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Okinawa — a Japanese holiday paradise just 90 minutes by air from Taiwan — boasts crystal-blue waters, a quintessentially Japanese resort atmosphere, and the added appeal of a relatively weak yen. For these reasons, it has become one of the top short-trip overseas destinations for Taiwanese travellers in recent years. In 2024, BLUEVISTA dive shop officially planted its flag in Okinawa. Beyond its existing dive programmes, co-founder Yunyun — who is herself a person with a disability — hopes to build a bridge that allows Chinese-speaking divers with disabilities to transcend language and physical barriers and personally experience the captivating blue of Okinawa's Kerama Islands.
Daring to Dream Because of Her Own Limitations
One day in the second half of 2023, a long-absent profile picture suddenly popped up in the Editor's Line app. "Spock, I've started learning to dive — where should I buy an underwater camera?" At first glance, I couldn't quite place who it was, so I scrolled back through the conversation to slowly piece my memory back together.
"It's Yunyun!! You've taken up diving?!"
Surprise and bewilderment flooded my mind at once. I had first met her over a decade ago, when we were both clueless twenty-somethings just entering the workforce, participating together in the Rotaract Club under the Rotary umbrella. Everyone around her knew she was hearing-impaired and relied on hearing aids for everyday communication. Because of her hearing loss, she found it somewhat difficult to follow conversations at a normal speaking pace, which also affected her comprehension. That's exactly why, at the time, I was genuinely astonished to learn she had learned to dive.
Despite her limitations, Yunyun pursues her dreams with even greater determination.
As someone whose friends frequently DM me asking for diving advice, I simply referred her to an underwater camera retailer I knew well. Little did I know that six months later, Yunyun would drop me another message: "Spock, I've opened a dive shop — let's collaborate!" A string of mental exclamation marks went off in my head. What I felt in that moment was Yunyun's boundless vitality and passion for diving.
Turned Away by an Instructor Because of Her Hearing Impairment
That instructor told me flat out: don't ever think about diving in this lifetime.
BLUEVISTA Yunyun
Due to her hearing impairment, Yunyun's initial attempt to enrol in an Open Water Diver course did not go smoothly. The instructor she approached had never taught a hearing-impaired student before and worried that once Yunyun removed her hearing aids in the water, she wouldn't be able to hear — creating additional risk. He therefore turned down her course enquiry outright, and even advised her directly never to think about taking up diving in her lifetime. To make matters worse, this blunt rejection landed on Yunyun's birthday — the one day each year when she sets a new goal for herself.
BLUEVISTA Was Born Because of Her Hearing Impairment
Fortunately, her tenacious spirit led her, through a fortunate twist of fate, to the teammates who would become BLUEVISTA. She finally received her long-awaited ticket into the deep blue and began her bond with the ocean.
Yunyun thought to herself: "If I can face rejection like this, other divers with disabilities must face the same thing."
She had also noticed that several dive shops in Okinawa advertised adaptive diving services — with boats and instructors certified by Japan's disability association — but offered only Japanese-language support. She began to wonder: "Could we create a dive shop that breaks through language and physical barriers, and lets more people experience the beauty of Okinawa's ocean?" And so, through the efforts of Yunyun and a handful of partners, BLUEVISTA was gradually brought to life.
The three BLUEVISTA partners hope to offer an opportunity that transcends language and physical barriers. Pictured: Course Director KUNG.
Those Who Dare to Challenge Life Get to Enjoy It First
Growing up with a hearing impairment inevitably brought moments of discrimination and self-doubt, but Yunyun has always held onto one belief: "Those who dare to challenge life get to enjoy it first." Life is in your own hands — take that first step, and you paint your own canvas.
Shortly after BLUEVISTA was founded in early 2024, Yunyun reached out to the Taiwan Disabled Diving Association (社團法人臺灣身心障礙潛水協會), eager to get involved through concrete action. Not sure how to organise an adaptive diving event? No problem — just jump in and you'll figure it out. Unsure how to teach divers with different types of disabilities? No problem — just get involved and you'll learn. Can divers with disabilities travel abroad to dive? No problem — dive in and find out.
Yunyun made a special trip back to Taiwan to participate in an Open Water course for divers with disabilities organised by the association. On this occasion, the person she accompanied was a visually impaired diver.
"They memorised the equipment configuration by touch, then assembled everything themselves. It was truly incredible!" Yunyun said.
An instructor from the Disabled Diving Association teaches students to memorise equipment through touch.
Through accompanying participants in this course, Yunyun gained first-hand insight into the actual needs of divers with different types of disabilities, and the challenges each must face in the process of learning to dive. This visit is also expected to pave the way for divers with disabilities to travel to Okinawa in 2024 and experience the magic of its ocean — which is precisely the mission BLUEVISTA was founded to fulfil.
