The diving was all from shore over volcanic rocky reef covered with kelp.
Across the reef and down to 20 metres the reef met a sandy slope which edged down into deeper water where the reef edge dropped off. Over the drop off the entire scene changed to a boulder slope with vast fields of giant sea whips.
In amongst the sea whips swam swarms of Margarita basslets Sacura margaritacea, one of the really special species I had hoped to see and photograph on my visit.
To see schools of magic Margarita basslets Sacura margaritacea swimming amongst forests of giant sea whips at 35 metres was mesmerising...I almost forgot to take pictures.
(Photo Neville Coleman)
From Kashiwajima we set off for Tokyo in a huge car ferry with rooms and beds, vending machines and all the mod cons.
To me, this "ferry" was an ocean liner. However, when I experienced the trip in calm weather, I realized that during inclement weather having such a large ship would be a lot safer than being in a smaller one.
From Tokyo we drove to Izu Peninsula. The roads were packed and there were zillions of signs and highways and every road was a tollway and yet I only saw one police car and one ambulance and one accident on the entire trip.
One hour out of Tokyo the landscape was (to me), bush everywhere, rather all the hills and mountains had forests, some natural, and some plantations but all green.
I was thrilled to be going to Izu Peninsula because the diving there was owned by one of Japan's most famous underwater photographic pioneers and authors Mr. Hajime Masuda, who's work I had first seen when I was an apprentice in the printing industry in Sydney, Australia. He had been taking pictures underwater for over 50 years and had written most of Japan's most famous marine life guides.
DIVING IZU PENINSULA
The main dive site entry had a safety line attached to the rock wall. Certainly a necessary requirement for entry and exit, though many beginners experienced exits that were a little less dignified than their entries. It was strange to see divers having such a good time; some were sitting in the wash of the swell laughing so much they could not get up.
When I was an apprentice in the printing industry I can remember seeing a fantastic book on Japanese Marine Life which had been sent to the firm I worked for as an example of Japanese colour separating and printing. The quality was superb, the best we had ever seen and the photography phenomenal!
There were pictures of fish taken at great depths by divers with what eventually was to become the Nikonos Amphibious Camera.
It was seeing the reproductive quality of Marine Fish ID Guide Books such as those produced by Japanese publishers from images ( such as this) provided by Mr. Masuda that were held in awe by early Australian colour separation houses, and to think they did it all 50 years ago, on designer amphibious cameras.
My first Gold-ribbon Soapfish Aulacocephalus temminckii was at Norfolk Island in the South Pacific. By comparison, this one at Izu Peninsula ignored me and was much easier to photograph.
(Photo Neville Coleman)
In contrast to the poor quality nature books Australia was turning out at the time there was really no comparison; certainly we had a long way to go.
Although I had no understanding of scuba diving, nor photography at a personal level at that time, I always remembered one of the underwater photographers names, Mr. Hajimi Masuda.
IOP IZU PENINSULA
It was incredible to me that decades later I could be right at the place where some of these early pictures had been taken, as a guest of the same such great pioneer of underwater nature photography.
An ocean view of the IOP complex showing its direct access to the water and the grounds layout.
The IOP Information Centre was a virtual photographic gallery of species found in the area and wall displays showing the IOP magazines and relative information on the area.
The IOP dive centre was nothing short of amazing.
It had everything; shop, lecture rooms, huge Olympic sized teaching pool, a thousand hire tanks, repair shop, huge compressor rooms, a block of tiled outdoor showers, parking area, lunch shop, park, picnic areas, swimming pool, flowers, trees and lawns.
I had never imagined this many hire tanks at one dive shop and this was only part of IOP's massive back up resource for its divers. I would never complain about filling tanks, ever again. Just think of the scale of operation required to keep this lot on line?
Next door there was an entire information centre dedicated to photography, marine science, and new discoveries with its own four colour magazine dedicated to aquatic natural history of the area and illustrated by local photographers and students.
I had never seen anything on this scale before, even in America. Surface intervals with dozens of open air showers, deck chairs and a restraunt for lunches and a huge park to laze around in the sun. The most customer orientated diving service, anywhere.
