Sunday, May 1, 2011

Okinawa Adventures - Day 3 Furu Zamami Beach @ Zamami Island

After our escapade with the sea turtles and devouring the hearty lunch in town, we decided it was time to visit the main beach, Furu Zamami Beach that we've heard so much about.The owner of our accommodation again offered to drive us to Furu Zamami Beach which only took 10 minutes. We have to remember that the locals only drive at 20km/h so really, it's much closer than described. 


Thinking that we couldn't possibly be surprised by the beauty of Furu Zamami Beach due to our earlier visit to Ama Beach, our breaths were once again stolen away. The sand was almost pure white and I believe this is because of the white coral that has dissolved on the beach leaving white powdery residue which combined with the sand.

Our first breathtaking view of Furu Beach
This was our first view of Furu Zamami Beach from the wooden resting ledge/verandah and as we walked down the stairs closer to the water, we were filled with excitement. Walking on the dead coral on the beach, you can hear the sweet tinkling sounds of coral hitting against each other creating musical harmony. It reminded me of wind chimes..


View from the rocky ledge on the south side of Furu Zamami Beach





Another beach shot

The coral formations began almost immediately from the beach so you didn't need to swim far to get a glimpse of the abundant aquatic life. Below are some of the coral spectacles we encountered..
Standing out of from the crowd

The beach was also renowned for large colonies of clown fish that inhabit the coral reef and below was one of the larger species that approached me without fear. I wasn't sure if this was an aggressive standoff to intimidate me or if it thought my camera (Canon D10) was food because of the blue shade that could be mistaken for the scales of fish. Funny thing was, it was only this species that behaved this way. I must've stepped into their territory and it was telling me to back off.. well it worked!


Twoband anemonefish: What are you looking at!

Blue and brown striped slug
I saw this blue and brown striped slug on the sea bed.. actually there were hundred scattered all over the place. It was quite difficult to see from the surface and I only noticed it when I dove down to visit the sandy bottom. Another creature that caught my attention was this unique type of sea cucumber. It was fat as hell! I also recall it to be over 30cm. I was so tempted to hold it but of course I had to hold back.  

Sea cucumber
While I was on the ocean floor, I was hypnotised by the beauty of the deeper blue. The clarity of the water and the soft white sand must've done the trick as you can see below. This was a scene I only saw on TV and I took every opportunity I could to enjoy this view..

To infinity and beyond
Saw a huge sea cucumber

Simply had to take a pic with it
Some of you may know that I want to get into freediving and this was the perfect opportunity for me to test my knowledge of what I learnt from reading the 'Manual of Freediving'. Certainly have improved in technique and my awareness of my surroundings. Anyhow, back to my trip. 

We stayed at Furu Zamami Beach for a couple of hours but decided that we could explore some of the smaller islands that were close by since it was only about 3pm. It was going to get dark at 6pm so we had another 3 hours before we hit the sack. This post will have to be saved for another day since there are so many photos to choose from. 

Overall, I found Furu Zamami Beach to be my favourite beach from all the sites I have visited. I don't know if it is because of the white sand or the clarity of the water but from what you have seen from the photo's above, the deeper blue was just so mesmerising that it keeps drawing me in. I will definitely visit again! 


Chad

6 comments:

  1. Just came upon your site. Thanks for sharing! We're going to Okinawa in a few months and now more excited than ever b/c of your posts! Btw, what kind of camera did you use underwater? Your pictures are amazing!

    sarakit
    sarakit.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi sarakit,

      Thanks for visiting and I'm happy my photo's got you excited! I'm jealous that you're heading there. I am so sure you will love it there.

      I am using a Canon D10 and I found it to be a great camera for it's price. A little chunky but it does it's job. I think the only other camera's that is ok for 10m is the Olympus ones but that was a while ago. I must admit I use Picasa to brighten up the pictures so I am cheating in a way.

      Will you be snorkeling/diving?

      Chad

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    2. Chad,

      We're looking to go scuba diving for 3 days between Zamami and Aka. Any preference in hotels or recommendations? Which island did you like better?

      I used a Gopro for some underwater vids and it worked pretty well. I'll have to look into the D10.

      Any hotel suggestions would be great.

      Sarakit

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    3. Hi Sarakit,

      On the main island, I stayed right by the port at HOTEL ROUTE-INN Nahamaejima. It is a small cosy business hotel and nothing fancy but very convenient since it is right by the port to catch Queen Zamami to head to the islands. There is a car rental office right next to it which adds to the convenience so you can drive up and down the coast.

      I prefered Zamami Island but I was snorkeling instead of Scuba. I didn't see anyone scuba diving at Zamami Island however we saw quite a few boats at Aka Island so I am assuming it is much better.

      We stayed overnight at Zamami Island directly opposite a scuba store, however, it was a residential home and my partner who is Japanese found it on a Japanese website. I did see some foreigners there so I am assuming there is a hostel there too but sorry I don't know the name of it.

      We went on a day trip to Aka Island from Zamami Island which departed around 7am or 8am and took the afternoon ferry back to Zamami. We did see a scuba store/hostel at Aka Island and I believe it was the only one. Sorry I don't know the name of this one either. The town was so small that you could just rent bicycles to get around.

      I know you will love it there! I definitely want to return especially when it is only a few hours away from HK. Let me know if you have any other questions!

      Chad

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    4. Sarakit,

      The website for the accommodation we stayed at is:

      http://www.route-inn.co.jp/english/pref/okinawa.html#nahamaejima

      If you're looking for a romantic place to stay, I wouldn't really recommend this place but it was very clean and staff was very professional. The price tag was attractive too..

      By the way GoPro looks interesting. Thanks for the intro.

      Chad

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  2. Chad,

    Thanks for all your info. We're planning it now and I'm sure it'll be amazing there! I'll share some pics when I get back!

    Sarakit

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