Diana Strait Explained

Diana Strait (Russian: Proliv Diany; Japanese: Shimushiru Kaikyo) is a deep strait that separates the islands of Ketoy and Simushir in the Kuril Islands, Russia. It is 16.1 km (about 10 mi) wide. The flood tidal current in the strait sets northwest, while the ebb flows to the southeast. These currents may reach up to three knots.^[1]

History

American whaleships in the 1840s and 1850s occasionally used the strait to enter^[2] and exit^[3] the Sea of Okhotsk on their way to and from cruises for bowhead and right whales.

References

47.2333°N 173°W

Notes and References

1. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. (2014). Sailing Directions (Enroute): East Coast of Russia. U.S. Government, Springfield, Virginia.
2. Nassau, of New Bedford, May 16, 1855, Old Dartmouth Historical Society (ODHS).
3. Liverpool 2nd, of New Bedford, Sep. 24, 1848, Nicholson Whaling Collection; Good Return, of New Bedford, Sep. 26, 1854, ODHS.