OKINAWA 39ers is an English-speaking dive center on Okinawa that emphasizes small groups and grouping by experience level. Alongside local Okinawa trips, the center offers Yonaguni programmes. It suits divers who want to use Okinawa as a base and add a demanding hammerhead trip.
Shark diving
Irizaki is the key site in the Yonaguni programmes. The target species is the scalloped hammerhead, with January to March as the conservative core window. Encounters are scuba drift dives in open water and are not for beginners: rough winter seas, current, blue water and deep bottom contours require solid buoyancy and experience. Whitetip reef sharks and other shark species may occur as extras, but they are not the main reason for the trip.
Reefs, monument and big fish
Away from the hammerhead search, OKINAWA 39ers combines classic Okinawa dives with Yonaguni’s special features. Depending on the programme, coral reefs, turtles, barracuda, tuna, the underwater monument and strong offshore conditions can all be part of the trip. Local Okinawa days are much more accessible than Yonaguni drifts for mixed groups.
