Kanehama beach is a major surf point on Tanegashima

Kanehama Coast is an overview of major surf points on Tanegashima

Kanehama Beach (read "Kanehama"), located on the northern east coast of Tanegashima, is the most major surfing point on Tanegashima.

It is located relatively close to downtown Nishinoomote, the major downtown of Tanegashima, and has been the location for surfing movies. It is also one of the best filming points in Kanehama Island, where the beauty of the sea comes out clearly in photographs.

Kanehama's female surfer 05

Here are some of the cuts in Kanehama's photos that were highly rated on Instagram.

Location of Kanehama Beach

View of Kanehama Coast

You can see all the surf points in Tanegashima at once on Google MAP, but you will want to visit at least once when you come to Tanegashima.

See the map for the location of Kanehama Beach. It is on the opposite side (east side) of downtown Nishinoomote.

There are two signs "Kanehama Beach" on the road near the point, so you can turn to the ocean side there.

You can reach the point no matter which of the two signs you turn.

I lived in the southern part of the island, so it takes about an hour by car to get to Kanehama Point from my home, and in Minami-Tane Town where I lived, if there were waves at Takezaki Point and other points, I would shoot in my neighborhood.

Therefore, I rarely go to Kanehama, but I often go to Nishinoomote with information such as "I heard that Kanehama is good today" or "the wave is standing at Hungry".

When I visit surf spots, the surfers who appear and disappear change depending on the location, so it is similar to Pokemon Go in terms of sensation.

Kanehama Beach has shower facilities

There are only a limited number of surf spots on Tanegashima where showers are available, so surfers prepare water in their cars, but Kanehama has decent showers.

The surf spots with showers in Tanegashima are as follows as far as I can think of.

There is a sign "Welcome to Yokino Beach" at the site, but it does not appear in Google MAP, so please search for "kumano Beach".

Kanehama Beach, where a surfing movie was filmed

Life on the Longboard, a surfing film set on Tanegashima, and its sequel, Life on the Longboard 2nd Wave, to be released in 2019, are filmed mainly in Nishinoomote on Tanegashima.

Of course, many of the island's surfers also appear in the film as extras.

Tanegashima is a place where you can meet celebrities and professional athletes who are among the best in Japan.

Tanegashima Episode

There was a filming of a surfing movie in Tanegashima, and the local staff arranged for me to have a chance to take a two-shot with Baba Fumika, the Madonna of the movie.

I was dressed in a shabby shirt, jersey, beeswax, and a shaggy head.

Trippers struggling to paddle into wave waiting positions

Since this is a surfing photo shoot, we are observing all surfers entering the ocean.

Perhaps it is peculiar to Kanehama, but I have seen surf trip visitors who seem to be beginners paddle as fast as they can toward the position where surfers are waiting for a wave offshore, only to be blocked by a shore break and repeatedly returned to the beach.

From the photographer's point of view, this scene of the surfer suffering is actually quite fun to watch through binoculars (laughs).

Local surfers ride the current offshore from the rocks a little to the south (right side) and then move left to the point.

Of course, the current changes depending on the day and time of the day, but it would be good to observe the local surfers a little bit, although jumping into the ocean and paddling as hard as you can may be a good idea if you are looking to train your muscles.

Kanehama beach is about surf shooting of major surf points in Tanegashima

When you go down the stairs to the beach, you are suddenly surrounded by boulders!

For photographers carrying equipment, poor footholds may cause them to fall and break their equipment.

Kanehama beach, if you go down the stairs to go to the beach, boulders are suddenly in a state of disarray. It becomes a sandy beach if it advances a little, but it is a careful place for a photographer.

Photographers walking on Kanahama Beach with equipment, you need to be careful not to trip and fall on the boulders and break your equipment.

Surfer and Iron Sand at Kanehama Beach

Mother and daughter surfers and boulders at Kanehama Beach

Boulder-strewn landscape that is difficult to walk on

The sand of Kanehama beach is blackish, so the picture doesn't look good

Kanehama beach has a lot of iron sand mixed in with the sand because of the fact that iron sand was extracted from the beach as the name implies.

Of course, surfers do not mind if the beach is a little dark, even if the doctor is a little ragged, but photographers are quite concerned about it.

After all, blue sea and white sandy beaches are the standard for beaches in southern islands, so a photo of the beach at Kanehama is "somehow not Tanegashima-like.

However, the sea is still beautiful, so there is no influence at all on surfing photography, but I write this as a feature.

