Who says you have to travel all the way to the Galápagos to witness a Hammerhead Shark storm?
Who says diving abroad means you can only go to Southeast Asia?
Did you know that Japan offers an incredible variety of underwater ecosystems to explore? Because Japanese and Taiwanese dive cultures differ quite significantly, knowing how to conduct yourself as a respectful diver — rather than a disgraced traveler — is essential. Let's follow Kyo Liu's insights and take a closer look at the diving scene in Japan!
Kyo Liu — Underwater Photography Master
First, let's give a brief introduction to Taiwanese rising star underwater photographer Kyo Liu. After taking up scuba diving, Kyo began merging the wealth of experience he had accumulated in land photography into his underwater work, developing a compositional style distinctly his own. In recent years he has been invited to speak at major dive clubs and expos (such as the 2019 Hong Kong DRT), sharing his portfolio with audiences. Unlike many photographers whose work focuses primarily on overseas locations, Kyo's body of work features a wealth of Taiwanese marine life — which is why his signature shots have regularly appeared in publications and campaigns for partners such as Far Eastern Air Transport and the Keelung City Government. You may well have stopped to admire one of his photos without even realizing it! For a deeper look at Kyo's background, the Cross-Strait Diving Development Alliance once conducted an in-depth interview about the origins of his photography. To learn more about Kyo Liu, click the link: 潜盟專題/水下攝影達人-京太郎的故事!
Taiwan — Penghu Nanfang Sishima National Park
Taiwan — Orchid Island Badai Bay Shipwreck
Before he ever picked up a tank, Kyo Liu was a professional wedding photographer. When we asked him about his approach to underwater photography, he drew on the conceptual difference between bridal portrait photography and wedding reportage photography to explain his thinking.
Bridal portrait photography: Through extensive preparation and communication, combined with a near-formulaic shooting approach, the goal is to capture the most perfect moment possible.
Wedding reportage photography: Constantly reading the environment — the available light, the people, the ever-changing scene — to draw out something unique. No two shots are ever the same.
Naturally drawn to authentic expression, Kyo gravitated increasingly toward the spontaneous, dynamic, and honest storytelling of wedding reportage as his career developed. When he encountered underwater photography, he carried that same philosophy beneath the surface: even at the same dive site, every dive brings entirely different visibility, light conditions, and marine life encounters. That constant variability is precisely what pushes him to deepen his understanding of camera settings and photographic theory — all in pursuit of the image he has in his mind.
Taiwan — Northeast Coast
Having worked at a Japanese dive shop, Kyo Liu has developed a keen appreciation for the differences in diving culture that stem from the distinct national characters of Japan and Taiwan. He urges anyone planning to dive in Japan to pay attention to the small details — otherwise you might unwittingly earn yourself the label of a disgraced traveler. Below, the Editor shares a few questions about diving in Japan:
the Editor: Is it true that diving in Japan is very expensive?
Kyo Liu: Japan's cost of living is several times higher than Taiwan's, so if you factor in transport, accommodation, and meals alone — the non-diving expenses — a trip to Japan will inevitably cost more than a dive trip to Southeast Asia. That said, diving in Japan has a distinct advantage: Japan offers far richer tourism resources than most other dive destinations. I'd recommend planning around 2–3 days of diving and using the remaining 2 days to explore the local area and soak up the Japanese atmosphere. For example, many people who visit Shionomisaki (Shingo) to witness the Hammerhead Shark storm will then spend 3 days in Tokyo or along the Izu Peninsula — a style of travel that's quite different from the purely dive-focused trips typical of Southeast Asia.
As most people know from experience, if you rent a car in Okinawa from a shop that offers Chinese-language service, the price is often several times higher than at a shop that operates only in Japanese. That difference alone can have a significant impact on the overall group cost.
One of the great perks of diving in Japan is the opportunity to add diverse land-based excursions to your itinerary
the Editor: If you don't speak Japanese, can you really not dive in Japan?
