Izu Ocean Park (伊豆海洋公園)

別名： IOP · Izu Oceanic Park · Izu Kaiyo Koen · 伊豆海洋公園 (日本語)

IOP opened in 1964 as Japan's first diving facility and offers showers and a hot bath. The terrain was formed by lava from Mount Omuro flowing into the sea, which created boulder fields, cliffs and sand. A shallow area with anemones and damselfish leads to two classic routes: the underwater post box at around 22 m, where divers can mail real letters, or the wall known as the first rock. That wall rises from about 26 m to 5 m, is draped in pink and purple soft corals and hosts groupers, Asian sheepshead wrasse, frogfish and seahorses. Stingrays, flounders and dragon morays are also seen, and the slope continues to sand at about 40 m. Entry can be lively when there is swell, and on holiday weekends divers may queue to get in.