Okinawa in June! Advice?

[simboa]

Hola all!

I and a coworker are planning a trip to Okinawa for three weeks starting June 18 for research. I've chosen our survey spots already, but I have a few questions for all of you familiar with the area. As far as our locations go, I'm more interested in having easy access locations (no boat dives unless there's an inexpensive charter option) considering we'll have a whole bunch of equipment with us and a set protocol each dive....

Are there any hyperbaric chambers on the island? If so, where are they located?

Do you have any good dive shop recommendations? We'll just need tank and weight rentals. I can't seem to find any on the northern part of the island (at least any that have English websites....)

We're planning on doing some work on the Northern and Southern points of the island (Hedo and Channel Crevasses.) I assume these are more weather-dependent dives....do you have any recommendations about these spots?

Thanks so much! Any local knowledge is appreciated

Anna

 

[simboa]

One more question... we want to include seagrass beds too. From what I've found, there are some in Oura Wan Bay, Onna Point, and near Bise. I've also heard there are some good ones South of Camp Schwab, but I don't know if those are accessible.

Are these locations correct? Are they easily accessible?

Cheers!

 

[japan-diver]

What type of surveys are you looking at conducting? How much equipment are you looking at handling? With a bunch of equipment Hedo and Channel Crevasses will be a difficult shore dive as the entries for both can be challenging in just basic gear.
There are numerous chambers on the island; do not ever use the one at Ryukyu University hospital if you are actually bent though the doctor is a moron- but Nanbu and Nago hospital have very knowledgeable docs operating them.
There is no seagrass at Onna Point or Bise but Oura Wan Bay and other areas near there have a bunch of fields that are accessible.
Make sure you bring an international drivers license with or they will not rent you a car here - and you will need one for getting around the island as its quite spread out - driving from the north to south part of the island can take a few hours.
Dive shops on the northern part of the island are a bit spread out with the concentration of them being in Okinawa City- Chatan and then Onna area, there will be very few that speak English anywhere on the island.
Send me some specifics and we might be able to help you out a bit.

 

[simboa]

Thanks for the tips. We do already have IDLs, thankfully.

The equipment we'll have is a large camera setup and collecting supplies (mostly large lobster bags) along with slates, writing equipment, etc. We'll hit each site twice- once in the shallows snorkeling and once diving up to 25m. If you think the north and south points are too tough with those, are there any local places we could contact about getting a 2-person charter to them? I just found out we have some money for boats written in the grant and could definitely manage two trips.

If you could direct me as to how to reach the seagrass beds, that would be very helpful. I have directions for most of our other sites, but that one seems to elude me.

Thanks again! If you're interested in a list of sites we're planning to dive, I can post that too. Mostly on the west coast, but a few spots in the East too.

Anna

 

[japan-diver]

What type of samples are you looking at collecting? They have some pretty strict controls here on taking things from the ocean -especially on scuba. Probably can hook you up with some local boats or charters if you send me dates and where you want to be.

 

[simboa]

We're just looking at algae and aren't removing much. I'll discuss dates a bit on this end and will let you know. Thanks for your help!

 

[japan-diver]

Algae and seaweed will not be a problem. There are a couple good areas around the island. Are you looking for its effect on coral growth or just the variety and distribution?

 

[simboa]

We're looking at species diversity and richness, not *necessarily* distribution, as a part of a large invasive species project. We're hoping to do some population genetic work with a few species (Hypnea, Portieria, Dichotomaria) and DNA barcoding with others. I'll be back in December or January to look at seasonal differences....should be cool!

These are the sites we're planning to hit; I've got 14 working days (with one site per day) to work with: sunabe seawall, bolo point, sesoko island, Ie island, Kin Red, Ikei Island, Oura Wan Bay, Onna Point, and then the north and south points if we can make them work (but aren't absolute necessities.) Most of the choices are based on those I could find information about, so I'm definitely open to more suggestions

 

[msilverman]

Hi, I am traveling to Okinawa on June 29th and want to dive. I have a degree in Biology and am an experienced diver. Perhaps I could assist you on a few dives?