Swim With Sea Turtles Without a Rental Car — A Half-Day Tour With Pickup From Naha

People will tell you that you need a rental car to reach Okinawa’s sea. If you are staying in Naha and choose a tour with transfers, that simply stops being true. Here is how a half-day works, step by step — including how to fit it into the afternoon you land or the morning you fly home.

With transfers included, there are no roads or parking to worry about

Most marine shops in Okinawa ask you to meet them on site. That means renting a car, driving unfamiliar roads, and hunting for a space in a beach car park that fills up in summer. Our Naha sea turtle tour collects you from your hotel and takes you back afterwards. Anywhere in Naha City works, including the Kokusai-dori and airport areas. You are welcome to get in the car still wet, which takes the pressure off changing. If you are staying near the monorail, you do not have to think about getting to a station either.

The afternoon you land, or the morning you leave

Because it is done in half a day, it slots into the leftover half of your itinerary. Landing at Naha in the morning? Take the afternoon slot and you are in the sea the same day. Flying out in the evening? Take the morning slot and pack in the afternoon. Before check-in or after check-out is fine too — just leave your bags at the hotel desk. Same-day and next-day bookings are welcome, so you can also wait and see what the weather does.

How the day actually runs

The shape of the day is simple. 1. Hotel pickup. 2. Gear fitting at the beach. 3. Safety briefing on breathing and hand signals. 4. Snorkeling with the turtles, about 60 minutes. 5. Back to your hotel. Three to four hours in total. Bring a swimsuit, a towel and something to drink — mask, snorkel, fins and life jacket are all included. Wearing your swimsuit to the pickup makes it smoother. Your guide films on an Insta360 and lends you a second one, and all the photo and video data is emailed to you free afterwards.