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Here are some of the better ones in no particular order:
Indonesia (Bunaken, Lembeh)
Cyprus (Zenobia, some sites around Protaras)
Maldives (Bodufinolhu)
Croatia (Split)
I have to say that of those Bunaken, Lembeh and the whole northern coast line for Sulawesi takes the trophy. Bunaken on it's own is really excellent, especially if you like wall dives.
I have dove in: Jamaica, Cuba, Barbados, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, Curacao, St. Lucia, Dominica, British Virgin Islands, Lake Ontario. (one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong, can you tell me which thing is not like the others before I finish my song).
Didn't log in the 70's or 80's, and memories of those days are getting a bit more foggy these days, but most of those dives were in New York and Vermont lakes, large and small and always cold. Also dived in Mass. and Maine Atlantic (again COLD), with one or two trips during the 80's to Monterey CA and one to NC, both of which back then seemed to be warm water diving to me.
Since the 90's, and logged: Bonaire, Curacao, Turks and Caicos, Belize, St Thomas, Culebra, Cancun, Puerto Rico, Florida, Cozemel and of course still diving those cold waters of Lake George when training. Got to dive the cold waters to really appreciate the warm ones!!!!
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Life may be a bitch at times, but it sure beats the alternative. Every day above ground is a good one.
Quarry North Carolina
Panama Florida
Thailand:
Pattaya
Krabi
I have been to Townsville, and Caines, Australia, Numberous places in the Philippines, and Indonesia. I have close dive buddies that have dove Hawaii, the Caribian, and the Great Barrier Reef. And the conclusion is that Okinawa, Japan has to be one of the worlds best dive sites.
And over 200 dives in Tropical Okinawa, Japan
Come to Okinawa for World Class Diving! Some have stated the to corals are better than the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. We have whale sharks, sharks, rays, turtles, caves, and recks. Diving is cheep, visit one of the US MWR facilities one island for cheep rentals. There are over 150 different shore dives you can do on the main island of Okinawa. Yanaguni may be the oldest civilized structure on the planet dated to 10,000 BC only found on Okinawa. We have the USS Emmons a destroyer that was kamakazied during WWII plus 17 other unammed wrecks. You can find WWII ordinace just off shore, I know because I have seen 155mm shells with my own eyes. We have a cave (Hedo Dome) that was inhabited by pre-historic peoples on the north end of the island where the entrance is at 65 feet. Water is 84F in the summer and sites can get 150ft vis (typhoons dependant). The macro for photographers is outstanding with over 1000 nudibranc's, sea fans, and soft corals. We have an style of manatee called the dugoon. Dive with the Whale Shark for $115. Drift dives are out of this world with swift currents that will pass you by sea fans as big as a US car...well I exagerate a little I mean a Japanese car! Dive with the Humpback Whales in March. You can Photograph Sea Horses. For the non diver you can visit the second largest aquarium in the world north of Nago. Jacques Yves Cousteau stated that Okinawa was one of his favorite dive spots.
"From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free."
- Jacques Yves Cousteau -
Hey Guys I just got back from Diving in Thailand. The first two dives were out of Pattaya, Thailand where I dove on an LST-5 a WWII wreck that is a landing craft for US Marines, and Army troops. The boat is about 40' wide and 60' long with a ramp that can lowered to drive trucks on and off the boat. The LST-5 was sitting in 98' of water with 5' vis so it was an advanced dive. Krabi was the location for my next two dives, I saw a 7' Tiger Shark and a Bamboo shark on my first dive and 12 sea horses on my second dive. The vis was about 20' but there were large schools of fish at both sites. There were large sea sponges or barrell corals. I was happy to return to the 150' vis of Okinawa where the sea fans are bigger, and there is more life in the ocean.
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General Rules for Diving
[left]1. Safety Stop for 3 minutes at 5 meters/ 15 feet is required if the diver comes within 3 pressure groups of no-decoression limit, and for any dive of 30 meters/ 100 feet or greater
2. Emergency Decompression If a no-decompression limit is exceeded by no more than 5 minutes, an 8 minute decompression stop at 5 meters/ 15 feet is mandatory. Upon surfacing, the diver must remain ot of the water for at least 6 hours prior to making another dive. If a no-decompression limit is exceeded by more than 5 minutes, a 5 meter/ 15 feet decompression stop of no less than 15 minutes is urged (air supply permiting.) Upon surfacing, the diver must remain out of the water for at least 24 hours prior to making another dive.
I have dove in: Jamaica, Cuba, Barbados, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, Curacao, St. Lucia, Dominica, British Virgin Islands, Lake Ontario. (one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong, can you tell me which thing is not like the others before I finish my song).
HI There~~
I don't know..Lake Ontario seems a bit out of place.
