I'm heading out in the morning for 5 days of diving in Yonaguni! This ought to be a heck of a trip!!!
I'll post a trip report after I get back.
I'll post a trip report after I get back.
Yonaguni
- Thread starter iflylow
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OP
iflylow:
It was quite a trip. I did 5 dives down there - 1 at Iseki point, 2 on amazing reefs, and 2 in blue water looking for hammerheads - and all were memorable. We saw somewhere around 60 hammerheads and one gray reef shark all together.
Due to some, hmm, disagreements I had with the dive leader/guide on acceptable/safe gas management I decided to leave a few days early and skip the last 2 days of diving. I hated to leave the island early, but I'll go back at a later time and see it again sometime in the future.
The diving conditions are challenging, but are absolutely amazing. Incredible visibility, fish, coral, and pelagic life. The monuments are simply breathtaking. The water was a few degrees warmer than Okinawa (most dives were between 74 and 76 degrees F) so I definitely enjoyed that!
I highly recommend that island for diving, but would have to also highly recommend not going to a certain hotel and not utilizing certain guides. Choose wisely and you will really enjoy this place!
Another place that grabbed my attention was Ishigaki. We stopped there on the way down and back to change planes and, though I didn't dive there, the place looks awesome! Really nice looking reef system from the air!
iflylow:
hi iflylow,
looks like you had a wonderful time in yonaguni. i have been there several times and have also seen twenty to fifty HHs in several dives. for me, however, the iseki point is far more fascinating, and not only the main terrace but also the parallel megaliths look awesome!
i am impressed with your intuitive understanding of the reef system in ishigaki. it's associated with tremendous variability in terms of kinds of fish and abundance of each kind. plus, the condition is not as challenging as in yonaguni. you enjoy easy-going diving and yet have so many things to see.
i am heading there in two weeks and simply cannot wait!!
ken chung ar
Who you diving with in Ishigaki?
japan-diver:
hi japan-diver,
thank you for your inquiry.
in the last 5-6 years, i always go with TOCHIGI-san, the owner of Ocean Blue Ishigaki.
he has worked in ishigaki over 10 years and knows every bit of the reef system there. he is not only an excellent guide but also a very considerate guy. has got his own boat and yet takes care of no more than 6 people on a given day, and so his diving plan is very flexible.
i would highly recommend him if you look for a guide there.
ken chung ar
www.scubamazing.com
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Very good choice!
OP
How was Ishigaki? Was it a good trip?
Eric,
Had a very similar experience to yours in Yonaguni with a dive op in Ishigaki a few years back. I'd love to exchange info as a trip to Yonaguni is in the cards in the not-too-distant future. Please check your private messages when you get a chance.
Matt
Had a very similar experience to yours in Yonaguni with a dive op in Ishigaki a few years back. I'd love to exchange info as a trip to Yonaguni is in the cards in the not-too-distant future. Please check your private messages when you get a chance.
Matt
iflylow:
hi iflylow,
i came back from ishigaki on the 19th. in spite of bad weather forecasts, i could enjoy a reasonably good weather, i.e. partly cloudy with late showers. the water was warm, 23 degrees in C, and i saw lots of different kinds of shrimpgobies.
the purpose of my diving trip in ishigaki this time was to train myself for diving my Draeger Dolphin, bailout procedures, changing gasses underwater using VR3, and shooting a safety sausage from the depth. four dives there gave me a good additional experience in this sense.
now i am ready for my liveaboard trip to Cocos Island with my Dolphin next month. fortunately, i can purchase scrubber in San Jose, Costa Rica.
ken chung ar
Hi Guys,
I am a PADI instructor based in Taiwan, I wish to plan a dive trip to Yonaguni/Ishigaki. Would you be kind enough to share the info you have gathered from your trips? i.e. reliable dive operator, hotel, general expenses and any advice you have to offer on the whole trip. Is there a season for the dives? If so when is the best time to go? Is there a season for the Hammerheads? My email is divingintaiwan@yahoo.com.tw
Thanks for your help. Andy.
I am a PADI instructor based in Taiwan, I wish to plan a dive trip to Yonaguni/Ishigaki. Would you be kind enough to share the info you have gathered from your trips? i.e. reliable dive operator, hotel, general expenses and any advice you have to offer on the whole trip. Is there a season for the dives? If so when is the best time to go? Is there a season for the Hammerheads? My email is divingintaiwan@yahoo.com.tw
Thanks for your help. Andy.
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