I found Piranha divers when I started my researching for a trip to Okinawa. I chose them for a few... read more
I found Piranha divers when I started my researching for a trip to Okinawa. I chose them for a few... read more
We had an amazing time diving with Piranha Divers, we were all beginner divers and they were super... read more
It was a really great experience diving with Piranha and Otavio. The dive was the USS Emmons with a very small group. Everything was well set-up and ran like clockwork. Otavio was attentive, aware, careful, knowledgeable and kind. You do need to be an experienced diver for this site and must be comfortable being responsible for your gear and safety. It was an dive experience I will never forget!
I had the chance to spend a couple of days diving with Piranha and I was fully satisfied. From the equipment to safe instructions (on deep dives especially), all was perfect. Thank you Otario for the nice pictures and the big burger haha
Solo traveler + 11 year break from my last dive. Jan and his team took time to help me refresh my skills. We went out with a small group, and one dive master made sure to stuck with me when I wandered a little ways from the group... Whoops!
Other local dive shops were taking out huge groups, which looked a little chaotic and obtrusive to nature.
Everything from transportation and gear was taken care of beyond my expectation. Just as a reminder to folks- with any sport like this, it is still important to ask questions (before you arrive) if you have them. Jan quickly replied to my questions, as well as made adjustments for me when some travel plans went awry.
Any company relies on customers to communicate their needs and skill-level ahead of time. There is no shame is asking questions to clarify, as much as any experienced diver should share what they are hoping to get from the dive before they head out. Even if you are a well-seasoned diver, rules and regs vary by country, which may limit what you think a service "should" be providing. For the few reviews where customers had a "negative" experience, I think their feeling could have been resolved if they communicated more, or just literally paid attention to what Jan told them.
Really great crew that respects the sea- highly recommend!
Just spent a delightful week with Piranha Divers Okinawa. Jan, Pierre, Nils and Octavio are a highly professional and caring crew who went out of their way to ensure that all divers gained the maximum enjoyment possible from each and every dive be it shore diving or from a boat. Being situated in the middle of the island of Okinawa meant that most sites were 20-60 mins drive away. Traffic at this time of the year is quite good. High summer traffic means the distance doesn't change but the time to get to the site is longer. Whilst I have my own gear I can attest that other divers who hired kit received high quality equipment in top condition. The variety of dive sites is such that every day provided a new site to explore. Depths ranged from 3m (or less when scooting over reefs) to the USS Emmons wreck at 45m. There is plenty of healthy hard and soft coral, no shortage of fish, more than a few sea snakes to admire as well. Visibility was excellent and the water temp stayed around 21 degrees during the week. Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Swiss and English languages spoken. Co-owners & husband and wife Jan and Tomoko recommended accommodation with the nearby Pension Weekend (PW) which proved to be a lovely option. Homely and welcoming, the PW is quiet and comfortable with Okinawa breakfast options that were always amazing.
Piranha Divers care about the environment and emphasize the need to not touch nor pester marine life, time was spent with newer divers to ensure this was understood. Piranha Divers Okinawa is an active participants in Project Aware and Dive Against Debris.
The area known as Onna-son has some great restaurants within a short walk of the dive shop and Pension Weekend. (There are 5 star hotels also available.) The pork and beef options are superb if you are a carnivore, the sushi options spectacular with Shabu shabu vegetarian (and meat) hot pot and other Okinawan styles of food readily available. The nearby Lawson Station (Convenience Store) has an ATM that services foreign cards.
Hi Don, It was nice to have you here, and showing you around to what Okinawa has to offer underwater, I hope to see you again. Thanks again, Jan and the team of Piranha.
Happy Bubbles!
This is my second time to enjoy the professional guidance of Jan and his friendly and multilingual team. This time I did the rescue diver course, and it was really a very useful course, especially with all the situations I had to solve during the open water exercises. Thank you Jan for all your efforts to introduce me into the beatiful world under the surface.
I did my first diving license here. Everyone so so friendly, instructors patient and fun to be around, everyone could speak English fluently which helped a lot. They took us to nice diving spots and took good care of us. I am happy I picked them to help me in the beginning of my diving journey!