Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee.
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Ama Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Kerama Islands. This location is especially famous for sea turtle spotting: every day, at high tide, they come here in numbers to feed on the shallow seagrass meadow. If you are spending a whole day on the island, you can combine this snorkeling with Furuzamami Beach, another good location located less than 2 miles from Ama Beach.
Ama Beach is located on Zamami Island, one of the most visited islands in the Kerama archipelago. Most tours to the islands depart from Naha, Okinawa’s capital city, which is the archipelago’s gateway.
Boats to the Kerama Islands, including tours to Zamami, leave from Tomari harbor, next to the city center. The closest monorail stop is Miebashi (美栄橋), a 10 minutes walk to the jetty. The express boat is the most convenient (a 50-minute ride to reach the island) but you might prefer the cheaper ferry (120 minutes).
Once on Zamami island, there are several options to reach the beach: you can rent a bike (a 20-minute ride to the beach, following a steep road), a scooter, or a car. Ama Beach is well-signposted from the jetty.
You can enter the water from anywhere on the sandy beach.
If you want to spot green sea turtles in Ama Bay, you have to snorkel the spot at high tide, when there is enough water on the seagrass beds on which the turtles feed. You will easily get information about the tides at the tourist information center located close to the jetty.
The turtle grass starts only a few meters from the beach. Exploring the area at high tide, you will most likely spot several green sea turtles feeding quietly on the grass. As always with sea turtles, respect the basic observation rules: don’t touch them or follow them, and give them enough space when they come up to the surface to breathe.
Green sea turtles are not the only attraction here. You will also find a gorgeous coral garden, densely covered with branching corals, only a few dozen meters from the beach. It is located just in front of the beach’s main access (see map above). If you have trouble finding it, look for the glass bottom boats, as they use to stop in this area.
In the half-sand/half-coral areas surrounding the coral garden, you might spot sea anemones where tomato clownfish live.
Several beach snacks sell sandwiches and drinks. In Zamami village, located about 1 mile from here, you will find a wider range of restaurants and a choice of accommodation.
Sea turtles are a very familiar sight at high tide at Ama Beach. In order to be a responsible snorkeler, be sure to respect the following rules when observing them:
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
