See Oahu dive sites through Ishimaru’s lens

Photographer and videographer Tomohito Ishimaru has visited diving resorts around the world — the Maldives, Palau, Southeast Asia and Okinawa — but he says Honolulu has some of the most amazing underwater sites he’s seen.

These hidden treasures are revealed in his exhibit “The Deep Blue of Honolulu,” at the Canon U.S.A. photo gallery at Ward Plaza.

“I put together this photography exhibition … in order to spread knowledge about the underwater scenery near Honolulu, even if only slightly,” Ishimaru wrote in an email. “I would be delighted if all of you who came to this photography exhibition can realize to any extent how amazing the underwater scenery near Honolulu is and develop an interest in scuba diving.”

In particular, Ishimaru is intrigued by a sunken ship, the Sea Tiger, where fish gather about 10 minutes by boat from Waikiki.

“Sharks rest at the ocean floor, and sea turtles and spotted eagle rays pass by in the intermediate water,” he wrote. “The surrounding underwater visibility is over 30 meters, and the blue will suck you in.

“Colorful corals pack the shoal. Dolphins can be seen frequently, and at this time of year, humpback whales come from Alaska.”

Ishimaru, a graduate of the Nihon University College of Art in Tokyo, began scuba diving as a student. He worked for a scuba diving magazine in Tokyo for about 13 years before moving to Hawaii in January 2014.

‘THE DEEP BLUE OF HONOLULU’

Underwater photographs of worldwide diver Tomohito Ishimaru

>> Where: Canon U.S.A. Hawaii, Ward Plaza, 210 Ward Ave., Suite 200

>> When: Through Jan. 30

>> Info: 522-5930