Blue Cave Snorkeling & Diving in Okinawa
Last updated: September 13, 2026
The Blue Cave on Okinawa's Onna coast is the island's most famous snorkel and dive spot — a sea grotto near Cape Maeda where sunlight bounces off the pale seabed and fills the chamber with a luminous cobalt glow. Boats slip out from Maeganeku fishing port for the short ride to the cave mouth, and expert guides stay beside you as your eyes adjust to the blue and the marine life appears: angel fish, shoals of tropical fish, even the occasional eagle ray. Calm, clear and beginner-friendly, it's the easiest first taste of Okinawa's underwater world for swimmers and first-time divers alike.
Itinerary
Departure
- Start point: Maeganeku Fishing Port
- Stop at: Blue Cave (Cape Maeda)
Frequently Asked Questions
No — the experience is built for beginners. Snorkelers need no skills beyond basic comfort in the water, and the introductory scuba option is guided one-on-one at gentle depths, so no certification is required. Expert guides stay with you the whole way.
Sunlight enters through the water rather than the cave mouth, and the pale seabed reflects it upward — the light is filtered to blue on the way in, so the whole chamber glows cobalt from below. The effect is strongest around midday when the sun is high.
Boats depart from Maeganeku fishing port in Onna Village, on the west coast of Okinawa's main island about an hour's drive north of Naha. From the port it's only a short ride along the coast to the cave at Cape Maeda.
The clear water around the cave shelters angel fish and dense shoals of tropical fish that gather to meet snorkelers, and lucky groups spot an eagle ray gliding past. Inside the cave, the fish silhouette beautifully against the blue glow.