Diving in Japan is #$%% frustrating...

[japan-diver]

Forgot to list those - amazing diving, especially when the sperm whales are in. Just a pain to get there 20+ hour ferry from Tokyo

 

[RikRaeder]

Japan-Diver; just curious...are you Japanese?

Antarctic-Adventurer; I usually dive with Japanese shops (here and in Saipan) and must say I'm not impressed either. I've been to Okinawa twice, and had the misfortune to get stuck with two of the worst shops I've ever dived with. I'm sure that there must be SOME good shops down there, but I won't be returning to find out.
The shop I use in Saipan gives me more leeway than they do with most of their (Japanese) clientel so no complaints about that shop. It's actually cheaper for me to fly down there for a week, stay in a hotel and dive then to do 15 dives up here.
As to deco diving, I'm fortunate enough to have a tech-oriented shop about twenty-minutes walk from my apartment. The staff are pretty on-the-ball with the exception of one non-tech guide who had to spy hop three times to get our group back to the exit point.
Overall I've been underwhelmed myself (although Jagfish's training looks pretty neat...just way too inconvenient for me down here in Nagoya with no car).

 

[japan-diver]

Not Japanese just lived here for 19 years.

Missing out on some good diving by skipping Okinawa- wrecks, reefs, drift dives. Lots of great stuff.

 

[RikRaeder]

I know, but I won't make it back down before I pull out of here and if I do I WON'T go with a J-Shop. Haven't been in the neighborhood of any non-J shops.

 

[moose_grunt]

I hear you about it being frustrating! I started a thread (how to dive the non japanese way) about trying to get around these frustrations, and it seems rather difficult if you're not in Tokyo (seems there are a few foreign-run shops there, including at least one tech diving outfit), or Okinawa. I'm stuck with max 25 m or max 40min dives as well, and trying to rent a tank (or get your own filled) is the same as trying to rent their grandmother for the night....

Best advice I've gotten about it all is to treat diving here as practice, and take a nice long vacation once or twice a year. I have been a lot less frustrated since--diving here has become like diving in the quarries at home...

 

[japan-diver]

I have dove all over Japan and in places I see your frustration and understand it. But with a little research you can find the shops that will allow you to dive the way you want. If you come down to Okinawa we are located in Chatan just a few minutes from the airport.

 

[okiraku_diver]

but almost all diving shops never dive longer than 40 minutes. (If you ask why, they will tell you it is dangerous to do so.. "We don't do decompression diving, longer than 40 minutes is dangerous. Do you even have a licence?"). I eventually found a place that would let me do 50-60 minute dives after phoning over 15 dive shops. Most just said "muri" (impossible).

I do not know why most of diving shop said "muri"(impossible). However if you have dive computer, you can dive computer profile, that means you can dive more than 1 hour. I always dive more than 1 hour with divers from outside Japan in Okinawa. I hope you can find nice diving shop in Japan. Please do not be disappointed.

Regarding taking camera of novice divers, NOT only Japanese, but same in everywhere. I took photo of American girl at -30ft who had camera during open water training.

When we dove in Cozumel in Mar 2009, the dive crew and others in the boat echoed japan-diver. They said the Japanese were really careless with the marine environment. The guide said they give a special briefing to the Japanese, often with a translater, explaining they would have to report the tourists' carelessness if they were careless. I liked hearing it.

NOT ONLY Japanese diver who are careless, but same in everywhere. I am a frequent traveler to Cozumel and took DM and AI training at Aqua Safari, Cozumel, and dove with so many nice U.S. divers there. At pre diving briefing on DM training, I told "This is a national marine park, please do not touch, catch, take anything in water!" However I was disappointed with a U.S. diver who sit on, break, kick soft coral at Paradise Reef.

And most of Japanese divers can not understand English, but this is same for U.S. divers coming to Japan. I translate and make briefing in English even though dive as a guest.

 

[Antarctic-Adventurer]

I do not know why most of diving shop said "muri"(impossible).

