Miyakojima Diving Service Summer Party

Okinawa Scuba Dive 2016 - Manza Beach Onna

Okinawa, Japan is known for its great diving and lush coral reefs. Going into it, I didn’t know what to expect with this dive. I’ve heard all sorts of cautionary tales about diving in Okinawa due to its strong currents but I’ve also heard that the quality of the reefs is practically unmatched.

The day of my scheduled dive was rough. It started raining heavily and that pretty much limited the dive locations that were available for safety reasons. The single dive location would be just off the coast of our hotel in the Manza Beach area of Onna-son. Onna is located in the central part of the island and is where most of the resort hotels are located. Luckily Manza Beach has a quiet bay area making this dive possible despite the weather.

The dive itself felt like a bit of an adventure right off the bat. There was an equipment failure where the airline connected to my BCD (the diving vest that holds the tank and manages buoyancy). The dive master and I had to quickly fix the issue under water. Although he didn’t really speak English and I didn’t really speak Japanese, under water we shared a common sign language. It’s amazing how much one can communicate without spoken language, and believe me, when there is a device failure underwater, there’s plenty to communicate.

The dive itself was amazing. There were tons of corals and fish, but I was surprised to see a huge field of Acropora that was all maricultured. It felt like I was diving in an incredible frag tank. Never before had I seen this type of activity in a reef. Coral harvesting in Japan is illegal so all of it must have been a part of either a research program or a coral restoration program. It was definitely interesting to see and the results they are achieving are certainly impressive. The size and colors of the colonies were out of this world.

I hope to one day return to Okinawa and do more dives. This was a very short trip and unfortunately this was the only dive I was able to schedule. More for next time!

Music:
Tracks: “Faster Does It”
Artist: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
License Terms:
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0



Video:
Camera information:
Canon C100
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS macro
Canon EF MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4-4.5 STM IS
Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8
Sony Underwater Action Cam

Copyright Information:
This video was shot and edited by Tidal Gardens. Tidal Gardens owns all intellectual property rights to this content.

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Aharen Beach - Tokashiki - Okinawa - Ren Travel Guide Travel Video

Shot with the NEX 5N and iPhone 6 ,Vimble C
Location: Aharen Beach - Tokashiki Island - Okinawa - Japan

Tokashiki Island (渡嘉敷島, Tokashiki-jima) is the largest of the Kerama Islands. Although slightly lagging behind Zamami's popularity, Tokashiki offers several nice beaches while its interior is mostly covered by forested hills and offers a few hiking trails and observation decks.
Aharen Beach
Aharen Beach is the bigger of island's two main beaches, located about 4.5 kilometers south of Tokashiki Port. The white sand beach draws sunbathers, and the waters are separated into swimming and snorkeling zones. Rental shops, beach huts, restaurants, and toilet and shower facilities can be found near the beach, and various tours are available from tour companies and accommodations nearby. Next to the beach is the Kubandaki Observatory with views of the surrounding coastline.

Pool Day Okinawa - Episode 04 - Okinawa Vlog

Movie date with the family and after that we enjoyed some time at the pool. Good time with the family.