Staying in Naha? You Don’t Need to Drive North to Swim With Sea Turtles

Many travelers assume that swimming with sea turtles in Okinawa means the Kerama Islands or Miyako. In fact there is a turtle feeding ground within reach of Naha, close enough to leave your hotel and be back in half a day — no one-to-two-hour drive north required.

The one-to-two-hour problem when you are based in Naha

Anyone planning an Okinawa trip runs into this. You are staying in Naha, but the sea activities are all up north. Onna is about an hour by expressway, the Keramas are roughly an hour each way by ferry, and Miyako needs a flight. Three to four hours of travel, plus the buffer you have to leave for the meeting time, and the day is gone. On a three-day trip that is half of what you came for — and the cost falls hardest on people based in Naha.

There is a turtle feeding ground right off Naha

It is not widely known, but the easiest place on the main island to meet a sea turtle is the water just off Naha. Green sea turtles turn herbivorous as they grow, living on seagrass and algae, and the seagrass meadows become their daily dinner table. There are such meadows close to Naha, and the turtles come back to them again and again. Waiting at a feeding ground is a completely different proposition from hoping to cross paths with one out in open water. They also surface to breathe every few minutes, so they can be spotted from the surface.

Back in half a day, so the rest of your itinerary survives

Our Naha sea turtle snorkeling runs about three to four hours in total, including pickup from your hotel and the ride back. The Kokusai-dori and airport areas are both inside the pickup range. Take the morning slot and your afternoon is free for Shuri Castle or Kokusai-dori; take the afternoon slot and the morning is yours. No rental car is needed, so it fits a trip that stays entirely in Naha. From ¥10,000 per adult for groups of three or more, ¥5,000 for children aged 3 to 12, ages 3 to 65.