CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH FORTE

My husband and I knew before we came to Okinawa that we wanted to get scuba dive certified as soon as possible once we arrived here.  Once settled (and work schedules permitted) we did just that!  My 2010 New Year’s resolution was to get certified and about 14 hours into the year I had checked that box.  Was it cheating to make that my resolution on the day we had our final dive certification scheduled?

Both my spouse and I work full-time and our schedules are never the same, so when we have the chance to dive we want to get in the water as efficiently as possible.  It’s a bad feeling to waste precious dive time driving around lost. 

That’s where I hope this post (and others like it) will help out.  I’ll start it off by telling you everything I know about popular Okinawan dive spots: where to park, where to enter, what conditions may be like, what you might see underwater, and any other important details.  But I hope you'll join the discussion to tell us all about your favorite diving and snorkeling sites. 

There is also a fabulous new link on the home page called “I’m the Map!”  It is a Google Maps link to many of the places featured on Okinawa Hai.  You can even go to street view to get a closer look.  Let’s light the map up with our favorite dive spots and quit wasting our time driving past what I am sure are some awesome cuttlefish and turtles waiting to be found!

I'll go first: 

Maeda Point   

Maeda Point is also known as “Danger Spot Number Five” according to the AFN commercials. Some days it earns that reputation; other days it is a beautiful place to dive or snorkel.  The key is checking out the sea conditions before you gear up.  If the water is rough or foamy there is no safe place to don or remove your fins or even get a secure foothold. On the rough days I have also seen signs placed at the top of the stairs warning swimmers about the sea condition. 

Directions: Maeda Point is one of the best marked dive spots we have seen on island.  There are a few ways to get there.  This route takes you past a few familiar places: from Kadena gate one travel north on Route 58 until you get to Highway 6.  Take a left.  This will take you past Torii Station.  Continue on Highway 6 past the turn off for Zampa.  Continue until you see the white signs for Maeda Point.  Go north on this road between some sugar cane fields until you see the parking area for Maeda Point. 

Parking/Gearing up: You will need to pay for parking in the parking lot.  Take a ticket at the gate.  You will need to pay in Yen (coin or paper).  The rate is 100 Yen per hour.  Before you gear up, go check out the sight and make sure it is safe.  You can don your gear in the parking lot.  There are also bathrooms and showers nearby.

Entry/Exit: Get ready to hike!  There are a lot of steps between you and the water!  While you are climbing up or down, be thankful that there are steps. One of my friends, a long-time Okinawa dweller, tells tales of scrambling down rocks “back in the day!”  At the bottom of the steps is a rocky pool area. Wade out to put on your mask and fins and then you are ready to snorkel.  If you are looking to dive, snorkel out about 20 yards where the shelf drops off approximately 40 - 60 feet.  Please be considerate of other divers and swimmers!  This is a very popular spot with only one set of stairs!

What you may see: As you are looking out to the sea, there is a cave along the cliff face to your right.  We have seen many amazing creatures here: cuttlefish, stingrays, lion fish, Christmas tree worms, bat fish, lobster…

Other stuff: This is a great area for those who don’t dive/snorkel or for those who are between dives.  Inside the main building there are two small take out counters, one with Japanese style food and the other with ice cream.  An additional ice cream shop is located next to the bathrooms.  There are a few short walking trails as well as some shelters for resting. 

Maeda Flats

Sometimes it is just too rough to go in at Maeda Point, but head around the corner and you may find that Maeda Flats is just that – flat! Maeda Flats has already been covered from the beach perspective here, so I won’t go into much detail. 

Directions: If you are in the Maeda Point parking make a right after you exit. Continue straight towards the ocean.  You will drive between sugar cane fields as the road curves left to parallel the shore.  

Parking/Gearing Up: The first dirt road on your left will lead down to Maeda Flats; no cars allowed on the dirt path, just park along the side of the paved road (for free).  Walk the sandy trail down to the beach, scout out the site, then gear up back at your car. 

Entry/Exit: This is a sandy beach entry.  The current pulls you south [to the left] as you look out to the water.  It is a pretty good workout to get all the way out past the breakers to actually dive, but the snorkeling here is truly great.  When snorkeling, it’s easiest to let the current carry you down the shore.  After a while you will see a concrete boat ramp that slopes into the water.  If you want to make this a “drift dive” you can exit here and follow the ramp back up to the paved road; follow it (left) bac k to your car. 

What you may see: We once spent a full ten minutes engulfed in a huge school of sliver fish!  The fish were so thick that we could not see our partners only a few feet away from us!  Besides the occasional school there are lots of barrel coral, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, blue damsels and plenty more.  The water depth varies from as little as 2 feet deep at low tide to about 5 feet deep at high tide.