When it comes to popular boat dive destinations in Okinawa, Kerama — famous for its legendary "Kerama Blue" — is usually the first place that comes to mind. But today I want to introduce another boat dive site on the main island that most foreign divers rarely visit: Manzamo.
The name "Manzamo" comes from the Ryukyuan language: "万人を座するに足る毛 — a field ('毛', meaning open grassland) large enough to seat ten thousand people." Today it's also a hugely popular scenic overlook in Okinawa. The departure pier is at the nearby Seragaki Port. The dive boats here are converted fishing vessels — small, with no dive platform and no tank racks. Fully assembled scuba tanks are simply laid flat in the center of the boat. Every dive site is less than ten minutes from the pier, and after each dive you return to the pier to rest and swap tanks. Compared to Southeast Asia, where you spend a full three-dive day on board, this is actually quite a relaxed setup.
Certification required: AOW or sign up for an Advanced course.
Currents at Manzamo can be very strong. While the coral reef at the anchor site is only about 5–7 m deep, most of the main dive routes start at 15 m and below, so divers with only an OW certification — or no certification at all — are not suitable.
Visibility: Averages 30 m and up. It can be poor on bad days, but even then it's usually around 15 m.
Hidden Gem: Dream Hole
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1536"]
A large school of soldierfish at the Dream Hole exit[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
A school of scythe butterflyfish[/caption]
The most famous and popular dive site at Manzamo, Dream Hole centers on an L-shaped cave with a vertical entry. The entrance is blanketed in hard coral, and the vertical drop reaches about 25 m to a sandy bottom. Inside the cave you'll commonly find lobster, crab, and soldierfish.
From there, you swim horizontally and exit through an opening on the right side, where a large school of bigeye fish greets you — the silhouette looking back out through the cave mouth is absolutely stunning. Dream Hole frequently has strong currents, and you can spot garden eel, scorpionfish, sea turtles, and more.
Hidden Gem: Mini Dream Hole
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
The entrance to Mini Dream Hole, blanketed with endless coral[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
Dense schools of fish and crystal-clear visibility[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1536"]
Sunlight streaming through the cave mouth[/caption]
Another dive site near Dream Hole, but at a shallower depth. The star of the show is also a vertical cave — reach the bottom (about 15 m) and you can already see the exit ahead. This is my personal favorite dive site at Manzamo!
Like Dream Hole, it features a wall dive terrain. The anchor point ranges from about 2 to 6 m, with a gorgeous, densely packed spread of Acropora coral — a little reminiscent of the Southern Penghu Islands (though of course Taiwan is still the most beautiful 😜)!
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
Plenty of room to pass safely through the cave[/caption]
Along the wall you can find all kinds of small critters — hairy shrimp, nudibranch, and more — plus a small canyon to squeeze through. When the light filters down through the water, it's truly breathtaking.
Hidden Gem: Horseshoe
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
Sharks!!!!!![/caption]
If you want to see large marine life on Okinawa's main island, Horseshoe is the place to go! Three or four Blacktip Reef Sharks call this site home, though they don't show up on every dive. They tend to come out when someone is fishing from the shore above. They typically cruise around the 20 m mark, and while the site can go as deep as 40 m, we certainly don't go that deep!
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
Okinawa is also home to a remarkable variety of nudibranch[/caption]
Beyond the sharks, Horseshoe also has plenty of nudibranch on the cliff walls, inside canyons, and in caves — and they're all quite plump and photogenic. That's why many Japanese dive shops that visit this site skip the sharks entirely and go straight for macro photography!
Hidden Gem: Overhead Rock
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
An adorable pink pygmy seahorse[/caption]
This site was originally known for Whitetip Reef Sharks and Bargibant's pygmy seahorse. However, after Typhoon Trami devastated Okinawa at the end of September 2018, the seahorses disappeared 😢. Even so, this dive site remains one of the top favorites among Japanese dive shops — because the macro life is simply incredible!
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
All kinds of nudibranch — don't forget your macro lens![/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
Looks just like an egg yolk~[/caption]
Hidden Gem: Nakayukui
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="4096"]
White sand, sea turtles, and blue water — a picture-perfect scene[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2050"]
All manner of marine life[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="4000"]
Don't underestimate a sandy bottom — look carefully and you'll discover a treasure trove of critters[/caption]
This site is a white-sand dive, and its name means "take a rest" in Ryukyuan — which is exactly what it feels like! Tucked inside a bay and closer to shore, Nakayukui stays calm even when the other Manzamo sites are running strong currents. The anchor point sits at around 8 m, and at 24–30 m there are abandoned fishing nets. Both the nets and the sandy bottom are prime spots for macro hunting: nudibranch, Frogfish, sea moths, and more. A truly massive sea turtle also lives here — it's as big as I am!! If you're lucky, you might also spot an Eagle Ray.
Hidden Gem: Crossline
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
Unusual creatures that put your sharp eyes to the test[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]
Blending right into the white sand — nearly impossible to find![/caption]
Right next to Nakayukui, this site features an abandoned fishing net lying cross-shaped on the seabed. Like Nakayukui, it's a macro-focused dive — no current, crystal-clear water, and a wonderfully relaxed dive experience. (Though of course, on rough days there can be current and poor visibility.) It was here that I spotted my very first seamoth, and it was absolutely adorable!
Related links:
