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1Kame Paradise
Sighting of sea turtles is almost guaranteed at this place.
BeginnerMax depth 49.2 ftBoat entry
Top Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Okinawa
The top 17 dive and snorkel sites in Okinawa, ranked by diver reviews, with maps and photos. Read the Okinawa guide
- dive sites
- 17
- dive shops
- 83
- reviews
- 1
17 sites, ranked by diver reviews
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2Oodo Beach
It's a wonderful spot for snorkelling. Divers can go to the outside reef by foot. The principal interest is that it's easy and uncrowded with an oncredible lagoon. It was my funniest day at Okinawa ! At Oodo beach. it's not easy to find.
BeginnerMax depth 6.6 ftShore entry
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3Kadena North Marker
First, North of this location an Ammo ship from WWII went down full, sea mines and other things have been found in the area, so STAY SAFE!!! Now, here you can see everything from eels to shrimp to puffers, even a stray shark or ray from time to time. I have seen six different eels there myself. With the oval shape of the reef you can do a loop of it once or twice and see many amazing things. Night Diving is just as amazing. The red light blinks giving you the markers location out in the water. Everything from decorated crabs to spiny lobsters and conga eels are seen then. With the mild swim in and out many do a second dive on the much closer reef along the shore. Park Along Fence at north corner. High Tide is best. Two ways in the water. One is over the big steps and down them into the water, my preferred method. Second is up the normal steps and down them into the water, There is more then twice the reef to go over this way. Once in the water look out at the red and white boat lane marker, it is on the reef you are diving. Surface swim to the marker, do checks, enjoy the dive. Kadena North Marker is also known as Sunabe North Marker.
BeginnerMax depth 55.1 ftShore or Boat entry
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5Zamami Cove
Well sheltered cove with adequate sea life Accessible by boat from the city of Naha on Okinawa Japan.
BeginnerMax depth 39.4 ftBoat entry
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6Sunabe
Lots of great crevices and abundant sea life. Access can be a little tricky if waves are large. Recommend wearing protective foot wear for walk-in/out as the reef can be hard on your feet. Great assortment of species such as lion fish, sea snakes, puffer fish and parrot fish. Low surge in this area with great visibility. Have heard that this is also a tremendous night dive! Park near the Junkyard and close to an opening in the seawall. Access is walk in, there are reefs right up to the seawall, be careful as you dive the depth increases gradually with so much to see you may lose track of how deep you are. Sunabe is also known as Junkyard.
BeginnerMax depth 44.9 ftShore entry
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7Sand Pool
Nice pool sand (with waveform) surrounded by coral. A large number of fish and many corals on the side. Ishigaki is a small island in southern Japan. Not far from Taiwan. It can be reached by plane from Tokyo (5h00) or from Taiwan by boat (8h00).
BeginnerMax depth 45.9 ftBoat entry
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8Manta Scramble
Outstanding site for spotting Manta rays the whole year round. Best season is summer, when the Mantas can be seen every day. Very easy and quick access by boat with all the diving services based in the Kabira Bay at Ishigaki.
BeginnerMax depth 39.4 ftBoat entry
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9Middle Book
This site is sheltered from the north wind and is a good choice when the sea is too rough to try to sea the mantas up north. There are some beautiful patches of coral.
BeginnerMax depth 32.8 ftBoat entry
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10Ukon Danchi
This area is sheltered from the north wind and a good alternative to the more exposed dives. The site features a swim-through and interesting reef patches.
BeginnerMax depth 26.2 ftBoat entry
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11Gishippu Island
Good spot for drift driving. The site has beautiful corals.
BeginnerMax depth 42.7 ftBoat entry
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12Nozaki
This dive site is popular for the last dives of the Open Water course. It has outstanding coral. There are many boat operators based in Naha and in Kerama Islands that will take you to this place.
BeginnerMax depth 49.2 ftBoat entry
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13Dragon Lady
Most of the dive is in shallow water (less than 10 metres) over sandy bottom with some scattered reefs. The remains of a cockpit lie at 28m bearing south, and the remains of a wing lie at about 15m bearing NE from the cockpit. Good place to practice deep diving. Expect to see spotted eel, lionfish, and the usual Okinawan sea life.
BeginnerMax depth 32.8 ftBoat entry
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14Yonaguni Monument
Underwater rock formation off the coast of Yonaguni, the southernmost of the Ryukyu Islands, in Japan. While many archaeologists and geologists believe that it is a natural formation, some hold the view that some of its features are man-made. Source: Wikipedia 8000 years old underwater stone monument probably made by unknown civilization...
BeginnerMax depth 23 ftBoat entry
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15Sea Wall Steps
Park at the steps, Walk over them, Get in the water. Sea Wall Steps is also known as Kadena Sea wall south steps.
BeginnerMax depth 49.9 ftShore entry
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16Maeda Point
The area has lots of channels and crevices in the reef. A few decent walls which go down to 60-80 feet. A short swim down the shire is a open sea cave with ambient light and plenty of fish. Some hazards include stonefish, sea snakes, cone shell snails and during the later part of the year jellyfish (to include the box jellyfish). Overall it is an excellent site to dive with awesome scenery, many types of fish and of course easy entry and exit. Get on Highway 58 heading North. After passing Kadena Air Base you travel approximently 15 km till you see the overhead sign directing you to Cape Zanpa. After turning onto that road you will travel for about 15 minutes depending on traffic. When you get to the second split in the road veer to the right. (This turn is located about 1 km outside of Zanpa itself) Another ten minute trip and you will see the sign to Maeda Point overhead. Follow that road down and you arrive at the parking gate. The fee to park is 100 yen per hour (less than a dollar depending on the yen rate). Suit up in the parking lot and head to the stairs which take you down the cliff to entry point. Maeda Point is also known as Maeda Misaki, Cape Maeda.
BeginnerMax depth 40 ftShore or Boat entry
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17Hate No Hama
Hate No Hama is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Japan, Ryukyu archipelago, Kume Island which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.
BeginnerMax depth 26.2 ftBoat entry
Top dive shops in Okinawa
All 83Prime Scuba Ishigaki
Book5.0 (199) · ISHIGAKISHI
Heichao dive
Book4.9 (360) · KUNIGAMIGUN
DIVING SCHOOL ATSUMARU
Book4.9 (214) · ISHIGAKISHI
UMI DIVE OKINAWA
Book5.0 (53) · NAKAGAMIGUN
Okinawa diving guide
Ready to check out the best sites in Okinawa for scuba diving, snorkeling, shore diving, free diving or other ocean activities? Zentacle has 17 dive sites, snorkel spots, beaches, and more. Discover hand-curated maps, along with reviews and photos from nature lovers like you.
Frequently asked questions
Are there dive shops in Okinawa?
Zentacle lists 83 dive shops in Okinawa. The top-rated are Prime Scuba Ishigaki (5.0 from 199 reviews) and Heichao dive (4.9 from 360 reviews).