of boats if your destination is to the right or into the Blue Cave. Going left of the stairs you will find a beautiful wall dive. Wall diving is always fun and exciting, but comes with its own set of safety concerns. It can be difficult to monitor your depth while being distracted by all of the beautiful things you’ll find to look at. It’s also easy to bump into things when wall diving, and as we all know it’s best to look and not touch when diving in any situation. Currents may also be affected by underwater topography, so be careful to monitor currents when wall diving and remember the golden rule: into the current on your way out as much as possible, and going with the current back to your entry point.

Other notes

There is a paid parking lot that has a significant capacity but is busy during the summer and other peak times.  Check the Maeda Point website for updated hours.  Parking outside of the lot and along the narrow local roads is not recommended and ticketing/towing is actively enforced. Bathrooms, showers (paid), vending machines, and a dive shop are also on site.  Additionally, Yomitan has many great restaurants and cafes, many catering to Western tastes.