I just got back from an Okinawan diving vaction. I left on 17 Jul 08 and flew to Ishigaki, (We stayed in a hotel near the ferry port) but we flew into a typhoon. That afternoon we went to Taketomi where we went searching for star sand. The typhoons in Japan are no problem as all of the buildings in Japan are made of reinforced concrete. That night the typoon passed over us. After Ishigaki we flew to Yonaguni, Japan (on the 19th of Japan) the most western island in Japan just of the coast of Taiwan. I went to dive the ruins of Yonaguni, but due to the recent conditions of the typhoon, SaWes dive shop stated that the sea conditions and the currents were to strong to dive the monument. Instead we dove just outside the port for 3 dives a day for 3 days. We stayed in the penthouse suite of the Irfume hotel on the north side of the Yonaguni. The penthouse had a Japanese bar and the bedrooms in the back. The port is on the north side of the runway. The dive boat the Shota II was a very nice dive boat with an upper deck and entry either giant stride or rolling back entry. On the back of Shota II there are two ladders to climb out on the stern. The visibility was about 20m or 60 feet. Features are the white sand bottom and numberous sea turtles. We also saw a 5' white tip shark.
On the 23rd we flew to back to Ishigaki, and then took the ferry to Iromote Island. The dive shop (Enysea) picked us up at the ferry port and took us to our bed and breakfest (Ihara Guest House). My wife and I thoughly enjoyed the guest house. The diving on Iromote was oustanding with 100' visibility. The first day I dove with 2 large manta rays, that came so close that I could of touched them. Other dives were awsome as well. The dive boat was LaRena and it can hold twenty divers. We had ten divers so it was comfortable. The water temps were 82F to 84F so I did not wear a wet suit. The hard corals were beutiful, and adbundant. The colors of the hard corals are dazzeling. There were many fish, and many caves to explore. The host of our guest house fixed us fresh lobster on the first night and constantly worked to make menu's according to our tastes. Neither my wife nor I speak but a couple of words of Japanese, and we found it easy to change flights, catch cabs, ferrys, and eat with out many language barriers. I feel I would have more problem speaking Spanish in Mexico than speaking Japanese in Japan. The Japanese (divers, hosts, and diveshops) were eager to engage us with there knowledge of English. Okinawa is truely a world class diving location.
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General Rules for Diving
[left]1. Safety Stop for 3 minutes at 5 meters/ 15 feet is required if the diver comes within 3 pressure groups of no-decoression limit, and for any dive of 30 meters/ 100 feet or greater
2. Emergency Decompression If a no-decompression limit is exceeded by no more than 5 minutes, an 8 minute decompression stop at 5 meters/ 15 feet is mandatory. Upon surfacing, the diver must remain ot of the water for at least 6 hours prior to making another dive. If a no-decompression limit is exceeded by more than 5 minutes, a 5 meter/ 15 feet decompression stop of no less than 15 minutes is urged (air supply permiting.) Upon surfacing, the diver must remain out of the water for at least 24 hours prior to making another dive.
Since all 4 branches of the Military dive on Okinawa, and we have dive shops sponsored by US Marine Corps Tsunami Gear, US Airforce Kadena Marina, and US Army Torii Beach Dive Locker, I thought I would share with the rest of the Active, Reserve, National Guard, and Retired some of the many dive sites we have on Okinawa. This list is combination of sites that I have dove, sites listed in Diving Point Map by Okinawa Marine Publications, A Divers Guide by John Chandler, Dive Sites map by Kadena Marina, and Dive Tables Okinawa, Japan by MCCS Marine Corps, SaWes Dive shop Yonaguni, Enysea Dive Shop Iromote, and my personal experiance.