Kyo Liu: Aside from Japanese, Taiwanese travelers generally have a more workable level of English — though most of us have also hit a wall trying to use English in Japan. The thing is, people misread Japanese service providers. It's not that they don't want to serve English-speaking guests; it's that most of them feel that if they cannot offer a complete and thorough service, they simply won't take on the booking. If they can't communicate fluently with a customer, how can they deliver the full experience?
If you don't speak Japanese, the practical solution is to join a group led by a professional instructor who does. Beyond handling basic translation, a Japanese-speaking leader can also coach group members on the subtle etiquette points that matter in Japan — keeping you well clear of the "disgraceful traveler" label.
When you're on their turf, respect Japanese standards of discipline
the Editor: Are there specific diving etiquette points that Japanese divers are particularly strict about?
Kyo Liu: If you're working with a Chinese-language dive shop locally — where the owner and instructors are Taiwanese or from Hong Kong — the habits and expectations are generally not too different from what you're used to. But if you're booking directly with a Japanese-run shop, there are quite a few small details worth bearing in mind, since the two cultures do differ in meaningful ways.
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Be on time. Be on time. Be on time. If you've ever worked at a Japanese company, you'll know the unspoken rule: you're expected to be seated in the meeting room five minutes before the boss arrives. The same applies at Japanese dive shops. Whether it's the agreed assembly time, the dive briefing, or boarding the boat — never show up fashionably late the way you might get away with in Taiwan or Southeast Asia.
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Always observe local customs. There are far too many specifics to list, because Japanese people are — compared to Chinese-speaking cultures — simply more meticulous (some might say particular). For instance, Japanese divers are extremely thorough about sorting gear into the correct freshwater rinse bins after a dive; every piece of equipment has its own designated bin. Labor costs are also higher in Japan than in Taiwan, so at some boat dive sites, after returning to port everyone naturally lines up on the boat and passes the scuba tanks / cylinders hand-to-hand up to the dock. If you're used to the more relaxed, hands-off style of Southeast Asian diving, it's easy to miss this kind of unspoken expectation entirely. This is exactly where having a group leader who truly understands Japanese culture becomes invaluable — someone who can flag these invisible tripwires before you step on them.
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Be a self-sufficient diver. This is something Chinese-speaking divers often overlook — perhaps because instructors from our own culture tend to be so attentive and accommodating that divers become overly dependent. "Hey instructor, can you carry my camera?" "Hey instructor, can you grab my fins?" "Hey instructor, keep a close eye on me underwater (and maybe check my pressure gauge for me too)!" The truth is, anyone who has completed an Open Water Diver (PADI/SSI cert) course should be fully capable of managing their own dive from start to finish. Help from an instructor or dive shop is a courtesy — never take it for granted. And it's not just beginners: experienced divers are often guilty of ignoring the dive guide's instructions. If the dive guide says you must ascend when your tank reaches a certain bar, or that you must surface after 40 minutes — follow those instructions. Veteran Chinese-speaking divers are notorious for using their experience as an excuse to disregard guidance. Further reading: 【潛水員必看】你到處湊團都被嫌棄？！如何當一個有自理能力的潛水員
These three points are fundamentally things every diver should already know — but under Japan's more rigorous cultural standards, any lapse will be noticed and magnified. If you keep stepping on landmines, you'll get tagged as a disgraceful traveler, and your next dive site might quietly be downgraded to a beginner-friendly "easy" spot. In more extreme cases, the shop may simply refuse to take you out again.
The Hammerhead Shark storm at Shionomisaki, Tokyo
the Editor: Beyond the Shionomisaki Hammerhead Shark storm and swimming with dolphins at Mikurajima that we hear about so often, are there other special diving experiences in Japan you'd love to do?
Kyo Liu: The Kuroshio Current runs along Japan's eastern coast, and the dive season at certain sites can run about two months later than at the Northeast Coast. Combined with Japan's vast geographic spread, each region has its own distinctive marine life highlights — for example, the Hammerhead Shark storm at Yonaguni, sea lions at Shakotan in Hokkaido, and spider crabs in Wakayama. I really hope that in the future I'll have the chance to show more people the wonders of Japan's underwater world through my lens!
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