3 curated Scuba Diving spots in Japan, each with its own note and source.
Okinawa · Best time: Jun–Oct · All levels
Off Kabira lie the manta cleaning stations Manta Scramble and Manta City, about 300 m apart; only five boats may anchor on Manta City at a time. North winds shut the area down, so winter is mostly out. Yonara Channel, 18 km west, is a drift dive at 25 to 30 m, open to experienced divers only.
Sources: Prime Scuba Ishigaki
Okinawa · Best time: Jun–Oct · Beginner
Miyako-jima is topography and cave diving: Devil's Palace off Shimoji runs between 5 and 28 m through several chambers lit by shafts from above. The operator rates it intermediate — solid buoyancy control is the entry ticket. Triggerfish, fusiliers and lobsters, with turtles and whitetip reef sharks turning up now and then.
Sources: Miyakojima Diving Aquatic Adventure, Miyakojima Tour (Miyakojima Tourism), Miyakojima Tour (Miyakojima Tourism)
Okinawa · Best time: Jun–Oct · Beginner
The Kerama Islands are a national park; the reefs hold more than 200 of the 400 coral species recorded in Japan. Amuro Fish Reef sits at 7 m, Nishibama off Aka at 26 m, and Aharen Lighthouse off Tokashiki at 20 m is rated advanced. Mantas pass Ijyakajya from May to October, humpbacks in winter. Day trips leave from Naha.
Sources: Visit Okinawa Japan (Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau)