Hello all - this is not so much a trip report but I thought I would let people know about some of my diving experiences in Japan seeing as a lot of people back home seem somewhat surprised that I can dive out here.
As those of you who have dived elsewhere in the Pacific will know the Japanese love to dive. In fact they love to do everything and won't do it without owning all the proper gear. I have met divers with less than 20 dives under their belt with all the top gear and believe you me that is not cheap out here.
My first experience of Japanese divers, however, was in Guam. What a shock that was!! Those on our boat were pretty good with good ratios of instructors/dm's about but elsewhere there seemed to be loads crammed on to boats with little or no skill - I saw one girl being dragged around the bottom at 16m with no buoyancy control at all crashing through coral. I have to say after that week I was not looking forward to trying diving in Japan.
However, my luck was in and I bumped into someone in the gym who spotted my T-shirt from Guam and introduced me to Toyo. If you check out the list of IANTD instructors on their web site it is soon apparent that he knows his stuff - his English is pretty good too which is definitely useful.
The diving out here is fantastic - especially someone used to the gloomy, cold waters of the English Channel. Water temp at the moment is down to about 14 degree C and visibility is usually more than 10m. Loads of fish and soft coral to look at too - just wish there were some more wrecks.
Another English diver this weekend (who has only dived here and Fiji) commented that the Japanese were cashing in on diving at the site. Well I am sorry I think he mistook it for service. We were at a place called Osezki (I think) - a bay with maybe 500m of beach dedicated to diving. Dive shops, restaurants and this is where it gets interesting - plenty of showers, places to hang kit from to dry, lots of trollies and baths of water for rinsing (including tubs for cameras only). How many of you have seen that elsewhere? Certainly not in the UK.
Also here's another thing for you Stoney Cove divers in the UK - you arrive late and are in the top car park. How do you get your kit down to the waters edge? By lift of course - at least that's what we did this weekend.......
OK all this comes at a price but if you get the chance to come out here on an ex-pat assignment - grab it and bring your gear!
Happy Diving
Jonathan
P.S. I've done a little survey and dry suits are cheaper here than in the US!!! not sure anything else is which is a link to a comment in another link why do you guys pay so much over there.
As those of you who have dived elsewhere in the Pacific will know the Japanese love to dive. In fact they love to do everything and won't do it without owning all the proper gear. I have met divers with less than 20 dives under their belt with all the top gear and believe you me that is not cheap out here.
My first experience of Japanese divers, however, was in Guam. What a shock that was!! Those on our boat were pretty good with good ratios of instructors/dm's about but elsewhere there seemed to be loads crammed on to boats with little or no skill - I saw one girl being dragged around the bottom at 16m with no buoyancy control at all crashing through coral. I have to say after that week I was not looking forward to trying diving in Japan.
However, my luck was in and I bumped into someone in the gym who spotted my T-shirt from Guam and introduced me to Toyo. If you check out the list of IANTD instructors on their web site it is soon apparent that he knows his stuff - his English is pretty good too which is definitely useful.
The diving out here is fantastic - especially someone used to the gloomy, cold waters of the English Channel. Water temp at the moment is down to about 14 degree C and visibility is usually more than 10m. Loads of fish and soft coral to look at too - just wish there were some more wrecks.
Another English diver this weekend (who has only dived here and Fiji) commented that the Japanese were cashing in on diving at the site. Well I am sorry I think he mistook it for service. We were at a place called Osezki (I think) - a bay with maybe 500m of beach dedicated to diving. Dive shops, restaurants and this is where it gets interesting - plenty of showers, places to hang kit from to dry, lots of trollies and baths of water for rinsing (including tubs for cameras only). How many of you have seen that elsewhere? Certainly not in the UK.
Also here's another thing for you Stoney Cove divers in the UK - you arrive late and are in the top car park. How do you get your kit down to the waters edge? By lift of course - at least that's what we did this weekend.......
OK all this comes at a price but if you get the chance to come out here on an ex-pat assignment - grab it and bring your gear!
Happy Diving
Jonathan
P.S. I've done a little survey and dry suits are cheaper here than in the US!!! not sure anything else is which is a link to a comment in another link why do you guys pay so much over there.
