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Blue Cave — illustrative image

Blue Cave

Cave · Reef 2–25 m Beginner Okinawa & the Kerama Islands, Japan
AI-generated illustration
Well documented Also known as: Cape Maeda
Depth
2–25 m / 7–82 ft
Typical depth
8 m / 26 ft
Visibility
10–30 m / 33–98 ft
Water
21–29 °C / 70–84 °F
Current
Mild
Access
Shore
Best months
Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov
Recommended cert
Open Water (also run as intro dives and snorkel tours)
Typical dive
~40 min

Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.

The Blue Cave earns its crowds the honest way: sunlight enters underwater, bounces off the pale floor, and fills the cavern with a blue glow that looks color-graded even to the naked eye. Sweepers pulse in the dim corners, and the mouth frames snorkelers overhead like paper cutouts. Outside, Cape Maeda's terraces carry anemone gardens, sea snakes, and the odd turtle down tidy coral steps to twenty-five meters, which is where certified divers escape the procession. Go at opening time or on a weekday; by mid-morning in summer the stairway resembles a festival queue, and the glow deserves quieter company.

The moment you come for: The blue glow itself, glassy sweeper swarms, easy cape reef outside the cavern

Topography: Limestone cavern opening off a rocky cape, coral terraces outside

Current: Swell surge at the entrance is the limiting factor rather than current.

Entry: Stairs descend the Cape Maeda cliff to a ladder entry; boats also work the cave mouth. The stairway closes in high swell.

Know before you splash

Hazards: Slippery stairs, surge at the cavern mouth, and heavy swimmer traffic in season.

Who you'll meet

For photographers

Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting

Australia, New Zealand & East Asia

Cairns & the Ribbon ReefsNingaloo ReefCoral Sea & Osprey ReefOkinawa & the Kerama IslandsPoor Knights IslandsTownsville & the YongalaGreen IslandIzu Peninsula

Caribbean & Western Atlantic

BonaireCozumelRiviera Maya & the CenotesBelize Barrier ReefGrand CaymanIsla Mujeres & CancúnRoatánTiger Beach & Grand Bahama

Europe, Atlantic & Mediterranean

Malta & GozoSilfra & IcelandThe AzoresCanary IslandsLarnaca & the ZenobiaScapa FlowArctic NorwayMadeira

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North & South Malé AtollsAri AtollBaa Atoll & Hanifaru BayAliwal Shoal & UmkomaasMafia IslandMauritiusSeychellesSodwana Bay

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PalauChuuk (Truk) LagoonFakaravaKona, HawaiʻiRangiroaTaveuni & Rainbow ReefBeqa Lagoon & Pacific HarbourEspiritu Santo

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Sharm El Sheikh & Ras MohammedBrothers, Daedalus & St John'sDahabHurghada & El GounaMarsa Alam & the Deep SouthAqabaDaymaniyat IslandsMusandam Peninsula

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Bali & Nusa PenidaKomodoRaja AmpatSipadan & MabulAnilaoCoronKoh TaoLembeh Strait

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Galápagos IslandsCocos IslandFlorida KeysSea of Cortez & Cabo PulmoSocorro & the RevillagigedosBritish ColumbiaCalifornia Channel IslandsCosta Rica Pacific Coast