Yabiji Reef

Yabiji is the largest coral reef in Japan, a vast submerged plateau north of Miyako Island that emerges partially at extreme low tides and hosts an extraordinary diversity of hard corals across its 140 square kilometre extent. Sea turtles are permanent residents, grazing on the seagrass meadows that fringe the reef's sandy lagoons, while the outer edges deliver strong drift dives along fields of staghorn and table Acropora in pristine condition. The sheer scale of intact reef here — largely unaffected by development — makes Yabiji a benchmark site for coral reef conservation in the western Pacific.