Each winter, sea ice drifts south from the Sea of Okhotsk to embrace the Shiretoko Peninsula — the southernmost drift ice in the Northern Hemisphere — and licensed guides lead small groups in dry suits across the cracking, surging floes. Participants can wade into the 2°C water supported by their buoyant suits, observe Steller's sea eagles and white-tailed eagles hunting from the ice, and witness the eerie blue glow of ice underwater. The Shiretoko Peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of exceptional marine and terrestrial biodiversity. Tours depart from Utoro and last approximately two hours.
- Type
- Experience
- Category
- Adventure
- Season
- Winter
- Month
- Late January–Mid March
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Prefecture
- Hokkaido
- City
- Utoro (Shari Town)
Highlights
- ◆Walk and float on drift ice — the world's southernmost such phenomenon
- ◆Dry-suit guided experience suitable for non-swimmers
- ◆Spot Steller's sea eagles, a critically endangered raptor species
- ◆UNESCO World Heritage site of extraordinary biodiversity
- ◆Blue underwater ice glow visible when floes are thick enough to peer under