It's hard to believe that we only have about a week left in Amami Oshima. I'll kind of miss the place. It is incredibly hot, but beautiful. It has some of the most beautiful coastline anywhere. The hills come right down to the rocky coastline, white sand beaches, and coral reefs just under the brilliant blue water. Not many tourists come here, since it's out of the way, and plane fare is expensive. Someone living in Tokyo can fly to Hawaii for cheaper than they can fly here. And whatever Naze City is, it sure ain't Waikiki. So there aren't many Japanese tourists around, not to mention foreigners. I try to go snorkeling every other day if it's not raining.
The reefs aren't pristine by any means, not the kind of thing you would see on tv. Most of the coral is dead. Maybe more than 90%. There are just little patches of live coral and sponges and so on here and there. A six foot diameter patch of living reef is about as big as it gets here. But the fish still use the dead reef for shelter, and there is food there. I've been snorkeling here since 1997, and I have seen an incredible amount of damage, with previously healthy reefs now dead, a wasteland with no live coral. Global warming is heating the water, in some cases to 105 degrees F, as reported here in Amami. Dramatic changes in temperature stress the coral and cause them to evict the symbiotic algae that support the coral, which kills the coral, and the ecosystem collapses. A study completed in 2004 found that worldwide only 30% of the world's coral reefs were healthy down from 41% two years earlier, 20% have been destroyed, and 50% could possibly be saved. They are dying fast.
But there are still a lot of things to look at. Here are some pictures of pictures taken around the islands. I don't have the proper gear to take my own underwater pictures. The water is warm, and the waves are small. The visibility is about 20 feet, which is not great, but ok. There are all kinds of fish, eels, sea turtles (although I've never seen them), sharks (I saw a small one last year). I found a big spiny lobster someone had eaten the other day.
The beaches are mostly deserted. There are only a couple of beaches that are developed, where you'll find tourists. The rest of them are pretty wild, and only people collecting clams and things go there. There is one beach in town here (the rest have been cemented over), but it's next to the sewage treatment plant on the edge of town. The water isn't any worse than anywhere else, and in fact it has just as much coral and more fish than the most popular tourist beach. Maybe it's all the nutrients. Everyone tells us not to go there, but we go anyway since we're gaijin, and we hang out with the town kids there. It seems pretty cruel to tell kids they can't go to the only beach in town. I think the sewage treatment plant effluent is cleaner than the stuff coming out of the storm drains. People dump everything down them, and of course all that stuff goes to the ocean. The old lady next door's washing machine empties into the gutter. Guys step out of their houses to urinate in the drains.
The coastline is pretty spectacular, and there are great views from all over the island.
I like to try out all the beaches, ride the bike or motorcycle along the coast, then take a swim when I get too hot. I've never been really fond of swimming, but when there's something interesting to look at, I could snorkel all day. The wild beaches aren't pristine, either. Piles of garbage wash up on the beach from all the boats and others that use the ocean for a dump. I hear it's like that everywhere, even on the remotest islands in the world. A few years ago, we were snorkeling in front of Masami's uncle's house, on a remote part of a neighboring island, and the water was so full of plastic garbage that I couldn't move without getting a plastic bag wrapped around my arm. That was pretty extreme, and usually the water is pretty clear.
The beaches are mostly deserted. There are only a couple of beaches that are developed, where you'll find tourists. The rest of them are pretty wild, and only people collecting clams and things go there. There is one beach in town here (the rest have been cemented over), but it's next to the sewage treatment plant on the edge of town. The water isn't any worse than anywhere else, and in fact it has just as much coral and more fish than the most popular tourist beach. Maybe it's all the nutrients. Everyone tells us not to go there, but we go anyway since we're gaijin, and we hang out with the town kids there. It seems pretty cruel to tell kids they can't go to the only beach in town. I think the sewage treatment plant effluent is cleaner than the stuff coming out of the storm drains. People dump everything down them, and of course all that stuff goes to the ocean. The old lady next door's washing machine empties into the gutter. Guys step out of their houses to urinate in the drains.
There are all kinds of rules here. No swimming before 5PM is a good one that Masami likes to repeat often. What else are you going to do when it's blazing hot? She never went snorkeling before I took her. Teachers even patrol the beach to check for their students. It takes a lifetime to learn the rules in Japan: swimming before 5: not ok; pissing in the street: ok.
The sunsets are fabulous here, if you're in the right spot, and you can see past the mountains.
The coastline is pretty spectacular, and there are great views from all over the island.
There are skippers (little fish that like to be out of water) walking around on the rocks, legions of hermit crabs, occasional frogs in tributary creeks, and lizards.
I like to try out all the beaches, ride the bike or motorcycle along the coast, then take a swim when I get too hot. I've never been really fond of swimming, but when there's something interesting to look at, I could snorkel all day. The wild beaches aren't pristine, either. Piles of garbage wash up on the beach from all the boats and others that use the ocean for a dump. I hear it's like that everywhere, even on the remotest islands in the world. A few years ago, we were snorkeling in front of Masami's uncle's house, on a remote part of a neighboring island, and the water was so full of plastic garbage that I couldn't move without getting a plastic bag wrapped around my arm. That was pretty extreme, and usually the water is pretty clear.
Theo's pretty sick of swimming, but today is his last day of swimming club, so maybe he'll want to go snorkeling again now. We still have a couple of beaches left to explore.
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