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The Editor says: As more and more Okinawa diving articles have been shared on the site, friends around me have started heading to Okinawa for dive travel. Many thanks to neal.chen for his share on MOBILE 01, which gives us a visitor's-eye view of everything you need to know about travelling to Okinawa!
Although I already hold a PADI AOW certification, my overseas diving experience is still fairly limited — at most, the Northeast Coast, Kenting, and Xiaoliuqiu. I haven't even set foot on the outlying islands of Green Island or Orchid Island. But~~~here's the but~~~last year I went straight to Bali~~though that trip isn't what I'm here to share — this is about Okinawa!!! (There aren't many Okinawa diving overviews on the site either.)
Why Okinawa??
There were actually seven reasons: 1. Its latitude is closer to Taiwan's, and the distance is short 2. Less heavy industrial pollution (Okinawa is mainly agricultural and fishing-based) 3. The whole point of earning money is to support the life you want to live 4. So life needs to be more colourful — that's how you remember why you work in the first place 5. A friend of mine happens to work as a dive instructor in Okinawa — Olive 6. My wife needs more diving experience 7. Cheap flights (honestly, this is the main reason XDDDD)
Everything just fell into place. In early January I snapped up tickets for late March to early April (just before Tomb Sweeping Day), swiped my card without hesitation, and the Okinawa independent trip was born!!! Right then~~~this article will cover costs, gear, and all things diving.
Flights
Outbound: Peach Aviation MM924 / Return: Peach Aviation MM925 Round-trip airfare: NT$7,335 (tax included) (Peach often runs flight deals, but I didn't buy at that time — otherwise it probably would have been even cheaper)
Accommodation
4 days, 3 nights — NT$4,603 (tax included)
Boat Dive Costs
Dive site: Kerama Islands; boat diving over two days, 6 tanks total Cost: JPY 41,040 (tax included)
Gear Costs
Since I don't dive frequently, I haven't bought my own gear yet Full gear rental: JPY 8,640 (tax included) I did bring my own dive computer though~~~
The JPY exchange rate at the time was approximately 0.2813 All costs except accommodation need to be multiplied by two, since there were two of us~~~XD Total for flights + accommodation + diving: approximately NT$47,223 (tax included) This independent trip included plenty of other activities, but this article focuses only on the diving
Accommodation
<First, let me introduce the accommodation. For convenience with meals and activities, we chose to stay in Naha city. Since I was travelling with my wife, a guest house was naturally out of the question. I originally considered using Airbnb, but after a bad experience in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and given that Airbnb apparently operates in a legal grey area in Japan, we went with Booking.com to find a hotel instead.
We stayed near the Yui Rail Asato Station, with a 24-hour supermarket right across the street and a few decent izakayas nearby — perfect reasons to pick this spot (please forgive me for not providing photos; they're all available on Booking.com, and we didn't actually take any XD).
Okinawa Diving — Choosing a Dive Shop
As mentioned above, a friend of mine works at a dive shop in Okinawa (mic21). In addition to selling dive equipment, they also organise diving activities for divers.
All our diving this trip was guided by staff from the shop (including my friend Olive). The day before each dive, they confirmed our schedule so they could arrange the morning shuttle. We planned all our dives as boat dives, but sea conditions at the second day's dive site were poor, so we ended up diving at the Kerama Islands both days. (We were originally going to dive Manzamo on the second day~~so sad)
Diving Impressions
On price: Having dived in Bali before, the overall cost here does seem a bit higher than other destinations, but I personally found it acceptable.
Experience + dive sites: Water temperature at the Kerama Islands in early April was around 20–23°C, with visibility consistently 15–20 m or more. Since the main goal was to help my wife build her skills, and there were other Open Water divers in the group, we didn't go to any advanced sites. The dive guide kept us within a safe depth of 18 m throughout, and we spent the dives looking for small critters.
On gear: Since we didn't have our own equipment, and knowing that Okinawa's water temperature tends to run on the cooler side, we wore a hood vest plus a 5 mm wetsuit. The fins were TUSA LIBERATOR X TEN (personally felt a bit soft, not enough thrust). Overall the rental gear was decent (well maintained indeed~~~), but not having my own BCD meant it was shifting around on me (the steel tank might have been a factor too).
Dive computer: A dive computer is absolutely essential!!! ATMOS Mission ONE (I can't share any underwater photos of the computer here since I don't have an underwater camera, but I do have the post-dive log)
On weights: With a hood vest and 5 mm wetsuit, I was worried about sinking, so I started with 4 kg for the first dive — and ended up tilting to one side, it was so heavy. From the second dive onwards I dropped to 2 kg. One more thing: all the tanks appeared to be steel tanks — they are heavy!! Very heavy!! It takes some time to get used to...
Enough talk — let's just look at the photos~~
You might notice I was wearing gloves underwater, but they weren't diving gloves — they were motorcycle riding gloves. In the photos you can see a dark blob that might make it hard to read my hand signals. Whenever the dive guide asked how many bar I had left, I had to exaggerate my gestures massively before they could make it out!
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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!
