Shiretoko Drift Ice Sea Kayaking (Aidomari)

知床相泊海岸

Posted on May 9, 2024
0

Posted on May 9, 2024

0 0

5km

Distance

0.5 day(s)

Time

5/5

Remoteness

5/5

Water clarity

9/10

Difficulty

Jan-Mar

Best season

GPX

KML

TOPO

GSI

WARNING: Paddling in drift ice can be extremely dangerous. Wind and currents can push ice against shorelines, cutting off access and escape. Sea temperatures hover around 0°C, and air temperature is well below freezing – appropriate survival clothing is essential.

Drift ice sea kayaking (流氷シーカヤック) around the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido can be one of the most unique sea kayaking experiences one can have in Japan. Drift ice encases the Shiretoko Peninsula coast from the end of December until early April, making it a mecca for sea kayakers willing to chase open water leads close to shore. The ice attracts immense wildlife like Steller's sea eagles, Hokkaido foxes, white-tailed eagles, and seals. In this post, we describe putting in at Aidomari 相泊 on the east side of the peninsula, but access to the shoreline here is not guaranteed. Drift ice location changes hourly, so paddlers will need to find their own put-in depending on the day's ice conditions.

We visited this route on Feb 13, 2024

Topomap

Route Map

Need to know details

Location

Shiretoko Peninsula is in the far east of Hokkaido, about a 6-hour drive east of Sapporo City.

Put-in Location: Google Maps

In this post, we put in at the very end of the snow-clearing on Route 87, at the beach just north of Aidomari Port, in the small Aidomari settlement on the eastern side of Shiretoko Peninsula, here. This is a nice spot to put in – it’s at the end of the road, there’s a beautiful remote feeling about the place, and the beach and inlet are pleasant. Note, however, that it’s not by any means a guaranteed place to put in. Sea ice might be hard up against the shoreline for as far as the eye can see. Likewise, there might not be any sea ice at all. We recommend looking at the sea ice radar map, and making a bet on where you might find sea ice suitable for paddling around. For reference this is what the map looked like on February 13th, 2024, when we paddled next to Aidomari Port. If there’s ice concentrations of 9-10 on that map right hard up against the shoreline, it’s likely you won’t be able to put in.

  • Alternative put-in: An alternative to Aidomari is the Nemuro Strait coast of Notsuke Peninsula, around here. Generally, there’s less drift ice that makes it this far south, so you’re more likely to be able to put in. That is, it’s less likely that the sea ice will be hard up against the shoreline. This put-in worked for us a day prior to paddling at Aidomari. See the reel here.
Take-out Location: Google Maps

In principle, given the uncertainty of where drift ice might be at any given point along the coast, it’s most likely paddlers will take out at the same place they put in.

General notes

Drift ice paddling will always be a much more dynamic paddling experience than other forms of sea kayaking. Below are some resources to help smooth your way.

  • Sea ice radar map: The Japan Ice Information Center, run by the Japan Coastguard, publishes daily maps of ice concentrations around northeastern Hokkaido. See the map here. See here for other regularly updated observations on the Ice Information Center, such as coastal visual observations, and aerial photographs.
  • Where to put in: Drift ice moves. Therefore, paddlers need to decide on put-in locations on the day, on an ad-hoc basis, based on the radar map above. As a case in point, on the 13th of February 2024, we were able to put in next to Aidomari Port, as per the radar map of that day (see it here). An elderly fisherman whom we chatted to on the day, however, told us we were lucky there was no ice against the shore that day. “Yesterday, the shoreline was ice as far as the eye could see. There was no open water at all,” he said. Sure enough, the radar map confirms that (see Feb 12, 2024 map here).
  • Weather: If you’ve never paddled in sub-zero temperatures, it can be difficult to grasp how deathly cold (and dangerous) it can be if even a slight breeze is blowing. That said, if the conditions are dead calm and the sun is out, it can be very pleasant. Check the weather and try to coincide your trip with dead-calm conditions.
  • Hokkaido fishing port bylaws: In Hokkaido, private recreational vessels (including sea kayaks) cannot launch from fishing ports, as per Prefectral bylaws (see details here). Therefore, paddlers will need to find their own put-ins, while avoiding crossing private land.
Route description

