Naruto whirlpools

The Naruto Whirlpools (Japanese鳴門 の 渦潮, Naruto no Uzushio ) are tide swirls in the Naruto Strait between the city of Naruto on Shikoku and Awaji Island.

The tides move twice daily large amounts of water through the 1.3 km wide strait from the Pacific Ocean in the Seto Inland Sea and out.

With a tidal range of up to 1.7 m, a height difference of the water level between the Inland Sea and Pacific Ocean of up to 1.5 m forms. Because of the narrowness of the road, the flow reaches four times a day up to 13-15 km / h, respectively twice in each direction. When a spring tide the water can even 20 km / h, with swirls of up to 20 m in diameter occur. The tidal flow of Naruto is the fastest in Japan.

The Naruto Whirlpools can be observed from ships or from the Naruto bridge. The fully glazed Uzunomichi - promenade runs under the roadway of the bridge from the abutment on the Naruto page 450 meters to an observation room at a height of 45 meters above the water level. A good observation point is located on the coast of the island of Awaji.

Aerial view of Naruto road with bridge and swirls

Naruto - street, view from Awaji, with the flow from the right

Naruto Whirlpools seen from the Uzunomichi promenade from

Naruto Whirlpools photographed by a tourist boat