For surfing photography at Kanehama Beach, you can choose only the front of the parking lot

The main point where you can take pictures of surfers is directly in front of the restrooms and showers.

There are some surfing spots north of there or behind the rocks on the south side, but it is difficult to get to them due to boulders, etc., and the surfing is not good.

It is sufficient to take pictures of surfers as far as you can.

Wave riding points are close to the coast

From a photographer's point of view, Kanehama is characterized by the fact that the point where the wave rises is close to the shore and the point where the wave rises is far away from the shore, both of which take off at the same time.

The point where the wave rides are close to the shore is too close from the point of view of a photographer using a telephoto lens.

A telephoto lens of 400mm or so would make the surf point very easy to photograph, but my equipment is about 1000mm, so if the point is too close, the surfers will not fit on the screen.

Naturally, even if the surfers are very good at surfing at a close point, it is impossible to take a picture even if you want to.

However, if you come to watch surfing, this is the best place because you can see the surfers close by.

Countermeasures against waves in the foreground that interfere with photography, specific to Kanehama

The waves at Kanehama Beach may be narrowly spaced, but there is another wave in front of the wave that the surfers are riding, as seen from the shore, that interferes with the photo shoot.

The situation of the wave changes depending on the topography, such as sand on the sea bottom, but in my case, this "wave in front" was very disturbing.

In addition, because the sandy beach is not so different in height from the sea surface with a sense of runout, it is difficult to see the surfer even if it is a good tag from the position that shifted to the side greatly.

The countermeasure is only to take a picture from a high place as much as possible.

If the wave in front of you still disturbs you, move to the bottom of the stairs of the cafe

As those of you who have seen my surf shots at Kanehama may know, I wanted to get some height, so I often moved to the bottom of the stairs of the café I mentioned earlier to shoot.

Thankfully, the cafe's stairwell was the best place to avoid the wind and rain (you only need to protect yourself from the rain coming from the front), and I never got soaked even when shooting in the rain, so it was my favorite place.

Waves of Kanehama (comprehensive from the viewpoint of the person taking the picture)

From a photographer's point of view, there are many waves with good shape, and there is not much waiting time for photographers to get bored because no one rides the waves for shooting.

There are many local legendary surfers and celebrities at this point, and they take off one after another, so it is a busy point for photographing.

Also, many surfers change several offshore points one after another and take off one after another, so if you are chasing the same person, such as a pro surfer, you are likely to lose him or her.

There are also many surfers who do airs, perhaps because of the quality of the waves at Kanahama. (I don't know the technical details of this area)

As far as I was shooting, I feel that tube shooting is not very promising.

For surfers, the position of the tube may be anywhere, but for surf photographers, the exit of the tube must be facing us to take good pictures.

When you are winding a tube, you need to change your camera position so that you can look at the exit side of the tube.

If you want to take pictures of surfing tubes, other points would be more advantageous.

Kanehama is sometimes marked as off-limits

Although it is rare, Kanehama Beach is sometimes marked with a "No Entry" sign in front of the stairs leading down to the beach.

This "No Entry" sign may be a piece of paper placed on the ground and held up by a tree branch, so be careful not to miss it.

The road down to the beach is narrow, winding, and a bit dangerous.

The road down to Kanehama Beach is narrow, winding, and difficult to see ahead, making it difficult to anticipate oncoming traffic.

We understand that you want to get to the point quickly, but it is a good idea to slow down so that you can stop at any time, especially on the way down.

However, unlike the minor points to the south, it is possible for cars to pass each other.

The rocky area to the left of the beach is also full of charm

The left side of the beach is lined with large rocks, and the top of the rocks is quite wide, and fishing can be enjoyed.

The photo shows the front side of the rocky beach, and many surfers head for the point from this area.

It is a strange mixture of rock and sand, but it continues to the far right, so it is a good idea to explore the area with careful footing.

Surfers can surf further ahead and take pictures from the flat rocky area, but surfers are rare, and surfers and photographers alike should be very careful on the rocky beach.

Anglers on rocks on the beach

Kanehama Coast is a summary of major surf points on Tanegashima

Kanehama Beach is one of Tanegashima's most popular surfing spots, so it is a great place to enjoy surfing, complete with toilets and showers.

It is a great place to enjoy surfing, with toilets and showers available.

If you come to Tanegashima, please come to Kanehama Beach. You will have the best surfing in the best location.

I would also like to thank all the surfers who have appeared in this blog.

Thank you for reading to the end.