Three week In Okinawa

[Adammat]

Hey guys, I am looking into planning a month long trip to Japan in late Winter to early spring. Looking to catch a single week skiing in Myoko and then flying south to Okinawa and exploring the Ryukyo island chains for scuba diving. Can some one help me out with some questions:
1. Will three weeks be to long?
2. What are the islands I should be focusing on for diving?
3. What time of year will be better, late winter or early spring?
4. Prices?
5. Are there diving groups or tours?

Matt

 

[toris1968]

I live in Okinawa and while the diving is great right now you'll have to be prepared to get stuck in a typhoon, lol. June 1st starts our typhoon season. There are dive sites all around the island that are easily accessible by just walking in. It really is a divers paradise because of all the great shore dives like horse shoe beach, mermaids grotto and for more adventurous diving toilet bowl. Those are all right next to each other. Then sunabe sea wall has at least a dozen good dives. Those are all great dives on the West side. There's a ton of great dives as well like bolo point, suicide cliffs etc. reef encounters is a great shop to go through near the sunabe sea wall. Run by an American named Doug. Be prepared for steel tanks and yoke. There are some great boat dives as well you can go through reef encounters like a trip over to the kerama islands AWESOME diving! There's the USS Emmons wreck for deeper dives too. Too many to list here really. Look Doug Bennett from reef encounters up on line. Should be able to hook you up

 

[Adammat]

Thanks for the reply! Do you have any info on habitable islands outside of Okinawa? Islands I can take fly to or take a ferrie?

Matt

 

[toris1968]

Only real info I know is about yoniguni island. It's where you can dive with schools of hammerheads and dive the mysterious yoniguni temple. Hammerheads run sometime like february to march. Doug Bennett is the go to guy for all that stuff. There are more I just have never heard much

 

[japan-diver]

There are plenty of islands around Okinawa that have dive spots and numerous shore dives to do. Okinawa main island is friendly to shore divers with numerous tank rental places most of the other islands are not with guided boat dives being the norm. We run boat trips to Keramas islands, Chibishi, Rukan Atoll and more based from the main island. Flights can get you to Ishigaki or Yonaguni and ferries to many of the small islands.