FAQ

Tour Meeting & Ending Times 【March–November】 ▶ Yabiji Snorkeling 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM ▶ Blue Cave & Sea Turtle Snorkeling 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM ▶ Sunset SUP Meeting time is approximately 1.5 hours before sunset. The tour ends about 30 minutes after sunset. Times vary significantly by season — typically around 6:00 PM–8:00 PM in summer, and 4:30 PM–6:30 PM in winter. ▶ Yabiji Private Boat Charter 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM ▶ Irabu Island Private Boat Charter 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM 【October–March】 ▶ Sea Turtle Snorkeling 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ▶ SUP Cruising 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM ▶ SUP & Sea Turtle Snorkeling Combo 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM ▶ Sunset SUP 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM (Times may vary slightly depending on the season and sunset time.) ▶ Drone & Photography Tour 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM 📝 Please Note: Tour start and end times may be adjusted depending on the weather, sea conditions, and tides on the day of the tour. Thank you for your understanding.

What to Bring Swimsuit (please wear it before arriving) Change of clothes Bath towel Bottled drinking water Tour fee (in cash, with exact change if possible) Smartphone Beach sandals (if you have them) Lunch (for Yabiji Snorkeling Tour participants only) 👍 Recommended Items (Optional but highly encouraged) Sunscreen Rash guard Hat or cap Sunglasses Motion sickness medicine Although it’s rare, some guests may feel seasick even during snorkeling or SUP. If you're concerned, we recommend taking motion sickness medicine in advance.

Meeting Point for Boat Tours Please come by car to our dock, located right in front of our boat at Sarahama Fishing Port on Irabu Island. 📍 Sunnies Miyakojima Boat Dock https://maps.app.goo.gl/9n4hdyttKq4nArTF8 We recommend switching the map view to “satellite” mode to better see the boat location. On the day of the tour, look for an olive green mini truck parked next to the boat — that’s your landmark. 🅿️ Free parking is available. 🚻 The nearest restrooms, vending machines, and convenience stores are at the Sun Marine Terminal, so please use them before heading to the meeting spot. 🏖 Meeting Point for Beach Tours The exact meeting location will be decided based on weather, wind, tide, and sea conditions. We'll choose the safest and calmest location possible and inform you by the evening before your tour. In some cases, the final decision may not be made until the morning of the tour, or it might change at the last minute depending on conditions. Wherever we meet, free parking will be available.

Participation Guidelines for Children 🐠 Yabiji Snorkeling Because this tour is longer than others, we recommend it for children of elementary school age or older. That said, if your child is a confident swimmer and loves the water (such as those attending swimming classes), they may be able to join even at age 5 or 6. We can also tow small children using a float ring with a viewing window. If you're unsure, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss it with you. 🐢 Other Snorkeling Tours Children from around 3–4 years old are welcome to join. We have child-sized snorkeling gear available. If your child doesn’t feel comfortable using a snorkel set, they can also ride in a float ring with a face window, and be towed safely. 🏄‍♂️ SUP Tours Children who can’t yet ride a SUP board on their own can share a board with an adult. As long as they’re able to sit still during the ride, they’re welcome to join. Most children aged 8–10 and up are usually able to ride solo. For children riding together with an adult, we offer a ¥6,000 discount on the tour fee. 📸 Photography Tours All ages are welcome! Just be sure to stay hydrated during the tour.

Tours may be cancelled due to poor weather conditions. If we need to cancel or suggest an alternative plan, we will do our best to inform you by the evening before your scheduled tour. Snorkeling tours will go ahead in light rain, but may be cancelled in the event of strong winds, high waves, or thunderstorms. SUP tours will not operate in rainy weather. Drone & Photo Shooting Tours will also be cancelled if it rains. If your tour is cancelled due to weather, no cancellation fees will apply.

Absolutely! While it’s helpful if you can swim, it’s not required. We provide life jackets for all participants, and as long as you wear yours properly, you can enjoy snorkeling and SUP safely. During the snorkeling tour, your guide will be right beside you with a float. If you're not confident in the water, you can simply hold on and be gently towed while you enjoy the beautiful underwater scenery.

