Ito Diving Service BOMMIE is located in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, southeast of Tokyo. The dive centre is best known for one of Japan’s most unusual shark dives: the Shark Scramble at Ito. Instead of classic reef diving, the focus is an intense guided boat dive where divers reach the site Shark City within minutes from the harbour. The base is a PADI Resort, works in Japanese and English, and is especially interesting for divers looking for an extraordinary shark experience close to Tokyo during a trip through Japan.
Shark diving
The central dive site is Shark City on the eastern side of Okimae-ne. Large groups of banded houndsharks regularly gather there, often together with red stingrays, large groupers and Asian sheepshead wrasse. This is not a calm observation dive from a long distance, but a very close and dynamic experience: sharks and rays move tightly around the divers and guides, which makes the name Shark Scramble feel very accurate. The maximum depth is about 21 metres at the eastern buoy and around 24 metres in the western area. Depending on conditions, current, animal proximity and depth can make the dive demanding, so stable buoyancy, calm behaviour underwater and solid basic skills are important.
Shark City: a dive site with a special history
The origin of Shark City is closely linked to local fisheries. In the past, many banded houndsharks in the region were caught as bycatch in nets or ate fish from set nets. A controlled feeding site was created from this conflict to lure the sharks away from the fishing gear. Over time it developed into one of Japan’s best-known shark diving sites. For divers today, that means a very specific experience: hundreds of sharks may gather closely around the group while rays and large reef fish move over the sandy bottom at the same time.
Requirements, procedure and special features
Ito Diving Service BOMMIE is not aimed at absolute beginners. For the official Shark Scramble dives, Advanced Open Water, at least 30 logged dives, boat diving experience and recent dive experience are required. Mask clearing, regulator recovery and calm behaviour during close contact with animals should also be reliable. This matters because sharks and rays come very close during the dive and occasional touches or bumps can happen.
The dive sites are only a few minutes from the harbour. Dives are conducted from the boat, often with fixed descent and ascent procedures along lines. Water temperatures vary clearly with the season: winter and spring can be cool, while summer and early autumn are more comfortable. Guests especially highlight the proximity to Tokyo, English-speaking support, clean facilities, warm showers and the very helpful crew.