We were lucky enough to find the beach just north of Aidomari fishing port free of ice. We parked at the end of the snow clearing on the Aidomari bridge here. There hadn’t been any new snow for the prior few days, so it was unlikely we’d be in the way of snow-clearing vehicles. From the bridge to the beach, a distance of about 90m, we had to drag the kayaks through the snow. In places, we’d be post-holing in the snow up to our knees. Thick neoprene booties were a must to keep the toes warm.

The small inlet was impressively free of ice on the beach, so it was straightforward putting the kayaks into the water. From the beach we paddled about 500m south around the outer breakwater of the fishing port to the edge of a large area of drift ice. Large (5-10m diameter) ice floes, with 5m open channels between them allowed us to practice our edging and turning skills as we paddled around the floes.

We then paddled about 2km north along the shoreline towards Kaseki-hama beach. We had a stiff tailwind breeze blowing behind us however, so we turned around at the 2km mark. We didn’t want to get too cold paddling into a headwind on the return, and were also concerned about drift ice cutting off our access to the beach.

Sure enough, after only being away from the inlet for about one hour, the drift ice had moved somewhat. This gave us a fright as we paddled around the small cape just north of the inlet. About half of the inlet had been filled in with ice as we were paddling further north, out of sight of the inlet. There was still plenty of room in the inlet to get back to the beach though.

The inlet itself was sheltered from the wind, so I spent another 45 minutes or so paddling around the ice. I was impressed by the clarity of the water, allowing me to see the beautiful white ice forms under the exposed upper ice.

Route Timing
Trip time: 3hrs 0min

How long is a piece of string? This paddle around the Aidomari Port area in mid-winter is completely dependent on where drift ice is, how long you’re willing to bet on your put-in still being accessible on the return (drift ice can cut off access to shore quickly), and how good your gloves are (paddling in sub-zero temperatures can be challenging). If you’re very lucky, you might get away with a few hours of pottering around the ice-bergs.

Transport

Public transport:

There is no public transport to Aidomari in the winter. The closest you’ll get outside of the summer season (July/August) is Iwami-bashi Bridge (岩見橋詰 – see timetable in Japanese here). Iwami-bashi Bridge is about half way between Rausu and Aidomari (it’s another 10km north to Aidomari from Iwami-bashi Bridge). Note that the Notsuke Peninsula Nature Center (an alternative put-in much further south than Aidomari) is also not accessible by public transport.

By car: 

For the Aidomari put-in, you’ll need to park on the side of the road, on the Aidomari Bridge here. This will effectively block access to the snow pile at the end of the road, so it’s important to be considerate if you’re parking there after heavy snowfall. Snow plows will need access to the end of the road to push snow out of the way. If you see any locals in the area, it’s best to ask where you can park. Note, however, that very few people live in the Aidomari area during winter – the place might feel very deserted.

For the Notsuke Peninsula put in, there’s a small pull-out here where you can get away with parking. Park as far to the side of the pull-out as possible though, as technically this is the entrance to an access point to the beach for fishing operations (not active in winter). If you’re planning to be paddling for more than an hour or so, it would be better to upload boats using the pull-out, and then moving your vehicle to the Nature Center car park 400m northwest of the put-in.

Physical maps

ELECTRONIC CHARTS
Japanese-language ENCs are available on the Japanese-language new pec smart smartphone app (Android | iPhone). 960yen per month for a subscription.

PRINTED CHARTS

The S-Guide (small vessel charts) for Abashiri-Shiretoko 網走知床 (DH811W-01) is available as PDF download (buy online here). The scale is spotty though, with the entire peninsula in 1:260,000 scale, and only the main fishing ports included in small scale. The JHA/Japan Coast Guard 1:300,000 printed nautical chart for this area is Kunashiri-to Oyobi Fukin (W42 – buy online).

