Snorkeling in Kanagawa Prefecture area?

I live in Yokohama in US Naval Housing. I've been here a year, now, but have yet to visit the beach. Can anyone tell me if there are good snorkeling spots in the Kanagawa Prefecture area?

The only information I can find is about Okinawa. I've also found scuba information for Izu Penninsula, but I don't know if Izu is good for snorkeling too.

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! :) ... Kristen

Since you are in the military or a dependent, take a hop out of Atsugi or Yokota to Okinawa and snorkel at the Sunabe sea wall or Kadena steps. These two sites are less than a mile from the main gate at Kadena and are great for snorkeling or diving.

Besides, the cost for the hop is minimal.

Thank you, Paul, for your suggestion, but I'm really looking for something local. I'd like to find a place thatI can go to for a day trip.

We did not dive or snorkel on Honshu; however, if you Google ''snorkeling in Izu'' a number of sites come up including this one at Hirizo (or Herizo) Beach on the west side of the southern tip of the Izu peninsula.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ippei-janine/sets/72157607...

Browsing through the photos, you see a lot of the same types of fish we saw in Okinawa.

Izu Ocean Park looks like another place where you might snorkel.

http://www.marimari.com/cOnTENT/japan/popular_places/vi...

Here's a site that gives you some idea as to the marine life you might see there.

http://www.escuba.com/directories/destinations/details....

You may also try some of the local dive shops in the Yokohama/Yokosuka area to try and find some snorkeling spots.

Dyslexic today, that should be Paul, not Pual.

I recommend Osezaki in Numazu city. It's a very popular and beautiful scuba diving spot.
�Ehttp://www.i-esprit.net/index.htm
�Ehttp://www.osezaki.jp/scuba.html
�Ehttp://maps.google.co.jp/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=ja&geoc...

And I like Hirizo beach in Minamiizu town.
�Ehttp://www.nakagi.jp/hirizo/
�Ehttp://www.nakagi.jp/hirizo/hirizo2.htm
�Ehttp://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=videos&searc...
Hirizo beach is something like "untouched" beach. It's not popular, not easy to access but worth going.

you can check with local scuba diving shops. They can give you information on snorkleling also.

Thank you everyone, for your suggestions -- especially Paul and Hiro. Looking forward to trying out your recommendations this summer. :)

Obviously everyone is recommending Izu Peninsula where the sea is prettier, but IMHO Izu Peninsula of Shizuoka Prefecture is as hard to go as Okinawa from where you are located at.

Miura Peninsula of Kanagawa Pref. is indeed not the best place for snorkeling, but there are locations where locals call "snorkeling spots". Here is a website that lists most of them.
http://snorkeling.jp/fun/point/list.php?area=002

I'm afraid it's in Japanese, but these are all beaches in Miura Peninsula, and in particular, Kannonzaki Beach is located quite close to Yokosuka U.S. Base, at the tip of Route 16. Here is a map.
http://snorkeling.jp/fun/point/detail.php?pid=00017

Kannonzaki is also famous for its lighthouse. A grassy park surrounding it is equipped with a very clean public toilet. You can enjoy barbeque at the park, too. The area also has a fancy art museum as well as a stylish spa that your girlfriend or wife may like.

On the other hand, you might want to consider taking a ferry from Port of Yokohama or Kurihama to one of the Seven Islands of Izu. The following website says that the islands Kouzushima and Shikinejima have the best spots.
http://park5.wakwak.com/~izushichi/ukiwa/ukiwa03.htm

I know this is stating the obvious, but the Outdoor Rec people at the local bases may have recommendations. I know Yokosuka runs a snorkeling trip every now & then. Since you are on the Kanto plain, you can check with Yokosuka, Atsugi, Zama and Yokota bases. Sometimes different bases' personnel have different favorite places.

If you drive to Kurihama, you can catch a ferry across to Chiba. I've seen some areas for diving along the east coast of Chiba, and I heard there are some reefs there, but I can't tell you what it's like.

Here are a few resources though:
http://www.divejapan.com/
http://www.japandiver.com/

And thank you for the additional suggestions!

I love the people on this site! :)

I just realized from another thread that the OP is a lady. Sorry for my previous misunderstanding. JFYI, this is the spa in Kannonzaki I wrote about if you're interested.
http://go-spasso.jp/indexfla.html

No worries, Uco. :)

I signed my original post with my name, Kristen, but perhaps it was missed.

Thanks for all the help! :) ... Kristen

Oh, you are right. My best friend's name in grade school was Kristin!