What Is Kabira Bay, and Where Can You Swim on Ishigaki?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to see Ishigaki's sea and need to know where swimming is allowed. Kabira Bay is the island's best-known view, but you cannot swim there. We also list beaches that do have a swimming season and lifeguards.

We used the official Okinawa travel site run by the Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVB) and the Ishigaki City Tourism Exchange Association. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Swimming seasons and hours change with the weather, so check on the day.

Kabira Bay: look, do not swim

OCVB describes Kabira Bay as a place of white sand, blue water, small islets, coral and tropical fish. The usual way to see it is on a glass-bottom boat tour.

OCVB is clear that swimming and snorkeling from the beach are not permitted at Kabira Bay. Plan to enjoy it from the shore or from a boat.

Kabira Bay is also one of the places OCVB suggests for looking at the night sky. More on that below.

Beaches with a swimming season

OCVB's beach database lists swimming seasons, hours and facilities for several Ishigaki beaches. The entries we read were last updated on 27 August 2026.

• Maesato Beach. Swimming season from 15 March to November. Hours are 9:00 to 17:00, depending on the season. Entry is free, and parking is free. OCVB lists lifeguards, a jellyfish net, toilets, showers and lockers. It is one of the closest beaches to Ishigaki Port.
• Sukuji Beach. In the Kabira area. Swimming season from April to September. Hours are 9:00 to 18:00, depending on the season. Entry and parking are free. OCVB lists lifeguards, a jellyfish net, toilets and showers.
• Ishigakijima Sunset Beach. In the far north of the island. Swimming season from 1 May to 15 October, from 9:30 to 18:00. Entry and parking are paid. OCVB lists lifeguards and a jellyfish net.

Outside these seasons and hours, there may be no lifeguard on duty. OCVB's general advice is to swim only in designated swimming areas and to follow the lifeguards' instructions.

Other ways to see the sea

• Shiraho Reef. On the southeast shore. OCVB says it has the largest community of blue coral in the Northern Hemisphere. Glass-bottom boat tours go to the reef.
• Manta rays. OCVB says reef mantas are around Ishigaki all year. The best chance to see one is in summer, from July to mid-October.
• Blue Cave. In the north of the island, used for sea kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and snorkeling.

OCVB advises snorkeling only in designated swimming areas or on organized tours. Beyond the edge of the reef the water is deep, and tides and currents can change quickly.

The tourism association's sea advice

The Ishigaki City Tourism Exchange Association has its own page of advice for the sea. These are its main points:

• Do not stand or step on coral, unless the top is flat. Branching coral breaks easily.
• Do not feed the fish, so you do not upset the ecosystem.
• The tide goes in and out about twice a day, and the times change daily. The sea looks very different at high and low tide.
• Check the weather before you go. Waves and currents can build when the wind rises or a typhoon passes nearby.
• Do not go in if you feel unwell.
• Swimming in no-swimming zones or in fast currents is dangerous. Watch for "reef currents", where the water suddenly flows fast.

On snorkeling, the association says to learn how to clear water from the snorkel first. It also warns that shallow breathing through a snorkel can cause carbon dioxide build-up without you noticing. Breathe deeply and slowly.

Stars over Kabira Bay

OCVB says Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, which covers parts of Ishigaki Island, is designated an International Dark Sky Park. It says 84 of the 88 known constellations can be seen from Ishigaki. Guided night tours run, and Kabira Bay and Banna Park are named as viewing spots.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Whether lifeguards are on duty every day of each swimming season.
• The fees at Ishigakijima Sunset Beach. OCVB only says "paid".
• The rules for Yonehara beach. The association links to them, but we did not read that page.
• Glass-bottom boat times and prices at Kabira Bay.

Related guides

• How do you get to Ishigaki and take a ferry to the other Yaeyama Islands?
• How do you stay safe on Ishigaki? Typhoons, the sea and emergency numbers

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Ishigaki Island - VISIT OKINAWA JAPAN (Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau) — (Kabira Bay; no swimming or snorkeling from the beach; Shiraho Reef; mantas; Blue Cave; dark sky)
2. Maesato Beach - VISIT OKINAWA JAPAN — (season; hours; facilities; updated 27 August 2026)
3. Sukuji Beach - VISIT OKINAWA JAPAN — (season; hours; facilities)
4. Ishigakijima Sunset Beach - VISIT OKINAWA JAPAN — (season; hours; paid entry)
5. Enjoying Okinawa Safely - VISIT OKINAWA JAPAN — (designated swimming areas; lifeguards)
6. Points to note at sea (Ishigaki City Tourism Exchange Association, in Japanese) — (coral; tides; weather; snorkel advice; reef currents)