Does affordable diving exist in Japan?

[whysocold]

I'm looking at diving Japan this month but the prices for diving is skyhigh. I'm seeing 14,000 JPY for 2 tank boat dives and 17,500 JPY for 3 tank boat dives. This makes the cost per dive almost as high as some of the most expensive locations I can think of. Can I find affordable diving anywhere in Japan?

What is the state of tech diving in Japan? Are there any sites worth doing? Are doubles common in Japan? Do I even want to know the cost?

 

[Alfawolfje]

Okinawa gets a bit cheaper but prices can not be compared to Thailand etc....
It's a first world country where wages and living standards are equal to US and Europe.
So as prices for beer, hotels won't be as low as rest of Asia, neither will diving be unfortunately. Some great beach diving as well for 7.000¥

Support for Tech is virtually non existing.... South of Tokyo you have training sites like Osezaki and Shishihama (Lion Beach) that will offer doubles.
Some operators like Reef Encounter and Take Dive in Okinawa can help you as well.

Me and my Tech diving buddies need to be very self sufficient for our own tech doing needs.

Happy to help out however I can if you want to ping me!

Cheers,
Ben

 

[whysocold]

Is the 7,000 beach diving for 1 or 2 tanks?

Does Reef Encounters and Take Dive do tech diving in addition to training?

Do you feel that the cost premium is worth it due to the quality of the dives compared to what can be seen for the same price or less in the rest of Asia?

Do your tech diving friends want a new buddy for a week or two?

 

[Zog]

Although I haven't dived in Japan (would love to try), my understanding is you don't tip in Japan, so that can make it less expensive. Anyone have experience with this? I believe Hawaii can be more expensive even before tipping starts.

 

[Alfawolfje]

Well I am a Tech diver myself but too busy with recreational diving trips for our group right now. No Tec diving planned within our group until November when wetsuit divers stop.
7.000¥ is for two tanks and weights

For those shops in Okinawa, I haven't used them for Tec diving but I know they should be able to support. So you have to ask them.

Dives elsewhere can be much better for the same price, true, but I don't want to be a resort diver that only get to dive once a year. So happy to dive locally as much as I can. We also don't have that much holiday as other countries.

Disclaimer: I live in Tokyo and coordinate diving weekends for people here. Just check my signature.

 

[whysocold]

Are there dive operations besides Reef Encounters and Take Dive that are recommended for experienced divers?

 

[Vegan Shark]

Doubles are not common in Okinawa. I haven't seen a single person diving doubles other than myself in the past couple years. The big market for diving here is tourists with very little dive experience--to the point that dive guides often literally hold customers' hands during the dive.

The foreigner-owned shops have slightly more experience with tech. There are a couple shops that use doubles for teaching intro to tech classes, but when I checked last they will not rent them--they're only for class use. There is also a small group of rebreather divers that I'm pretty sure do some cave exploring.

Okinawa has tons of gorgeous recreational dive sites, but if you're looking for tech diving this isn't the place.