Official Topo Map: Shiretokodake (知床岳) – map no. NL-55-30-11-4

NOTE: The official 1/25000 topo map(s) above can be purchased for 350yen from Kinokuniya bookstore next to Sapporo Station or online (in Japanese).

route safety

Paddling in drift ice can be extremely dangerous. Wind and currents can push ice against shorelines, cutting off access and escape. Paddlers should keep aware of their surroundings and movement of ice at all times. In deep winter (December to April) in Shiretoko, sea temperatures hover around 0°C, and air temperature is well below freezing. Add in wind-chill, and temperatures out of the water can drop to -15°C or below. Make sure to wear appropriate survival clothing – a drysuit is a must. Note that third-party rescue of paddlers in distress can be extremely difficult in Shiretoko during the drift-ice season. Boats often cannot access shorelines, and access to floes on foot is hampered by open water. Self-sufficiency is a must. Carry a PLB to expedite rescues.

Weather forecast

Windy.com weather forecast for Shiretoko Aidomari Coast

Tide
Tide information for Rausu

CampSites

None
Onsen nearby

About 2km south from Aidomari is Seseki Onsen 瀬石温泉 (location, free). This is a wild onsen that sits at the intertidal zone. It only fills with hot water at low tide. In winter, there are no changing facilities, and you’ll need to walk through deep snow down from the car park to the shore to access it. Another wild onsen option is Kuma-no-yu 熊の湯 (location, free) just west of Rausu Town center, up the hill towards Shiretoko Pass. It’s extremely hot. If you’d prefer a more civilized hot spring soaking experience, try the Rausu Mine-no-yu Hotel 羅臼峰の湯 (location, 500yen), also on Route 334 (the road to Shiretoko Pass). They don’t have a sauna or cold pool, but the outdoor pools are nice, looking out on the forest across the valley.

Extra Resources
No extra English resources that we know of. If you know of any, please let us know in the comments.

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Show Full Route Notes Close Route Notes

Route Trip Notes

It was somewhat of a long shot, carrying sea kayaks all the way from Sapporo to eastern Hokkaido. The drift ice might not be there. The wind might be too strong. It might be too cold. It might be better to just commit to skiing.

We had skis with us to hedge our bets, but we did put two sea kayaks on the roof of the van, hoping that we might get a window of opportunity to paddle among sea drift ice.

To our amazement, a window of opportunity of perfect conditions appeared just as we were due to arrive on the Rausu side of the Shiretoko Peninsula. 

Sure enough, when we arrived at the very end of the road in Aidomari, the sky was blue, temperature was almost spring-like, and there was hardly a breath of wind.

The sea ice was also not hard up against the coast. In places around these parts, the ice can be so dense against the coast that it can be impossible to put a kayak in the water.

As we were unloading our gear, a curious local wandered over to us.

“You’re lucky,” he said. “Yesterday, the sea was totally inaccessible as far as the eye could see.”

We’d really hit the jackpot it seemed.

Getting the kayaks down to the beach was straight forward. The snow was only about knee deep, and it was easy to haul the kayaks across the slippery surface and down to the beach.

Far in the distance to the northeast we could see the towering bulk of Tyatya, the 1822m volcano at the northern end of Kunashir Island.

Soon after setting off, we were able to start weaving our way between small floes of drift ice. 

We paddled about 1.5km northeast along the coast before realizing we had a stiff tailwind breeze. We realized that not only would this make the return paddle cold and more work, it could also possibly cause ice to drift into the small bay we’d set off from, making taking out more difficult.

So, we turned around and made our way back to the put-in bay.

Comments | Queries | Reports

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Shiretoko Drift Ice Sea Kayaking (Aidomari) Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

D

25

Time ascending

D

0

Technicality

Altitude

D

0

Hazards

D

Navigation

D

Totals

25/100

GRADES range from A (very difficult) to D (easy). Hazards include exposure to avalanche and fall risk. More details here. Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook 北海道雪山ガイド.