Mola Molas
Mola mola / common sunfish (Mola mola) can be spotted seasonally in many different areas in the Japanese archipelago.
In older times, it is said that mola mola /sunfish actually played a role in the Shogunate’s taxation system, but today, it is divers who appreciate the most these odd and somewhat clumsy creatures from the deep…
KANTŌ
Mola molas can be seen on special dives organised seasonally in Ito-Tateyama (Chiba Pref.), and are also sometimes spotted in the Nanpō archipelago’s Izu and Ogasawara islands.
CHŪBU
Mola-molas can be seen seasonally, on various dive sites around the Izu peninsula (Shizuoka Pref.) with access to deeper water, including Mikomoto island, and especially at the Nakagi, Osezaki (which is said to act as a cleaning station) and Futo dive sites between April and August. Molas are also spotted in early spring at Numazu and Ita areas, west of the Izu Peninsula.
SHIKOKU
Mola molas are sometimes seen in Shikoku’s Uguru Island area or on more exposed Pacific coast sites of Okitsu and Muroto (Kōchi Pref.)
KYŪSHŪ
Mola molas are seen in Kyūshū’s Kagoshima (Yamakawaoki Kamise) and Miyazaki Prefectures (Nichinan and Nobeoka areas) and in the Satsunan islands (especially the Tokara islands)
