I know I didn’t post last week; hence, there will be two blog posts this week. Chinese New Year is coming soon, so I was busy preparing.
Kerama Islands is one of the more well-known dive spots in Okinawa. It suits both divers and non-divers, as you can do island hopping here. When I was there, it was the annual whale migration season, and oh boy, it was a pleasant surprise to see whales breaching out of the water.
The first dive was straightforward since the divemaster wanted to check if my buoyancy was okay. It was only 6 meters deep, but some unique marine creatures lived there. I saw a wild sea snake for the first time, so that was pretty cool, and I found a seahorse chilling around some rock. And of course, it was always lovely to see a turtle. Overall, it was a good refresher for me.
But the highlight of the day was the whales. Whales were heading to warmer water with their offspring. People paid 20,000 yen for whale watching, while the rest of the divers and I got to watch them for free since we all requested the captain to follow the whales, and he wholeheartedly agreed.
I can never forget the breaching moment. It was majestic and surreal, and the offspring was following the mother.
My second dive of the day was honestly nothing special, but since the whales were nearby, we could hear their calling all the time, and it was very dizzying for me. I was under for a short time as hearing the whales made me nauseous. Since sound travels faster in water than air, you can “feel” the vibration in the water.
If I wanted to dive at the Kerama Islands, the only thing I would change is the water temperature, as it was freezing. This was my coldest dive yet. However, you can only do whale watching during March-April. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
The next post will be about diving in Onna.