Okinawa Drift Boat: A Truly Hardcore Experience! Unlocking Top-Tier Offshore Diving in Okinawa's Kerama Islands

Okinawa Aguni Island & Kerama Offshore Premier Dive Sites

The Kerama Islands of Okinawa are renowned for their breathtaking marine ecosystem and exceptional diving conditions — a true paradise for diving enthusiasts. With crystal-clear waters and abundant marine life, the area offers a uniquely immersive underwater adventure. On this trip, the BlueTrend editorial team originally planned to visit Aguni Island, but due to rough seas and strong winds that day, we pivoted to the Kerama Islands instead. The dive sites we visited included Shimo-Sone, Kuroshima, and Kamiyama Island — each with its own character — and the experience gave the Editor a firsthand taste of the power of Okinawa's offshore drift boats. If you're planning an offshore drift diving trip around the Kerama Islands or Aguni Island, this video and article are absolutely not to be missed!

Aguni Island: Limited-Season Big-Animal Dive Expeditions

Aguni Island lies approximately 40 km west of Okinawa's main island, a beautiful and tranquil retreat. The island preserves a pristine natural environment, surrounded by vivid blue waters and spectacular coral reefs that make for an outstanding diving destination. Precisely because of its remoteness from mainstream tourist hotspots, Aguni's waters maintain a healthy ecological balance, allowing divers to enjoy an untouched underwater world.

Aguni Island's dive sites frequently reward visitors with sightings of sea turtles and various large fish species — and on lucky days, divers may even encounter manta rays and other spectacular marine life. In recent years, Aguni has become famous for its massive schools of bigeye trevally that swirl into breathtaking bait-ball formations, drawing large numbers of divers. However, its remote location — roughly a two-hour boat ride from Naha — makes it highly susceptible to both northeast and southwest monsoon winds, significantly limiting the number of days each year when a visit is feasible.

On this trip, it was exactly because of those rough conditions that we had to redirect to the Kerama Shotō National Park for our drift diving activities.

Kerama Shotō National Park

The Kerama Islands' underwater ecosystem is extraordinarily rich — not only are there vibrantly coloured coral reefs, but divers can also encounter all manner of tropical fish. This makes the area an ideal destination for underwater photography and exploration. Divers can effortlessly find themselves surrounded by marine life, with real chances of encountering large creatures such as sea turtles and manta rays.

What's more, visibility at Kerama dive sites is typically excellent, ranging from around 20 to 30 m — perfect for photography and wildlife observation. Local dive operators in Okinawa offer comprehensive services, making it easy to rent the equipment you need. The operator we partnered with on this trip was BLUEVISTA, a Chinese-language dive shop that had just opened in 2024.

Kerama Dive Site Highlights

Shimo-Sone (しもそね)

Shimo-Sone is an offshore dive site located in the southern part of the Kerama Islands, at a depth of approximately 20 m. The site features a distinctive topography — sone (曽根) means "mountain range" in Japanese — and is well known for its spectacular seabed scenery, making it a favourite challenge among experienced divers. Strong currents sweep through here, which means the reef structure supports relatively little coral growth; however, those same powerful currents bring rewards: divers can observe large schools of Fusiliers, giant trevally (GT), and wahoo (locally known as kemuri-katsuo). On top of the reef, you'll also find impressive numbers of blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) happily facing into the current.

Kuroshima (くろしま)

Compared to Shimo-Sone, Kuroshima offers a much calmer diving environment — an excellent site for beginners and recreational divers alike. The site is home to a rich coral reef ecosystem, and divers can effortlessly find themselves surrounded by colourful fish in every direction. At Kuroshima, you can simultaneously explore extensive fields of both hard coral and soft coral; the sheer scale and density of the reef coverage is something rarely encountered in Taiwanese waters. Oh — and don't forget to peek under the reef ledges to see if a cute little baby shark (Triaenodon obesus) is tucked away in the shadows!

