No marked swimming area, so you can swim freely — and the water is clear
There is no marked swimming area, so you can swim freely within sight of the lifeguards. Coral surrounds the beach and you can feed the fish. Being on Ikei and Miyagi islands, the water is very clear.
Tonnaha has no marked swimming area, so apart from around the jet skis you can swim anywhere and as far out as you like. With the reassurance of lifeguards watching, you get to enjoy the freedom of being at one with the Okinawan sea.
Perhaps because it is less well known than nearby Ikei Beach and Odomari Beach, it rarely gets crowded. Coral grows at both ends of the beach, so there are plenty of fish. The photograph shows the fish food sold at the shop — fish sausage.
The terrace seating beside the beach has a fine view and shows the colour of the sea at its best. It costs ¥3,000 for a day or ¥1,500 for three hours.
The right-hand side of Tonnaha Beach as you face the sea. A breakwater runs close to the sand, so the beach is not very deep.
This is the left-hand side as you face the sea.
On a clear summer's day the clarity and the gradation of the sea look just as they do in this photograph. The clarity is a little higher than at other beaches and the gradation is about average — I would have liked a little more emerald green.
Eroded limestone rocks stand around the beach, giving it a distinctly Okinawan look. There is shade beneath them where you can put down a mat or sit. There are not many rocks that give shade, though, so it is first come, first served.
On the floor below the terrace seating described among the things to recommend there are tables and chairs, also in the shade. They cost ¥2,000 for a day or ¥1,000 for two hours, cheaper than at other beaches. I found the wooden deck more open and more pleasant, but these seats are cheaper and feel more private.
Tonnaha has no marked swimming area. You can swim freely within sight of the lifeguards, which makes the sea here both wild and safe to enjoy. You are free to snorkel, as the visitor in the photograph is doing, but a life jacket is compulsory (there was a sign to that effect). There is coral at both ends of the beach, so you can see fish. Snorkel sets can be hired at ¥2,000 a day; see the equipment hire and shop item below for details.
The toilets, showers and changing rooms at Tonnaha Beach. There is a stylish mural painted on the toilet block.
The menu of hire items and goods for sale. Parasols of course, but sunglasses too — everything you need to enjoy the sea. (* The photograph can be enlarged.)
On the right of the photograph is the menu of water sports and marine activities. On the left is the price list for the tables and chairs.
A photograph of the parlour. The menu is mostly light meals.
The barbecue menu. At Tonnaha Beach you can barbecue at the terrace seating. Camping is not possible.
We do not run beach yoga at Tonnaha Beach. The nearest beach where we do is Araha Beach, about 65 minutes away by car.
As shown in the photograph under The size of the beach (right), the sand is not very deep, and in places it feels cramped. And as the photograph under Water clarity and gradation shows, the man-made structures out to sea (oil-related facilities) spoil the view.
In Japanese (for maps, taxis and car navigation): トンナハビーチ 沖縄県うるま市与那城上原８２０３
We run beach yoga here too. Check availability and book in a few steps.