Snorkeling vs Skin Diving vs Discover Scuba: Which Should You Try First in Okinawa?

"What is the difference between snorkeling and diving?" Sea activities in Okinawa come in three kinds: snorkeling on the surface, skin diving on a single breath, and discover scuba with a tank. A local guide lays out the differences in age, swimming ability, price and even flying afterwards.

The real difference: where you see the sea from

Snorkeling means floating on the surface and looking down, skin diving means going a few metres down on one breath, and discover scuba means staying underwater breathing from a tank. That difference is exactly what changes the difficulty and the preparation. Snorkeling is just floating in a life jacket with your face in the water, so with us non-swimmers and children from age 3 can join. Skin diving involves practising equalising your ears and holding your breath, so ours is for ages 10–59. Discover scuba needs a briefing on the equipment, and most shops set a minimum age and ask for a health declaration.

Only scuba comes with a flying restriction

One difference that shapes your trip is flying. After a dive with a tank you need to wait before boarding a plane so the nitrogen absorbed by your body can leave it. Guidelines such as those from DAN (an international diver safety organisation) suggest at least 12 hours after a single dive and 18 hours after several. Snorkeling has no such restriction: you can be in the sea on the morning of your last day and fly home that afternoon. If you want the sea on your final day, snorkeling makes the schedule much easier.

Start with snorkeling; step up to skin diving if you want more

If your goal on a first trip to Okinawa is "tropical fish" or "a sea turtle", snorkeling is all you need. Okinawa's reefs have plenty of fish in the shallows, and you see them well from the surface. Our snorkeling is ¥6,000 per person for 3 or more and skin diving ¥9,000 per person for 3 or more, both with hotel transfer and photos included. If after one try you think "I want to get closer" or "I want to go down", skin diving, with no licence needed, is the natural next step. We are a snorkeling and skin diving shop and do not run discover scuba. If you are not sure which suits you, just ask us on LINE.