okinawa dive center
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January is the time when Humpback Whales start coming in Okinawa ocean.
The Kerama Islands and Okinawa Main Island are mecca for whale watching in Japan.

Now, we can hear whales’ songs while we are diving!
Sometimes, it continues for a whole dive while we are having 40-50 min. dives…
The Humpback Whales live in Siberia in Summer, and come to Okinawa in Winter for mating, having a baby, and raising a baby.
The calm and warm water in Okinawa seem to be suitable for their raising babies.

In the beginning of the season, the whales are relatively shy, but once you start seeing them in a pair, you maybe able to see them jumping, blowing a lot!
Or, sometimes you can see a mother with a baby, teaching how to jump. Some mother and baby are guarded by a male whale too.

On the way to the Kerama Islands or on the way coming back, this is the season when you can get extra other than just diving!
It’s the time to watch whales!

Okinawa in January
Wind: Mostly North
Air Temperature: between 15-20 C (59-70F)
Water Temperature: 21C (70 F)
Cloth: Long sleeve T-shirts + Jacket
Wetsuits: 5mm full suits + Hood Vest

Hello, we went whale shark diving today.

It was sunny, the ocean was flat, very warm nice weather perfect for diving!
Today’s guest was lucky – we did not have any other divers, so the curious whale sharks came very close at us! We got a nice picture of him!

*** Today’s Dives ***
Whale Shark Dives

1. Yomitan Whale Shark

Objective: Whale Shark Diving
Weather: Calm
Air: 24C (75.2F)
Water: 21C (69.8F)
Suits: 5mm one piece + hood

Hi, Miho’s here.
Today, I went to the Kerama Islands with Stephen and Noriko, trying scuba diving for the first time.

*** Today’s Dives ***
Kerama Islands

1. Toma (Zamami Island)
2. Stocky Anthies Paradice (ZamamiIsland)
3. Ariga Cable (Tokashiki Island)

Objective: Discover Scuba Diving
Weather: Calm
Air: 21C (69.8F)
Water: 21C (69.8F)
Suits: 5mm one piece + hood

We snorkeled around at Toma so that they can get used to be in the water – breathing with a snorkel and wearing a dive mask can be a whole new different experience for beginners.
We always take time so that everybody can be comfortable in the water, to start our scuba diving lessons.

We saw many kinds of coral and sea animals living in a shallow area of the reef.
Besides ‘normal’ colorful tropical fish swimming around, Stephene was particularly interested in Star Fish, Christmas Tree Tube Warms, and Sea Cucumbers.

Hi Miho’s here.

Today, I got on the boat without guest divers.
I took spend the whole day at three different dive spots practicing underwater photography.
At my favorite turtle spot, Tamana Farm, I came across with this huge hawksbill turtle, having lunch.
The picture on the right is a tiny baby nudibranch, in Japanese they are called Strawberry Milk Nudibranch. Yum yum.

*** Today’s Dives ***
Kerama Islands

1. Tamana Farm (Gishippu Island)
2. Twin Rocks (Kuroshima Island)
3. Inanbishi (Okinawa Main Island)

Objective: Staff Training
Weather: Calm to Windy
Air: 24C (75.2F)
Water: 21C (69.8F)
Suits: 5mm one piece + hood

In the afternoon, the wind changed, so we headed back to the Okinawa Main Island local dive spot.
Then, I just spent lot of time in front of my favorite shrimp goby area.
Ask me for shrimp gobies, if you want to take pictures of them, I know exactly which hole the Black-rayed shrimp goby and White-rayed shrimp goby are living.

I can give you some tips for getting close to them without scaring them out in the hole.

Hello, everyone

Today, we had all drift dive trainings at Kuroshima North.
There is a huge pinnacle right by the island, so we dropped in close to it,
Then the boat picked us up.

It was very nice to be surrounded by a huge school of fusiliers.

After having two fun dives over there, we headed back to the Okinawa Main Island because the wind started to pick up.

*** Today’s Dives ***
Kerama Islands
1. Twin Rocks (Kuroshima Island)
2. Kuroshima North
3. Inanbishi (Okinawa Main Island)

Objective: Fun Dives
Weather: Windy
Air: 20C (68F)
Water: 21C (69.8F)
Suits: 5mm one piece + hood

*** Today’s Dives ***
Kerama Islands
1. Ariga Cable (Tokashiki Island)
2. Toma (Zamami Island)
3. Nozaki (Tokashiki Island)

Objective: Fun Dives
Weather: Windy
Air: 19C (66.2F)
Water: 21C (69.8F)
Suits: 5mm one piece + hood

We went to the Kerama Islands today!
Akira found this tiny colorful frogfish that was missing for a couple of weeks.
He is very tiny, and so cute!!

*** Today’s Dives ***
Chiibishi Islands
1. Labyrinth (Kamiyama Island)
2. Labyrinth (Kamiyama Island)

Objective: Fun Dives
Weather: Windy
Air: 16C (60.8F)
Water: 21C (69.8F)
Suits: 5mm one piece + hood

Akira took a diver to his favorite Labyrinth dive spot in Chiibishi islands, where he has been successful finding a Japanese Pygmy Sea Horse lately.

There are many swimthrus here, which make the dive site ‘Labyrinth’.

After going thru many swim thrus and caves, you would feel like you are in a maze.
There are many stuff to see in the caves – many soldier fish gathering, sweepers, and white tip reef sharks.

It was very warm day with south wind, which enabled us to dive the north side of Kuroshima – our favorite drop off and beautiful coral reef, with a bunch of colorful fish.

*** Today’s Dives ***
Kerama Islands
1. Twin Rocks (Kuroshima Island)
2. Hija Bay (Kuroshima Island)
3. Kamigu (Gishippu Island)

Objective: Fun Dives
Weather: Windy
Air: 24C (75.2F)
Water: 21C (69.8F)
Suits: 5mm one piece + hood

After enjoying the dynamic landscapes aroudn the Kuroshima Island, we moved to Gishippu, where we can almost always gurantee showing you Sea Turtles.
The turtles we see commonly here are Green Sea Turtles, a little bit of Red Sea Turtles, and Hawksbill Sea Turtles.

On the way to the Kerama Islands, we saw some whales again.
The one we saw today was jumping!

*** Today’s Dives ***
Kerama Islands
1. Kuroshima South (Kuroshima Island)
2. Toma (Zamami Island)
3. Ariga Cable (Tokashiki Island)

Objective: Fun Dives
Weather: Flat
Air: 21C (69.8F)
Water: 21C (69.8F)
Suits: 5mm one piece + hood

Today, we had a group of 6, trying our PADI Discover Scuba Diving program, and some certified divers.

Starting off the day at the Kuroshima South, we saw some turtles and sharks just immediately, not expected.

It was a big shark – not like the white tip reef sharks napping under rocks, that big one was swimming around under our boat.
The turtle we saw was a tiny shy one, it swam away very quickly.

We moved to Zamami and Tokashi, to enjoy beautiful reef dives at Ariga and macro dives at Toma.

It was all good dives in the sun.

Naoki and Akira went to have a CPR training at the Fire Department of Kadena.

We are certified to teach various courses such as Emergency First Response Course (PADI EFR), Rescue Diver Course, and CPR Courses.
However, ‘luckily’, we don’t have a chance to actually use those skills in the real live situations.

This is why we reglarly visit our local Fire Department to brush up our skills and to hear stories from their work.