What really blew me away was how keen everybody was on learning and understanding about underwater nature. Every new student was not only taught to dive BUT also familiarised and educated on marine biology and conservation, so that when they graduated as a scuba diver they had an understanding of the ocean and its inhabitants and a value on the importance of looking after it.
The entire area was a national park both above and below water, all managed and paid for and maintained by Mr. Masuda. Rudie gave several slide talks to rooms full of students and although few people could even understand English, everybody could recognise the animals in the pictures and questions were answered by an interpreter. The interest shown was remarkable.
The Diving
An aerial view of the main dive site entry gives an idea of how dificult the entry might be to new dive students without the rope hand line.
The main dive entry at the complex is a rocky entry through surf over kelp forests that cover the rocks. (Almost like early days in Sydney). Of course the volcanic rocks can be slippery and although the surf was only small compared to what we used to go into at Shark Point, Clovelly, New South Wales, it was certainly enough to easily knock inexperienced divers askew.
To ensure an easier entry, a rope line had been placed along the rock wall. This amenity was instrumental for me, as I had my usual three camera systems and it allowed me to take them all in and get out in one piece.
Beautiful little Sea Fan Melithaea flabellifera grows in small easily recogniseable clumps around 15 metres and deeper.
(Photo Neville Coleman)
Every dive site was in immaculate condition. The fact that hundreds of thousands of divers have dived and enjoyed themselves over the years at most dive areas with little, if any, consequence to the environment was amazing to me.
It all has to do with the respect that is taught in the classrooms and further nurtured and emphasised during dive training courses.
This cute small member of the Scorpionfish family, the Spot - fin Waspfish Paracentropogon vespa had all its defences up as I moved in for a close up.
The spotfin waspfish Paracetropogon vespa occurs throughout tropical Australia and I had seen them regularly while working on prawners and scallop boats. In the wild, their cockatoo-like dorsal crests made them easy to identify.
(Photo Neville Coleman)
It was especially apparent that marine education appears to have a much greater role in Japan than in Australia.
Everybody knew what a nudibranch was. Instead of having a philosophy based on dive equipment sales turnover as the business incentive, every student was made to feel part of the establishment and part of the IOP family.
This importance shown to persons and divers establishing the values of learning their role in the nature of things certainly pays dividends, the IOP establishments are some of the most successful in the world.
Although it is thought that in Australia we have the same species of Wandering Anemone Nemanthus nitidus living in deeper waters on black corals, wrecks and sea whips all along the north coast down to at least Jervis Bay in southern New South Wales. It was great to actually see one of the original named species.
(Photo Neville Coleman)
The diving was all from shore over volcanic rocky reef covered with kelp.
Across the reef and down to 20 metres the reef met a sandy slope which edged down into deeper water where the reef edge dropped off. Over the drop off the entire scene changed to a boulder slope with vast fields of giant sea whips.
In amongst the sea whips swam swarms of Margarita basslets Sacura margaritacea, one of the really special species I had hoped to see and photograph on my visit.
At 25 metres on a wall, Rudie showed me a number of Ijima's Sea Urchins Asthenosoma ijimai and although they are a venomous as their relations further south, they did not have any Coleman's Shrimps on them.
(Photo Neville Coleman)
Here they were common; thousands of living jewels in a sea of whips. At 30 metres plus I didnt linger too long as there was so much to see. Back up in the kelp, gorgonian sea fans and soft corals needed to be checked for ovulids and on one hydroid there was a black Protaeolidiella nudibranch, Protaeolidiella atra which looked much different to those found off Dampier, Western Australia.
Conclusion
Everywhere we went was excellent diving and happy, helpful people. Without doubt, it was a great adventure and experience although I did not find any new species, every photograph came out on every roll, with lots of species I had never photographed before.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody responsible for their hospitality, courtesy and friendship, especially Mr Toshikazu and Junko Kozawa of Anthis; Mr Hajimi Masuda and the staff and friends of IOP Dive Centre; Mr Rudie Kuiter.
I asked one young girl why she liked diving. She replied
"Love is all things.."(Universal wisdom, from the essence of life).
This fantastic dragon moray Enchelycore pardalis shyly eyed me off from its crevice. This species has extremely long secondary rear nostrils and sharp well-developed teeth. This species can also be seen at Christmas island.
(PHoto Neville Coleman)