Just got back from a 3-day, 9-dive trip to Okinawa. Having already been to Ishigaki, I thought I'd quickly post my comparisons.
I was actually very surprised on lots of levels by the Keramas, just off Okinawa. Although they are not too far from Ishigaki, the diving is completely different. Whereas Ishigaki is your archetypal tropical diving spot with light waters, lots of brightly coloured coral and millions of fish, the Keramas are far less colourful. The coral is not particularly bright and I was constantly surprised at how few fish there were (that's not to say there weren't any, just not in the abundance that you see round Ishigaki).
However, the Keramas more than make up for it by the amazing royal blue colour of the water (it really is quite special), great visability, and fantastic scenery, including some incredible walls. I suddenly realised that too much colour and too many fish can distract you from being able to enjoy the 'macro' view, which in the Keramas really is spectacular.
Trying to say which is better is meaningless because the diving in both places is really quite fundamentally different. Essentially, I would describe Ishigaki as 'colourful', but the Keramas as 'dramatic'.
However, even if you do prefer lots of colour, I really would recommend you try and make it to the Keramas - you will not be disappointed!
By the way, we went with Reef Encounters - great guys, great service and great prices! Very definately recommend them to anybody!
I was actually very surprised on lots of levels by the Keramas, just off Okinawa. Although they are not too far from Ishigaki, the diving is completely different. Whereas Ishigaki is your archetypal tropical diving spot with light waters, lots of brightly coloured coral and millions of fish, the Keramas are far less colourful. The coral is not particularly bright and I was constantly surprised at how few fish there were (that's not to say there weren't any, just not in the abundance that you see round Ishigaki).
However, the Keramas more than make up for it by the amazing royal blue colour of the water (it really is quite special), great visability, and fantastic scenery, including some incredible walls. I suddenly realised that too much colour and too many fish can distract you from being able to enjoy the 'macro' view, which in the Keramas really is spectacular.
Trying to say which is better is meaningless because the diving in both places is really quite fundamentally different. Essentially, I would describe Ishigaki as 'colourful', but the Keramas as 'dramatic'.
However, even if you do prefer lots of colour, I really would recommend you try and make it to the Keramas - you will not be disappointed!
By the way, we went with Reef Encounters - great guys, great service and great prices! Very definately recommend them to anybody!
