FAQ- Everything to know about living in Okinawa

Arriving in Okinawa

  – Yes, we do offer pick up from Naha Airport to Onna Village.

-The airport pick up cost 8000jpy for up to 2 people and an additional 2000jpy/person. We can offer pick up service for up to 5 people in total.

-If you are planning to rent a car in Okinawa for your holiday, you can do so at Naha Airport, with one of the well know car rental companies. Please keep in mind, that to be able to rent a car in Japan, you will need an International Driving Licence, which can be obtained at your home country. Since not every country has the same agreement with Japan, please check if they accept your licence, before travelling to Okinawa.

-If decided to use the bus to Onna village and around Okinawa, then you can either take the fast “limousine bus” straight from Naha Airport, or can also use the cheaper, but slower local bus, number 120. Both services will stop at all the mayor hotels around the island. For more information or for the timetable, please visit Okinawa bus in English .

Accomodation

  • While we don’t offer on site accommodation for our customers, we have many reliable contacts with different guest house and Airbnb owners, who are happy to offer their services at a discounted rate for our customers.

-That really depends of your budget and needs. If you prefer city life, with a bit of buzzing and the convenience of a store at every corner, then Chatan and American Village can be a good choice. It’s only 30 minutes drive from us and to most of the dive sites around Onna area like Blue Cave or Manzamo.

If you are planning to go diving for a few days and stay in Naha, then please keep in mind, that it’s about an hour drive from us and about 2.5 hours from Minna Island. 

If you would like to spend your holiday closer to the beach, in a resort style area, then Moon Beach is the place to go. There are many nice restaurants with Okinawan live music, some bars and beautiful beaches like Tiger Beach, where you can enjoy the sunset every night. 

First time diving

-For first time divers it is not necessary to know how to swim, but it will definitely make you feel more comfortable if you know how to.

-No! We don’t offer diving or snorkelling with Whale Sharks in Okinawa, as they are kept in a small restricted space surrounded by a fishing net and we ask everyone not to join any excursions which promotes this kind of behaviour. 

-Your usual beach going gear will be perfect. Sun cream, towel, sun glass , swimwear  and water. If you never been on a boat before, we always recommend to bring some sea sickness medication as well, which you can buy at any Drugstore Mori on the island.

-Things look closer and bigger in the water, but if you need, then you can pick up contact lenses from any drug store.

-You can pay for your diving in advance with bank transfer, credit card or PayPal, or cash and credit card at the dive site.

-Yes, we do offer pick up service from your hotel or Airbnb within reasonable distance to the dive site. For example if you stay in Naha and would like to visit Minna Island, then we can’t offer this service due to the distance, but if looking for a dive at the Kerama Islands, then we are happy to pick you up, since our boat will leave from Naha to the islands.

-The price for the diving includes the 10% Japanese sales tax and boat fees.

Fun for certified divers

-Unfortunately due to the strict Japanese regulations, we are unable to offer you this option. There are possibilities to obtain such gas mixes on the island, but since the quality can not be guaranteed, for safety reasons we don’t offer this service.

-Yes please. Your certification card and/or your logbook is your diving passport. We can look up divers at the dive site from the Padi’s system if necessary, but we have no access to other agencies records.

-Unfortunately we can’t give you an advice in this matter. Please see your physician. Not Google! To join our dives, you should be able to answer No, to all the questions on the medical questionnaire form, or present a signed and stamped certification from a doctor, that you are fit for diving.

-Yes, but due to the local laws and regulations, no one can snorkel without a guide or direct supervision in Okinawa. We are happy to provide you with an extra guide for your snorkelling friend, if any of our instructor is available. 

Staying on the boat would be very uncomfortable, since most of the local boats are equipped for divers only. 

-Yes, all our dives are guided dives, regardless if you are a solo traveller or came with your dive buddy.

-Yes you can. If there are no other divers joining us that day, then our Instructor or Divemaster will be your buddy.

-Definitely not! We are proud of our personalised services and we believe, that everyone deserves their own time underwater. Our diving groups are never bigger than 4 people/ Instructor, unless if you are a group of friends, but then we will provide additional diving professionals, to maintain safety and comfort for everyone.

Diving courses

-Yes. Everyone, who would like to join any of our Padi diving courses have to know how to swim. Your first exercise will be a swim test in the pool, so hiding your lack of swimming ability is not the best idea.

-We do our best, to help you to become a safe and confident diver, but we don’t sell certification cards. If you need additional dives to achieve your certification, we are happy to offer you discounted prices on the extra dives, but failing your course and give up will not grant you a refund.

– The number of students depends on our bookings, but the class number will never exceed 4 students/Instructor as we aim to provide you with the best possible experience. If you are a bigger group of friends, we will make sure to add additional Instructors or Divemasters according to your group number.

– You can stop your course at anytime, if a personal problem prevents you from continue and we will provide you with a Referral Form and student record, to finish your course at any other Padi facility around the world.