Dive Sites of Okinawa
By Barracuda Smile 2008
From South to North
P Indicates Pacific Side
* Indicates Boat Dive
1. Suicide Cliffs P
2. Channel Crevasses/Ookaigan/John Man Beach
3. Misume *
4. Southern Links
5. Yamashirokaigan #1
6. Yamashirokaigan #2
7. Gushikawjouato****a
8. Rukan East Drop Off *
9. Kamiyama Minamiezuke Oki Deep *
10. Kamiyamajima *
11. Nagannutou *
12. Kuefutou *
13. Ojima Island P
14. Hansen Beach
15. Convention Center South
16. Convention Center North
17. Water Treatment Plant Point #1
18. Water Treatment Plant Point #2
19. Monroe Point
20. Chatanoki *
21. Sunabe California Side/ Curry House
22. Sunabe Point #1 / Arc Divers
23. Seaside Palace
24. Junkyard
25. Runway Lights
26. Pipelines
27. Kadena Marina
28. Naval Kadena
29. Kadena Steps/Kadena Seawall
30. Mitzugama/ Kadena North
31. Mitzugama/ Kadena North Red Bouy Marker-Fish Boxes
32. Hija River
33. Devils Cove
34. Devils Cove Wreck
35. Devils Cove Atol
36. Motor Pool
37. Torri Beach
38. Yomitan Port Whale Shark *
39. Kourizampa *
40. 5 Old Lady Seaweed Beach
41. Tombs Yomitan
42. Rifle Range
43. Zanpa Misaki/ Cape Zanpa/ Bolo Point
44. Zanpa Misaki/ Cape Zanpa/ Bolo Point North
45. Meada Flats
46. Meada Misaki/Meada Point
47. Meada Caves
48. Malibu Beach
49. Green Beach
50. Onna Flats
51. Onna Point
52. Onna Trench
53. Apogama
54. Hoshu/Hoshukita/Horse Shoe Beach
55. Ahshukita/Toliet Bowl
56. ANA Hotel South
57. ANA Hotel Central
58. ANA Hotel North/Pier
59. Manza Dream Hole
60. Coral *
61. Seragaki Inner Reef
62. Seragaki Outer Reef
63. White Beach P
64. Tsuken Isand P *
65. 5 X-Mas tree Beach P
66. Ikei Big Time Resort P
67. Mama San P
68. Miyuki Beach P
69. Tengan Beach P
70. Tengan Peir P
71. Kin Blue P
72. Kin Red P
73. Oura Wan Bay P
74. Gesashi Loran Site P
75. Tombs
76. Diamond Beach
77. Kise
78. Kyoda
79. Three Rocks
80. Saki Motobu/ Gorilla Chop
81. Eagle Pipes
82. Serakogyosho Island
83. Pumkin *
84. The Labyrinth *
85. Camel
86. Cable *
87. Yoshjinone *
88. Cabetsu Batake *
89. Shinzato *
90. Sakiyama *
91. USS Emmons located 1km North off of Kouri Island *
92. Okuma South
93. Okuma North
94. Shippishi Drop *
95. Shippishi North *
96. W-Rock *
97. Coral Garden
98. Juhyou No Mori
99. Yona Tunnel
100. Sate
101. Futagamiiwa *
102. Hedo Misaki Dome *
103. Misaki Canyon/Hedo Gulch
104. Misaki ****a/ Hedo Beach
105. Hedo Three Pools
106. Pinnacles North *
107. Pinnacles South *
108. Shibishi Island *
109. Outer Buoy P *
110. Light House P *
111. Keramas Pipeline *
112. Keramas Gishippu *
113. Keramas Kuroshima / Twin Rocks *
114. Keramas Zamami *
115. Keramas Ariga *
116. Keramas Maeshima *
117. Keramas Mae Jima/ White River *
118. Keramas Manta Point *
119. Keramas Two Rocks *
120. Keramas Turtle Inlet *
121. Keramas Sharks Bay/Three Rocks *
122. Keramas Turtle Sand Bay *
123. Keramas South Tokashiki Wreck *
124. Ie Shima/ IE island Ohoba *
125. Ie Shima/ IE island Waaji *
126. Ie Shima/ IE island Double Arches *
127. Ie Shima/ IE island Patch Reef *
128. Ie Shima/ IE island Minna Jimma *
129. Yonaguni Ippon-Ishi *
130. Yonaguni Noridai *
131. Yonaguni North Airport *
132. Yonaguni Rokujo *
133. Yonaguni SaWes Coral Garden *
134. Yonaguni Rainbow Bridge *
135. Yonaguni Umabanna-Hanareiwa *
136. Yonaguni Dannu Drop *
137. Iromote, Kamukawa Wan, Nakanose *
138. Iromote, Ochimizuzaki, Butterfly Fish Point *
139. Iromote, South Canyon *
140. Iromote, Aritori Wan, Fukaba *
141. Iromote, Sukukaiyama Wan, Azami *
142. Iromote, Yonasoni Wan, Typhoon Chapel/ Hurricane Chapel*
143. Iromote, Sakai Yama Island, North Corner*
144. Iromote, Hanagoi No Ne*
145. Sotobahare Island South Minami*
__________________
General Rules for Diving
[left]1. Safety Stop for 3 minutes at 5 meters/ 15 feet is required if the diver comes within 3 pressure groups of no-decoression limit, and for any dive of 30 meters/ 100 feet or greater
2. Emergency Decompression If a no-decompression limit is exceeded by no more than 5 minutes, an 8 minute decompression stop at 5 meters/ 15 feet is mandatory. Upon surfacing, the diver must remain ot of the water for at least 6 hours prior to making another dive. If a no-decompression limit is exceeded by more than 5 minutes, a 5 meter/ 15 feet decompression stop of no less than 15 minutes is urged (air supply permiting.) Upon surfacing, the diver must remain out of the water for at least 24 hours prior to making another dive.
