Full day
The Kerama boat day
Our listing
- Length7 hours
- Pickup19 options in Naha
- CancelFree until 24 hours before
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Okinawa snorkeling tour: Kerama Islands or Blue Cave?
Full-day Kerama Islands snorkeling tour from Naha
★ 4.5 · 891 ratings
The quick version
An Okinawa snorkeling tour to the Kerama Islands takes a full day by boat from Naha, while a Blue Cave tour at Cape Maeda can take as little as 1.5 hours.
Season and location
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Kerama Islands or Blue Cave?
Say when you travel and how much time you have, and a matching listing appears with its from-price.
Recommended for you
The full-day Kerama boat tour
from $83
It lasts 7 hours with pickup in Naha, and winter vests are on board.
Recommended for you
The private Blue Cave tour
from $44
It lasts 1.5 hours and starts at the Cape Maeda parking lot.
Recommended for you
The small-group Blue Cave boat
from $73
It lasts 4.5 hours, is limited to 5 guests and has transport from Naha or Chatan.
One is a boat day out to a national park west of Naha, the other a short outing to a sea cave on the main island. Here is how they differ in time, season, age rules and price, listing by listing.
Editorial team, keramaislandssnorkeling.com · Updated November 6, 2026 · 6 mins to read
Quick look
- Kerama dayOur listing runs 7 hours from Naha with pickup and a 1-hour speedboat crossing each way, from $83.
- Blue Cave outingA private Blue Cave tour lasts 1.5 hours from the Cape Maeda parking lot and starts from $44.
- SeasonOne Blue Cave listing says the cave is often closed from November to February because of strong winds.
- Age rulesThe private Blue Cave tour takes guests aged 6 to 59, and some Kerama departures stop at 59 too.
- Where they areThe Blue Cave is at Cape Maeda in Onna Village on the main island, while the Kerama Islands lie approximately 40 kilometers west of Naha.1,2
Different Okinawa trips
People who search for an Okinawa snorkeling tour usually end up weighing the same two names, and Blue Cave snorkeling in Okinawa is one of them. The Blue Cave is a popular snorkel spot at Cape Maeda, in Onna Village on Okinawa's main island, shaped out of limestone cliffs, where light filtering through an opening in the upper cave creates blue hues.1 The Kerama Islands are a different kind of place: islands in a national park, approximately 40 kilometers west of Naha, reached by boat.2,3
Visit Okinawa Japan treats both as top snorkeling choices. It says the Kerama Islands are easily accessible by boat from Naha and that you can snorkel from the beaches on the three inhabited islands, Aka, Zamami and Tokashiki.4 It says the waters around Okinawa are extremely clear and often quite shallow for some distance from the shore.5 That clarity is common to both trips, and the real differences are time, scenery and season.
Think of the Blue Cave as a short outing with one big moment, and of the Kerama Islands as a day with several moments. A cave visit fits into a morning, and a boat day fills the whole day and asks for a boat ride in both directions. The sections below set each part of the choice beside real listings so that you can see the trade-offs in minutes and dollars.
Kerama and cave listings side by side
Length, group and price at a glance
| Listing | Length | Notes | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerama full day | 7 hours | Pickup in Naha, 891 reviews | $83 |
| Kerama half day | 3 hours | 2 hours of snorkeling | $44 |
| Blue Cave private | 1.5 hours | Starts at Cape Maeda | $44 |
| Blue Cave private, pickup | 1.5 hours | Optional hotel transport | $64 |
| Blue Cave small group | 4.5 hours | Limited to 5 guests | $73 |
Every price is a from price taken from the listing, so the final fare depends on the date and the group.
How much time each one takes
Start with the clock. Our Kerama listing lasts 7 hours and is built from a 30-minute car ride, a 1-hour speedboat crossing, three snorkeling stops, then the crossing and the ride back. A half-day Kerama listing lasts 3 hours, with a 30-minute speedboat crossing each way and 2 hours of snorkeling near the closest islands.
An Okinawa Blue Cave snorkeling tour is shorter on the water. A private Blue Cave listing runs 1.5 hours and starts at the Cape Maeda parking lot, so the travel to the cape is yours to arrange. Another is 4.5 hours with pickup from Chatan, a car ride of 1.5 hours to the fishing port, a 10-minute speedboat ride to the cave and a 1-hour drive back, which shows how much of a Blue Cave outing can be driving.
