Ion (Iony) island formerly Ostrov Svyatovy Iony, or "Saint Jonas' Island", is a small island in the Sea of Okhotsk. It is 1.6 Km in length and 850 m wide and it has a conical shape.
Ion Island is the only island in the Sea of Okhotsk that is located in the open sea. All the other islands in the Okhotsk Sea are either coastal islands or they belong to the Kuril island chain.
Remote and isolated Ion Island is a breeding ground for the steller sea lion is a superb bird sanctuary that was previously off limits to visitors. permission from the Russian government is needed to visit this island.
Cruise Season – March - Nov
Currency – Ruble (RUB)
Language – Russian
Land Area - 3 sq km’s
Population – 0
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time – GMT plus two hours to plus twelve hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 7
Port Location – Transfer to the island is via zodiac.
Travel Links – Travelers going to the Kuril Islands arrive most quickly via plane from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, is the arrival point for international flights from major Russian cities as well as Seoul, Sapporo and Hakodate.
There are also ferry services between Kholmsk and the Russian mainland at Vanino, Primorsky Krai and between Korsakov and Wakkanai, Japan. It is also possible to take a slower ferry from Sakhalin to Kunashir and on to Iturup.