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Having never dived before, I found the idea of plunging down to 12m below the sea a little daunting at first. What if my ears can’t cope with it? Are there sharks in Ishigaki? Jellyfish!? Luckily the reassuring staff at Umikoza Dive School were able to answer all of my silly questions and explain the whole diving process in perfect English. After I arrived at the dive centre and changed into the provided wetsuit, I was taken down to the boat with the other people who would be diving that day, which is where I met Ako-san. Clearly a seasoned pro, Ako-san took me through all of the various functions of the diving kit as we sped away from the stunning Kabira Bay and out to the rather deep-looking sea.
As we arrived at the dive spot, it became clear that the other customers on the boat were vastly more experienced than me as they began assembling their gear as putting it on in a confident and controlled manner. I nearly fell over backwards as I put on the 10kg air tank. But as ever Ako-san was there to help, and after an extremely inelegant backward roll into the water, we were under way.
The thing that struck me most was how clear the water is. As we descended we paused briefly to equalise the pressure as Ako-san had showed me, and before long I was off exploring the sea bed.
With Ako-san close behind, I wondered the depths admiring the plentiful multicoloured fish. I came across one particularly grumpy-looking specimen, which, as my inquisitive hand drew close to it, tried to take a bit out of my finger. Luckily the creature did not have any teeth, so I just felt a strange sensation from the brief contact it made with my hand. Nevertheless I let out a gasp, the bubbles from which must have added to the comedy as they rushed from my mask. Ako-san asked me if I was OK by making a round shape with her thumb and index finger, a gesture which I was supposed to emulate, but in the heat of the moment I got it wrong and issued the “thumbs up” sign, which in diving means that you want to return to the surface. “No” I corrected myself, causing more bubbles, and I finally managed to return the “fingers round” sign to assure her that I was in fact safe and sound.
We spent around three quarters of an hour exploring the relatively shallow area and I loved every minute of it.
We then got back on the boat and moved to a different area, about 20 minutes away. This spot is known as a manta “cleaning station’, where lots of manta are come each day to be “cleaned’ by other smaller fish. I was not able to dive at this place as it was too deep to dive with out a licence, but I and a few others set off with some snorkels. After about half an hour with no luck, we decided to head back to the boat. On the way back the person in front of me started pointing excitedly to our left. I looked around and saw in the distance an enormous black silhouette shape of a manta ray gliding majestically through the water. It was a pretty unforgettable moment!
After the two sessions, my first diving experience was over, and we began heading back to the beautiful shoreline. It was a truly unforgettable experience and I would recommend it to anyone – just be prepared for a surprise if you get your fingers too close to grumpy-looking fish!
InsideJapan Tours organise diving trips for beginners and advanced divers. If you are looking for a completely new dive experience, Japan combines stunning corals, varied marine life, amazing visibility, some truly unique dive sites and a very different culture above the water.