[Okinawa Japan] Onna Village Maeda Blue Cave Tour (Snorkeling / Trial Diving)

Equipment: The ocean water in early May was extremely cold, and the wetsuit provided was a bit thin and ill-fitting, making it very chilly. Although the shop offered a thermal jacket, it was still very cold, and the wetsuit itself had a few small tears. The dive shop's showers are outdoors; while there's hot water, it's only for rinsing off, not for drinking. There's no water dispenser, and the vending machine doesn't offer hot drinks, which was particularly uncomfortable during the rainy season. Location: Due to the ocean conditions that day, we couldn't go to the Blue Cave even by boat. Since the Japanese instructor didn't speak Chinese and seemed reluctant to speak English, there was absolutely no pre-dive briefing. I didn't even know the name of the dive site. What I saw underwater was an artificial coral farm. Although there was a beautiful school of black and white tropical fish, I really wouldn't recommend this dive site; it's not as good as those in Taiwan.

Location: On the day of our activity, due to the ocean conditions, the shop did not allow us to go to the Blue Cave. Instead, they took us to an unknown beach. There was no explanation, possibly due to a language barrier, so they didn't provide a detailed introduction. There were two of us snorkeling, with one instructor for both. However, the water there was extremely shallow. The instructor simply pulled my snorkeling partner along in the water. I'm a good swimmer and have extensive snorkeling experience, so there really wasn't much to see.

Very nice staff 🌟! I wasn’t used to how late the buses are sometimes in Okinawa and arrived past the hour. They still gave me the tour 🤿 It was a private diving lesson for first timers, but I wasn’t scared at all. They helped me put on the equipment, taught me how to breathe and held me by the hand until I was confident! We could see the cave and a lot of fishes 🐡🐟🦑 They even showed me some animals I had never seen before, told me which ones I couldn’t touch and which ones I could! Some were very cute and hid when you touched them 🪸

The staff were very attentive and thoughtful; it was a great experience. Adding a photo session costs 3,000 JPY per person, and adding a feeding experience costs 1,000 JPY per person.

The overall experience was that they took safety very seriously, with a briefing and so forth, and that they were very cost effective among extant options (booking through Klook). It would be very good for those like the family with whom I went snorkeling, who could not swim, and were therefore 'ferried' by the instructor through the coral area. But I personally found it a bit underwhelming, given these limitations for safety of others. Further, I grant it was not their fault that the weather did not cooperate and we could not go to the Blue Cave, so I harbor no worries about that. However, I was a bit disappointed as I did try to inquire (on Facebook messenger) two days before my appointment whether the weather was favorable, and never received an answer, but would have instead booked a boat scuba tour if I had known the weather continued to be a problem. So, I found their online responsiveness a bit lacking.

didn't regret to join this. the guide did take good care of us and ensure we are safe and have fun.

Great trip overall, blue cave was crowded. Photos taken by instructors was great, he was also very friendly

Overall, we had a positive experience. It’s a shame that we were required to do the snorkeling with a wetsuit and a life jacket. It would definitely have been more enjoyable to move more freely and fully experience the activity. It was very crowded, so I recommend going early in the morning. We arrived at the meeting point 30 minutes early, but the tour started more than 30 minutes late, which is quite unusual in Japan.