So a short snorkel does not always mean a short day. If you stay in Naha, the Kerama day starts at your hotel with pickup, while the cave outing starts at the cape unless you pick a listing with transport. Pick by the total time you can spare, from the first pickup to the last drop-off, and not by the length of the snorkeling alone.
Time on the clock
How long each listing takes
- Blue Cave private1.5 hours
- Kerama half day3 hours
- Blue Cave small group4.5 hours
- Kerama full day7 hours
- Kerama with lunch9 hours
Lengths are the durations on each listing and include crossings, drives and briefings where the listing counts them.
What you see in the water
The cave gives you light. Visit Okinawa Japan says light filters through an opening in the upper reaches of the cave to create blue hues, and it names bigscale soldierfish and Ryukyu sweepers among the fish you can see there.1,6 The private listing sells the same idea with photos and short videos included at no extra cost.
The islands give you coral and room. Visit Okinawa Japan says more than 200 of the 400 species of coral in Japan can be found on the Kerama reefs and that hawksbill, green and loggerhead turtles nest around the islands.7 Our listing hunts for turtles at 2-3 carefully selected locations a day, and says plainly that guests may not meet one. Japan's tourism board describes Kerama blue as a shade of the sea with its own name.8
Both promise fish, and neither guarantees an animal. The Naha-or-Chatan listing says sea turtle sightings are not guaranteed, and our own listing visits 2-3 spots in a day. If you want variety, choose the boat day, and if you want one striking scene, choose the cave.
Trips and listings
Boat day, private cave or small group
Short outing
The private cave tour
Cape Maeda start
- Length1.5 hours
- Ages6 to 59
- ExtrasPhotos and videos included
Boat entry
The small-group cave boat
Pickup from Chatan
- Length4.5 hours
- GroupLimited to 5
- Boat10 minutes to the cave
Season, wind and closures
Season is where the two trips diverge most. One Blue Cave listing says the cave is often closed during the winter months from November to February because of strong winds, with an alternative spot used instead. Another says entry into the cave depends on sea conditions and may be restricted by wind, and that if it cannot enter the tour moves to another site with no refund. A third says the cave is managed by the local government and may close suddenly.
The Kerama trip has its own seasons, and winter is one of them. Our listing says the water in winter is about 22 degrees Celsius with air about 20 degrees Celsius, and that 3 mm hooded vests and coats are available. It also offers whale watching, only from 12 January to March. Japan's tourism board says the best time for swimming around Tokashiki is between May and October.12
So a winter visit points to the Kerama boat, with a warm layer, and a summer visit makes either work. Neither trip is immune to weather. Our listing says the destination may change or the plan be cancelled by the weather on the day, and the Blue Cave listings describe the same switch to a calm beach. A flexible ticket matters more than the choice of place.
Work out the bill
Compare four trips for your group
Choose how many are coming and see the from price for each style of trip.
Compare 4 side by side
Compare four trips for your group
Choose how many are coming and see the from price for each style of trip.
- Kerama full day7 hours · starts at, per person $83
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View - Kerama half day3 hours · starts at, per person $44
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View - Blue Cave private1.5 hours · $44 and up each
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View - Blue Cave boat4.5 hours · starts at, per person $73
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View
Starting prices on GetYourGuide, exchanged at the ECB reference rate. The booking page gives the exact price.
A Blue Cave outing
The small-group boat listing, in order
Pickup
Chatan meeting point
Pickup is from Nippon Rent-A-Car Kencho-mae or the Chatan Tourist Information Center.
Drive
To the fishing port
A car ride of 1.5 hours leads to the Maeganeku fishing port.
Briefing
Safety briefing
A safety briefing takes 30 minutes at the fishing port.
Boat
Short speedboat ride
A speedboat ride of 10 minutes reaches the cave.
In the cave
Snorkeling
Snorkeling happens at the Blue Cave, if sea conditions allow entry.
Back
The drive home
A 1-hour drive returns the group to Chatan.
Age limits, children and fitness
Read the age line first. The private Blue Cave listing accepts guests from 6 to 59, and the small-group Blue Cave boat listing says children under 12 need an adult with them. On the Kerama side, the Naha departure of the Naha-or-Chatan listing sets an age limit of 6 to 59 in summer only, the Chatan departure covers ages 6 to 64 year-round, and the half-day listing does not permit guests under 5 or over 59.
