Planning to go to Okinawa in June 2025. The entire trip was to introduce my daughter to snorkeling but now I am thinking about canceling due to jelly fish and other poisonous animals. Is there even a way to snorkle safely?
– Full wet suite?
– Inside netted areas (though many such beaches seems not to allow snorkeling)
– With a guide, do they chase the Jelly fish away or something? Or do they just 'know' where it is not likely to encounter Jelly fish?
by Deep-Shape-5699
17 comments
You need to wear a full rash guard that zips up. Keep the size a little baggy that way your ankles are covered too. I got stung by a box jelly on the little bit of ankle that was showing. Bring vinegar with you in case you do get stung. There’s a season for the jellyfish and most of the time you won’t see any. I think you should go for it.
Yes it is. Wearing a full body rash guard is a good idea, and you can stay inside netted areas if you’re worried about stingers. People worry about sea creatures but the reality is that waves and currents are far more dangerous, so the most important thing if you’re going with a young child is to make sure that conditions are safe, and ideally swim somewhere with a lifeguard.
June is outside of normal jelly season… They are always a possibility but not common. A rash guard is a good idea but honestly you want one for sun protection anyways.
Go to Manza beach. They have a netted area with nice snorkeling opportunity. That area is free for hotel guests
You don’t seem cut out for snorkeling. Just go to the aquarium and have a better time.
I’m not sure if planning an entire overseas trip to introduce your daughter to snorkeling is a good idea. Also it seems like you have not snorkeled or been to the sea very much too.
Maybe try snorkeling in the nearby beach or swimming pool and see if she’s OK?
Better not mention the stonefish in Okinawa….
Last year in July I introduced my 12 year old daughter to snorkeling and she loved it. I did however put her on a float and pulled her along. We mainly snorkeling next to toya port in Yomitan. Has a nice reef the protects the inner reef and beach area from larger prey.
The snorkeling in Okinawa isn’t going to be much more risky than snorkeling in any other warm weather area. Jellyfish are just an inherent risk of going in the ocean, but wearing a wetsuit or rashguard to keep your skin covered can help avoid accidental brushes (and more importantly, also great for preventing sunburns). When I visited, I had a great time snorkeling in zamami with a [guided trip](https://noah-zamami.jp/en/en-menu/) after a short ferry ride, and we didn’t have any issues with jellyfish.
That said, if it’s going to be her first time snorkeling, doing that in a internationally in a country where she may not know the language and you both don’t know the wildlife may be a bit too overwhelming, especially since you already seem to be panicking a bit.
Lived in Okinawa for 4-years, went snorkeling countless times, never had any incidents. Definitely get some felt bottom booties, the coral will hurt your feet.
My friend got stung the other day, was pretty bad. Though I’ve heard it very rare if you’re really worried about it you can bring some vinigar with you to neutralize the poison if you do encounter one.
I’m a professional diver in Okinawa, and take my 3rd grader spearfishing nearly every weekend, and have been taking him snorkeling since he was tiny. It’s very safe here, and I think your fear of jelly fish is overblown.
Because of my job and interests I’ve been stung by jellyfish hundreds, if not thousands of times. Most species you can barely feel, it’s like one degree of pain more than a mosquito, and many times you don’t even notice you were stung until you get itchy bumps later.
Of course there are dangerous jellyfish, but they’re rare, and the most painful one you’re likely to encounter (Portuguese man-of-war) are very visible and easy to avoid. We also have cone snails, but you typically don’t find live ones until you’re about 20 feet deep. Just tell your daughter not to touch shells in the water, and only collect them on the shore. Also there are stone fish, but they’re rare and felt boots like others have suggested would help. The most dangerous thing about snorkeling in Okinawa is the current, but that’s no different than everywhere else in the ocean.
I have dove all over the world, and Okinawa is absolutely the best place I’ve been for wildlife. Especially when it comes to snorkeling in shallow calm water. You could literally not pick a better place to take her snorkeling. There are so many colorful fish, even at shallow depths. You will see clown fish (Nemo) and at a depth that’s easy to swim down to. It will be an absolutely magical experience for both of you.
I live up north, so I don’t know all the spots in the south, but if you come up to the aquarium there’s a snorkeling spot called Gorilla Chop, that I think is the absolute best for children. It’s where I take my wife, because she’s not a great swimmer, and it’s shallow enough to stand in most parts, but there are so many fish you practically feel like you’re part of their school. It’s incredible.
I grew up in a family where all 4 of us kids spent 3 years in Hawaii and went to the beach all the time ( once you buy the mask and snorkel- it’s even cheaper entertainment) then we did 3 years kn okinawa.
besides snorkeling, boogie boarding and body surfing.- none of us drowned, ( the 4 years of swim lessons when we were in Germany probably helped with the not drowning bit ) nor were any of us ate or attacked or stung by things in the water
those Portuguse man o’wars were notorious since their tentacles went drifting quite a bit further than people think they do.
i think the serious questions you should be asking is what skill level of a swimmer is she? and how good at following instructions?
No best not
Honestly you’re more likely to step on something that hurts than a jelly
Had a friend come snorkel with us and got jellyfished within two days. Had she been wearing a wetsuit she would have been fine.
My takeaway is wear felt bottom boots to protect the coral (and your feet) and wear a wetsuit….then you have nothing to worry about….except being a good swimmer
I’ve lived here for 10 years and snorkel all summer and never had an issue. You should definitely wear a long-sleeved rash vest and leggings anyway because the sun is extremely strong! It also protects from jellyfish or things like fire coral to a degree. And don’t touch anything, unless you wear gloves (also a good idea to protect from the sun)