Kamiyama Island (かみやま)

Kamiyama Island is the closest island to Naha, with various dive sites distributed along its coastline at depths ranging from approximately 10 to 30 m. Divers here have the opportunity to spot a wide variety of fish species against a backdrop of stunning underwater scenery. The site we had planned to visit was "Tate-bashira" (立柱), which according to the dive briefing features a large underwater pinnacle — complete with caves to explore and the possibility of witnessing passing schools of batfish and other pelagic species. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to reach this particular site on this trip, but we're already hoping for another chance to visit next time!

An Unexpectedly Intense Drift Dive Experience!

For those of us accustomed to drift diving in Taiwan and Southeast Asia, the typical impression of a "drift dive" is leisurely floating along with the current and simply deploying a surface marker buoy (SMB) at the end. Easy and relaxed.

But drift diving in Okinawa is a different story entirely. You'll be expected to exit the boat rapidly, descend with negative buoyancy, kick hard against the current with quality fins, and board the boat again while still wearing your fins. If you lack any one of these skills, the local boat captain is fully within their rights to deny you further dives on the trip. The Editor has noted several of the specific drift diving requirements we observed during this trip.

Rapid Entry

As explained at the start of the video, when you're aboard a drift boat, the crew will require that the moment the engine cuts, everyone must enter the water immediately with fins on. In other words, while the boat is still searching for the drop point, the dive guide will be urging you to get fully kitted up — BCD, regulator, fins on — line up, and stand by for the engine-cut signal.

Negative-Buoyancy Descent

Most drift boat drop points are high-level offshore sites where big swells and strong currents are the baseline. Accordingly, everyone will be required to descend on negative buoyancy and regroup underwater, minimising the risk of being swept apart while waiting at the surface. Divers who have difficulty with ear equalization will need to pay particular attention here.

Kicking Hard Against the Current

Because the currents are so strong, it's not always possible to reach the intended dive point immediately after descending. Finning against the current to relocate the site — or to find marine life — is a common occurrence at offshore sites. It is therefore strongly recommended that you bring a quality pair of fins, so you don't end up exhausted and burning through your air supply.

Additionally, for the Aguni Island sites we originally planned to visit: the island has regulations stipulating that vessels from non-local dive shops may only ascend and deploy a surface marker buoy (SMB) within designated areas. This means that after completing the drift, you still have to kick against the current back to the specified ascent point — no wonder every diver who has visited Aguni Island has impressively powerful legs! Of course, you also have the option of flying to Aguni Island and staying there, which lets you dive with a local shop and enjoy a much more relaxed experience.

Boarding the Boat While Wearing Fins

Because these are drift boats, the deck is designed to sit especially low to the water and the three boarding ladders are built extra wide, meaning you literally walk back onto the boat — fins still on. For those of us carrying large camera rigs, this was quite a novel experience.

A Rare and Unforgettable Okinawa Drift Diving Experience

Drift diving in the Kerama Islands of Okinawa is a feast for the eyes and the soul — whether it's the vividly coloured marine life or the awe-inspiring underwater landscapes, there is no shortage of wonders to explore. With a well-planned dive itinerary and guidance from professional dive instructors, you will leave this beautiful stretch of ocean with memories that last a lifetime.

We recommend this special drift diving experience for Advanced Open Water Divers (PADI cert) with at least 50 logged dives who can meet the skill requirements described above. That said, the Kerama Islands do still offer more relaxed dive packages where sites are chosen within the sheltered waters between the islands, with gentler waves and currents — though the chances of encountering large pelagic species will naturally be lower. For more information on planning your Okinawa diving itinerary, we highly recommend reaching out to BLUEVISTA for comprehensive details. Best of all, they offer service in Mandarin, English, Japanese, Cantonese — and even Taiwanese Hokkien!

Related Links

• BLUEVISTA Official Website
• BLUEVISTA Facebook Page
• A Differently-Abled Diver Chasing Dreams: How BLUEVISTA Transcends Language and Physical Barriers to Let Okinawa's Kerama Heal the Soul

Further Reading