Well I would like to know too but it is what they said and I tried many different dive shops in the Kansai area. I even got a Japanese friend to phone for me in the end in case it was a "gaijin" thing but the answers were exactly the same. Very few dive shops that I have seen even entertained the idea, although I have found one. Worse still, most implied to me that doing longer dives was "dangerous" which is obviously not true. If you stay within your limits and are not very deep for long you can easily spend over an hour underwater and be within ND limits.

However if you have dive computer, you can dive computer profile, that means you can dive more than 1 hour. I always dive more than 1 hour with divers from outside Japan in Okinawa. I hope you can find nice diving shop in Japan. Please do not be disappointed.

Where are you located? I will come and dive with you... I am trying to be positive about it, but just when I started inquiring about diving here, everything just seemed to be made a lot harder than it needed to be. I haven't dived in Okinawa though, so maybe that will chance my mind. I hope so. Most of my negative impressions have been in the Kansai region where I live.

Regarding taking camera of novice divers, NOT only Japanese, but same in everywhere. I took photo of American girl at -30ft who had camera during open water training.



NOT ONLY Japanese diver who are careless, but same in everywhere. I am a frequent traveler to Cozumel and took DM and AI training at Aqua Safari, Cozumel, and dove with so many nice U.S. divers there. At pre diving briefing on DM training, I told "This is a national marine park, please do not touch, catch, take anything in water!" However I was disappointed with a U.S. diver who sit on, break, kick soft coral at Paradise Reef.

And most of Japanese divers can not understand English, but this is same for U.S. divers coming to Japan. I translate and make briefing in English even though dive as a guest.

You are of course correct that there are unaware divers in many places, I am not just saying it is Japan, sure. But I have noticed that there seems to be less environmental awareness here in Japan than where I am used to. (I have never dived in the US, I am not from there so can't comment on Caribbean tour divers).

Anyway thanks for your input. Let's hope I can get some great experiences diving here while I am still living in Japan! :cool2:

 

[Robert Gillcash]

Wow. After reading this thread I am amazed! I know that the majority of Japanese go to Okinawa to dive, now I know why. I guess I picked the right wife when I married my Okinawan Wonder woman!
As a Canadian I am kind of in between the Japanese 'natives' and the American Forces divers (not in a negative way...). It seems I get great service no matter where I go in Okinawa. The dive shops all have treated me great, wehter Japanese owned or American owned. Everybody is super friendly.
Just so you know, I have been to Okinawa 6 times now and have dived as much as possible each time. The Kerema Island are dream dives. When I owned a boat (former city) I named it the "Kerema Isle". Wow they are great.
My last visit was in December 2008 thru to Jan 2009. I dove in a 3mm diveskin with a hood and boots - the water was an incredibly cold (HAH) 19C. (Recently spent 73 minutes in 8C water here in B.C. during my IDC.)
I guess what I am trying to say is this: Get to Okinawa, you will NOT regret it. If you are primarily English speaking there are several dive shops on the island that can help you. Most, if not all, shops have someone who can speak english.
Two trips ago I did an boat dive with SeaSir, they treated me like a King. I had my own English speaking DM and everybody on the boat, staff and guest, were happy to meet me.
Yeah, go Oki. You'll never go back.

 

[okiraku_diver]

Well I would like to know too but it is what they said and I tried many different dive shops in the Kansai area. I even got a Japanese friend to phone for me in the end in case it was a "gaijin" thing but the answers were exactly the same.

I am sorry to response so late. I have spent holidays in Maldive and dive with German and U.K. divers there.

Well, I guess diving shop denied just because language problem and safety reason. A lot of Japanese divemasters can not speak foreign language, so it is difficult to make briefing before diving. However,I as a guest, have dove with so many divers from foreign countries in Okinawa area.

Anyway thanks for your input. Let's hope I can get some great experiences diving here while I am still living in Japan!

I am so glad if you know that Japanese divers welcome you.
Happy diving in Japan.