Participating in the training of divers with disabilities made me feel that my own hearing impairment really isn't such a big deal. We have far more than we realise — we should cherish everything we already have.
BLUEVISTA Yunyun
Drawing on the motto of the Disabled Diving Association: let the dream keep moving forward.
BLUEVISTA's Diverse Diving Services
As a dive shop, BLUEVISTA's ambitions extend beyond adaptive diving services. The team also aims to leverage the strengths of its three founders by offering multilingual support in Mandarin, English, Japanese, Cantonese, and even Taiwanese Hokkien — catering to the needs of a diverse clientele.
Yunyun also shared that beyond the dive sites around Okinawa's main island, there are other distinctive itineraries on offer. From January to March each year, guests have the chance to witness humpback whale mother-and-calf pairs swimming in close proximity. From May onwards, trips can be arranged to Aguni Island — a two-hour boat ride from Naha — to witness the breathtaking and awe-inspiring spectacle of a jack fish tornado. Meanwhile, the 20-plus islands of the Keramashoto National Park are scattered with more than 50 dive sites, featuring wide-angle, macro, and drift diving spots to satisfy the needs of every type of diver.
Next time you're planning an overseas dive trip and looking for a short getaway, Okinawa should be high on your list — and BLUEVISTA should be right there in your shortlist of dive operators to consider.
The BLUEVISTA team began living their dream in Okinawa in 2024.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How is a BlueTrend dive trip different from an unknown, no-name dive group?
Choosing us means full peace-of-mind protection and a smooth experience from start to finish. Every trip we run holds to three things.
First, full legal protection and a professional dive leader: we strictly follow Taiwan's travel regulations and provide complete travel-agency liability insurance, travel insurance, trip-inconvenience insurance and dive insurance. Every group is accompanied by a certified, foreign-language dive leader who joins you on both the dives and the land itinerary, liaising seamlessly with local dive shops and operators on your behalf to keep things running smoothly — the person our travellers trust most.
Second, fully licensed with secure payments: every payment goes into a licensed travel agency's account, with multiple safe payment channels (bank transfer, credit card and more) and a legal collect-and-remit receipt, so every transaction is open, transparent and protected, avoiding the fraud and dispute risks of transferring money privately to an individual.
Third, hand-picked quality we vet in person: every trip, dive site and partner shop is scouted on the ground by our own team, from the guides' professionalism and safety standards to the food, lodging, environment and service details on land, all vetted by us so you don't get caught out.
I want to sign up for a dive trip. Are there certification-level or logged-dive requirements?
Each dive site is different, so the entry bar varies. 'Bali Tulamben', for instance, is relatively beginner-friendly. 'Malapascua in the Philippines' is also beginner-friendly, but since thresher sharks tend to cruise between 20 and 30 metres, we recommend AOW certification with 20+ logged dives to enjoy this trip comfortably. For 'the Maldives' or 'Palau', we suggest AOW with 50+ logged dives for a more relaxed experience. If you're not sure whether your experience fits the trip you want, message us and our dive editors will assess it and help you find the trip you'll feel safest on.
Can I join if I'm signing up alone? How are rooms arranged?
Plenty of our travellers sign up solo! For rooms and beds, we prioritise pairing you with a same-gender traveller, and if you'd rather have your own space you can pay the difference to upgrade to a single room. For the diving, our professional leader will pair you with a suitable buddy, and with the happy vibe on our trips you'll quickly make a great group of dive friends. Many people sign up alone, make new friends, and end up organising the next trip together!
Does the trip fee include dive insurance, gear rental, taxes and instructor tips?
It depends on the trip, the destination's regulations and the local operators. Every BlueTrend dive trip has a detailed web page with a clear 'included / not included' list, transparent and with no hidden charges. All payments are collected by a licensed travel agency, with a standard-form contract for your protection.
I'm a new diver / haven't dived in a long time — will I fall behind the group?
Before you complete your booking, our team assesses a suitable trip based on your certification level and experience. Before departure, we strongly recommend taking time to refresh in Taiwan with an instructor, or a fun dive to get your feel back. On the trip itself, our professional dive leader groups and pairs everyone by experience, keeps a close eye underwater on travellers who need extra care, and steps in to help right away.
Will the photos and videos taken during the trip be shared with us?
During the dives, 'safety' is always the leader's top priority, so whenever it's suitable and safe the leader will capture great shots and record the best moments. During or after the trip, we compile a cloud album for all travellers to download, so you go home loaded with memories!
Besides your scheduled trips, can you arrange a private group charter or independent travel for me and my friends?
Absolutely! Besides group trips, we also arrange private group charters and independent travel. We can communicate, enquire and coordinate services with local operators based on your needs, saving you time and effort and taking the language barrier off your plate, to tailor the smoothest, most reassuring dive trip just for you. Contact our LINE support and our editors will arrange it for you!
