Certification in Okinawa or Yaeyama islands?

[Luke31]

Hello everybody!

This March to May I'll be travelling in Japan. For the end of the journey (May) I'd like to do the Open Water Diver in Okinawa or Yaeyama islands (I haven't dived before).

Which place is better for diving? Okinawa islands or Yaeyama islands (Ishigaki & Iriomote island). At the moment I tend to go to Yaeyama islands because of the coral reefs and the mantas/sea turtles. Or isn't it worth going further south for the first certificate?

Because it will be my first dive it's really important for me to have an English speaking Dive Master. In Okinawa islands I'd probably go for reefencounters. In Yaeyama islands I found the diving school Umicoza. Both tell they have English speaking staff. Do you know any school with a good Dive Master (English speaking)?

Finally about the typhoons, I've read they can occur in May. Should I plan some extra days if the course will not take place because of a typhoon? At the moment I plan being there from 14.5 - 21.5.2013 Is that enough?

I hope you can help me and I'm really looking forward to my first scuba-diving experience!
Luke31

 

[cephasiii]

Are you Military? I am a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor in Okinawa and also active duty military.

 

[japan-diver]

The typhoon season in Okinawa is June- Nov but it is quite rare for one that early in the season. We normally see them end of August and Sept. All of the staff and instructors at Reef Encounters speaks English so that is not a problem- and we have awesome coral and sea turtles and the occasional manta here also. We also have our own dive boat that many of our class dives are conducted off of in the Kerama islands where we dive daily. With a full week in Okinawa we can complete the OW course and spend a few days exploring the dive sites and islands surrounding Okinawa. Contact me via pm or email and we can arrange for accommodations and classes no problem.

 

[Jonnyspecial]

Hey Luke!
I hope you have a good trip to Japan, and you should consider diving in the prefecture one up from Okinawa, which is Kagoshima. I've been an instructor here since 2006. It is amazing here as well.
Cheers,
Jonathan

 

[Golo]

Haven't been to Yaeyama, but I like diving in Okinawa, very nice beach and boat diving there. Haven't seen a Manta yet, but turtles, sharks and a lot of other cool stuff.

I've been there last year in the first week of May and didn't have a problem with weather (maybe a little rainshower in the evening, but nothing severe), and there's a good chance I'll head there again this year first week of May, which would be the fourth time in two years for me.

You can also get relatively cheap flights and reasonably priced accomodation if you don't book too late.

 

[Luke31]

Thank you very much for your replies!
As I'm still planning my trip from March to May, I've changed Okinawa to Cairns in Australia. But I'm absolutely sure, I should try Okinawa in the future.

However, thank you very much and hopefully the answers will help somebody else.
Looking forward to see some nice creatures at the Great Barrier Reef