Prices in Japan

[jagfish]

You guys have it sweet down there in Okinawa....

I don't have a compressor. My understanding is that compressors are highly regulated and to have one, it has to basically be housed in a bombproof shelter. One exception to that being if the compressor lives on a boat, it can be unprotected.

There are a one or two portable "illegal" compressors floating around up here...I'm not sure what the repercussions would be if they were ever found out...

 

[Hoosier]

For the US military down here (and those with access to base) the air fills are free and the tanks are about $2 each to rent. EAN is $5 per fill although if you get a fill card at some bases the price can come down to $3...

You mean a "military bases"? So, it doesn't apply for the civilian...

You guys have it sweet down there in Okinawa....

I don't have a compressor. My understanding is that compressors are highly regulated and to have one, it has to basically be housed in a bombproof shelter. One exception to that being if the compressor lives on a boat, it can be unprotected.

Thanks for your info..

 

[iflylow]

You mean a "military bases"? So, it doesn't apply for the civilian...

Since the dive shops are on base, you must have access to the base to get those prices. THat means all US Military ID card holders, all military spouses, and any civilians that work on base. If you don't fit any of those criteria, then you can get access only if you are a guest of someone who does.

 

[soldave]

But to be fair, although the dive shops off base don't stock nitrox (in general), the tanks are still pretty cheap at 500 yen each.

 

[taliesin58]

I think I need to make some friends with the marines at the nearby base...

 

[Mar Scuba]

In Japan, the regulations to own and operate a compressor are VERY strict. You have to have a High Pressure Gas License, that requires a course and a comprehensive final exam.

When you consider the cost of electricity, maintenance, inspection, and consumables, it's easy to see why the price for tankfills here are multiple times that in the rest of the world.

Regarding ownership of cylinders, steel tanks must be stamped by the KHK (High Pressure Gas Association), and have hydro inspection every 3 years for tanks manufactured before 1989 and every 5 years for tanks manufactured after 1989. For aluminum tanks, they must be inspected and stamped EVERY year. That is why you can see most dive ops up here phasing out Al tanks.

You can get tank fills in places like Osezaki but at almost all other dive sites in Izu, the tanks are filled offsite and trucked in due to the strict requirements about the wall thickness and materials of the building, amount of space around the components of the air compressor, etc.

For Nitrox, we reserve about a week in advance, although there is one place that keeps a few tanks on site, bring your own Oxygen Analyzer because almost all dive services do not have one.

Also, last time I looked, the tanks that military have are DOT stamped, but do NOT have the KHK stamp. That makes them technically illegal to use in Japan.

 

[Cummje]

There is actually quite a bit of beach diving that can be done here in Miyako. The boat dives are nice, but I'd love to be able to rent a tank and just go for an afternoon. Since I work (like most of us) I can only go on the weekends, which can be inconvenient. Around Irabu Island there is quite a bit of beach diving that can be done, too. The reef here is just phenomenal. I've heard it's better than mainland Okinawa and on par with Ishigaki. I went to Tokashiki a few months ago and was totally underwhelmed. It looked like the reef is dying off there.

 

[soldave]

Yeah - I've heard very good things about diving in Miyako, and it does seem a shame that you can only do boat diving there due to a monopoly (or technically, a duopoly) on tanks.

Mar Scuba - I didn't know that about aluminium tanks having to have hydro inspections every year. Most of the military tanks down here in Oki are aluminium (as indeed are a good proportion of Japanese tanks available to rent), but those only have a hydro every 5 years. So would they be technically illegal too?

 

[Kim]

THE best things in Miyako are the caverns. They're simply stunning! Unfortunately they aren't diveable year round - the wind has to be in the right direction. Especially now I have a decent digital camera (didn't have any camera the first time I went) I'd love to do them again.

 

[jagfish]

Yeah - I've heard very good things about diving in Miyako, and it does seem a shame that you can only do boat diving there due to a monopoly (or technically, a duopoly) on tanks.

Mar Scuba - I didn't know that about aluminium tanks having to have hydro inspections every year. Most of the military tanks down here in Oki are aluminium (as indeed are a good proportion of Japanese tanks available to rent), but those only have a hydro every 5 years. So would they be technically illegal too?

I originally thought the hydro on AL tanks was every year as well. However, my hydro facility tells me that the hydro on AL tanks is indeed every 5 years. The visual inspection is every year and is a stamp on the tank (that looks like a hydro) instead of a sticker like in the US.

That's what the hydro facility told me this time around anyway...