Our own listing asks for parental consent for minors and applies a health screening, and it says no refund is given if you fail it. The half-day listing asks guests under 20 for parental consent as well. These rules are ordinary on Okinawa boat tours, and they are the one place where a family should check each listing line by line before paying.
Swimming ability matters less than people fear. The private Blue Cave listing pitches the tour at children and non-swimmers, with full instructor support. On the Kerama side, one recent reviewer says staff helped a friend who cannot swim with a float. Life jackets are mandatory on the Naha-or-Chatan listing, and our listing says guests wear a wetsuit or life jacket.
Video
First time snorkeling in Okinawa at the Blue Cave
Williams World on YouTube · The video only starts loading on your tap.
Light filters through an opening in the upper reaches of the cave creating beautiful blue hues.
Before you book
A checklist for either trip
Check first3
- Every age limit and consent rule in your group
- The cancellation terms and any sea-condition clause
- The season, since the cave is often closed from November to February
Pack3
- Swimwear worn under your clothes, a towel and a change of clothes
- Cash for parking, showers and small extras
- Motion sickness medication for the Kerama crossings9
Price and value
The Blue Cave listings are the cheaper outings. The private tour from the cape starts from $44 with 127 reviews at 4.9, and the private hotel-pickup version starts from $64 with 64 reviews at 4.9. The small-group boat listing with transport from Naha or Chatan starts from $73 with 21 reviews at 4.7. The private tours have strong ratings from a smaller pool of reviews.
The Kerama listings cost more and last longer. Ours starts from $83 with 891 reviews at 4.4, the day with lunch from $51 with 465 reviews at 4.7, and the half day from $44 with 200 reviews at 4.1. The cheapest Kerama listing is the half day.
Look at what is extra. The private Blue Cave listing leaves parking at 100 yen an hour and hot showers at 200 yen outside the price, and everything is cash only. Our listing mentions paid parking at the port, 500 yen per day, and asks you to bring or order lunch. A cheap headline price can hide a cash-only extra, and a longer day can hide a lunch to organize.
FAQ
Brief questions, brief answers.
Is the Blue Cave or the Kerama Islands better for snorkeling?
It depends on the day you want.
The cave is a short outing with one striking scene, while the Kerama Islands are a full day with several reefs.1
How far apart are the Blue Cave and the Kerama Islands?
Is the Blue Cave closed in winter?
Often, because of wind.
One listing says it is often closed during November to February because of strong winds.
How long is a Blue Cave tour?
From 1.5 hours.
A private listing runs 1.5 hours, and a small-group boat listing with transport runs 4.5 hours.
How much is a Kerama snorkeling tour?
From $44 for a half day.
A half day starts from $44, and our full-day listing starts from $83.
Can children go to the Blue Cave?
From age 6 on the private tour.
The private listing takes guests aged 6 to 59, and children under 12 need an adult with them on the small-group listing.
Which trip is better in winter?
The Kerama boat, dressed warmly.
Our listing offers 3 mm hooded vests and coats in winter, while the cave is often closed from November to February.
Can I see turtles on either trip?
Possibly on the Kerama day.
Our listing searches for turtles at 2-3 locations but says guests may not see one.
Sources
- Visit Okinawa Japan (Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau) · Okinawa Snorkeling Guide ↩
- Visit Okinawa Japan (Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau) · Aka Island ↩
- Visit Okinawa Japan (Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau) · Kerama Islands ↩
- Visit Okinawa Japan (Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau) · Okinawa Snorkeling Guide ↩
- Visit Okinawa Japan (Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau) · Okinawa Snorkeling Guide ↩
- Visit Okinawa Japan (Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau) · Okinawa Snorkeling Guide ↩
- Visit Okinawa Japan (Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau) · Kerama Islands Diving ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization (japan.travel) · Kerama Islands ↩
- Zamami Village Tourism Association (official site) · Prepare your trip ↩
- National Parks of Japan (Ministry of the Environment) · Marine Sports Activities on Tokashikijima and Zamamijima Islands ↩
- Zamami Village Tourism Association (official site) · Prepare your trip ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization (japan.travel) · Tokashiki Island (Tokashikijima) ↩
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