Ishigaki Trip Report

[AliKat]

Spent Easter weekend diving off Ishigaki Island. Ishigaki is part of Japan; its one of the more southern islands., not far from Tiawan.

It is known for Manta Rays, especially in the fall. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to get see any this trip. There is a ton of really colorful coral. Mostly hard corals, but did see some small fans. Also saw one of the largest anemonies I've seen anywhere.

It was a good trip, but I'm not sure about the dive company. None of tanks were filled to more than 2600 psi, and most were at 2200 or less. They also handed out 50's and 72's without paying any attention to the size of the person. I'm pretty good on air, and prefer a 63, but even I can't do well with a 50, and we had a couple of guys whom I'm sure had pretty large lung capacity. The guides also did not pay any attention to our air. I came up with only 200 at the end of the first dive...way too low for my comfort, especially when at 500, I had no idea how much longer the dive would be. They also had us on what I would consider to be some less than safe profiles. I've often heard that the Japanese have a different philosophy towards dive safety than most Americans, so it may be that the company was fine, just a difference in philosophy.

I would go back in a heart beat, but have a local friend call the dive company ahead of time with a wish list.

 

[sunfish]

You have me turning green with envy. Ishigaki is on the top of my "must dive" locations. My little book says the manta season starts in a month or so and runs into fall, and that a lot of companies in the area have discounts during the peak months of June and July.

Thanks for the report! Pictures?

 

[chris_b]

Thanks for the trip report! A good high school buddy of mine lives on Ishigaki, though I haven't spoken to him since we lived in Kyushu about three years ago.

Sorry to hear about the dive operator, sounds like you got a bum deal. Were there other ops you could have gone with? From what I've heard about Japanese dive operators, I don't think your experience is typical...

Chris

 

[AliKat]

I do have some pictures. Just haven't had a chance to scan them and get them posted. I'll be out of town for the next couple of weeks, but I'll get to them eventually.

 

[Jonathan]

I must admit I usually get good fills but they only seem to do 10l tanks which being the air hog I am restricts me somewhat.

Problem is (well it's not a problem for them) that Japanese seem to have gills and not need much more than a 3l pony!! Just jealous Sunfish!! I know one diver on around 100 dives whos SAC is 5-7 l/min.......

Hopefully we can get some mantas on Southern Breezes.....

Jonathan

 

[sunfish]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who will be looking forward to your Ishigaki pictures!

Jonathan, I've never had a problem with air consumption (I'm one of the last people back in the boat when I dive with my lds club), but the DM in our shop is just totally out of hand. She always ends a dive with only slightly less than half her air left...we all suspect she had gills surgically implanted somewhere along the line, but we've never been able to prove it.

 

[Jonathan]

As I said - just jealous..... Doesn't mean they should give out short air fills and in my experience they haven't.

Jonathan

 

[ChuckT]

Hello all,

I'm about to get my open water certification and I was wondering if anyone could give me some info on dive sites around the main islands. We will be doing our open water certification dives off of Oshima Island about 30min south of Iwakuni. I'm also looking for a dive shop that sells the PROEAR 2000. Any help would be appreciated.

Chuck

 

[sunfish]

Chuck, since you are in Iwakuni, Izu (in the vicinity of Yokosuka) is probably not exactly what you'd call "local", but if you are ever in the area for other reasons, it is a place worth checking out. This is where narced_1, Jonathan and I generally dive (but not together).

Places closer to Iwakuni include but are not limited to Kashiwajima (western tip of Shikoku island), Minabe, Tanabe, and Kushimoto (in Wakayama prefecture). Kushimoto in particular is known for its soft coral and vis that hits the 20s on a regular basis (meters, not feet!) I've never dived anywhere but Izu and Kerama (in Okinawa), so I hope someone else can give you more help.

 

[sunfish]

(sorry for the double post!)

Generally speaking, dive gear in Japan is more expensive than in the US. Frightfully so. Actually, frightfully would be the understatement of the millenium. Granted, the millenium has only been around for a year or so, but still!

If you've got a workplace-related dive shop where you are, your best bet might be to work with them in getting stuff. Another way to do things is to find things in the US while on leave. I don't mind paying "Japanese sticker price" because I'm Japanese, and long-term gear maintenance by people I trust comes with the package. However, if you're going to PCS after a couple of years, you've probably got different needs and priorities. You might want to speak to the other US military people on this MB about how they get the gear they want.