Yes — we have a changing tent available at the meeting point, so you can change clothes if needed. Rinse water is also provided to wash off sand and salt, and we offer warm water during the colder months. Please note that tours usually end on-site, so full showers or doing makeup may not be practical. We're currently building a toilet and shower room at our office/storage space on Irabu Island. It’s a DIY project, but we're doing our best to make it available for guests this season!

For safety reasons, we follow the buddy system, where participants watch out for each other while in the water. Because of this, we do not accept solo bookings. We kindly ask that you join the tour with a friend or family member.

Photos and videos taken during the tour will be shared via a Google Photos album. We do RAW editing and color correction after the tour, usually in the evening. Because of this, the delivery time will be later that night at the earliest, or by the following day at the latest.

Here’s a rough guide to when people typically wear wetsuits in Miyakojima: January to April: Wetsuits are pretty much essential. May to June: Some people start going without. July to September: Most people don’t wear wetsuits. October to November: Wetsuits gradually make a comeback. December: Wetsuits are almost essential again. This is just a general impression! Of course, it depends on the weather, water temperature, wind, and your personal sensitivity to cold — so please use this as a rough reference. For SUP, many people go without a wetsuit year-round, or simply tie one around their waist just in case.

Our boat is equipped with a Western-style flush toilet. However, please keep the following points in mind: 🚻 We recommend using the restroom before the tour begins. 🚫 Toilet paper should not be flushed. Please place used paper in the plastic bag provided. 🤢 Please don't vomit in the toilet. If you feel seasick, it’s best to lean over the side of the boat. 🚹 Gentlemen, please sit down when using the toilet!

Yes! We welcome guests who can communicate in English. Our staff are not native English speakers, but they can communicate effectively and have guided many international guests in the past. However, for safety reasons, at least one person in each group must be able to communicate fluently in either Japanese or English. If no one in your group can speak either language well, we’re very sorry, but we cannot accept your reservation. To book a tour, please contact us via LINE first to check availability. After we confirm there’s space, we’ll send you the reservation form. Please do not send the form or any booking requests before contacting us via LINE. We also do not accept inquiries or bookings by email. We kindly ask you to use LINE as the main communication tool. If LINE is not available in your country, Instagram DM is acceptable as a backup.

🐠 For Snorkeling Tours Just bring your own swimsuit — that’s all you need! We also recommend wearing a rash guard to help prevent sunburn and minor scratches. From November to April, the water can be chilly, so we recommend wearing a wetsuit, which we provide for free. 🏄‍♀️ For SUP Tours Swimwear is fine, but yoga wear, rash guards, or other clothes that are easy to move in and safe to get wet are also OK. We also recommend bringing a hat, sunglasses, and a rash guard for sun protection. 📸 For Photography Tours There are no dress code rules — feel free to come in any outfit you like! Some popular choices include wedding dresses and tuxedos, matching aloha shirts, or even everyone wearing Orion Beer t-shirts — they all look great in photos! As some locations may involve walking on rocky areas, we recommend bringing sport sandals or sneakers.

You can bring valuables such as your wallet and keys onto the boat. There is a covered box on board where you can store items you don't want to get wet. Please note that this box may be shared with other guests. It’s not very large, so we kindly ask you to keep your belongings to a minimum and avoid bringing bulky items like towels or spare clothes onto the boat.

We kindly ask that you pay in cash (Japanese yen) on the day of the tour. Unfortunately, we do not accept credit cards at this time. If you don’t have enough cash, please plan to withdraw some in advance — there are ATMs on Miyako Island, including at convenience stores. If you'd prefer to pay in advance via bank transfer (Japan only), just let us know and we’ll provide the details. Need a receipt? No problem — we’ll be happy to send you a PDF version after the tour.

Guests of all ages are welcome, as long as they are in good health and feeling well. If you are 65 or older, we kindly ask that you contact us in advance. In many cases, we recommend a private tour for greater comfort and safety. Guests who wish to join the tour as boat riders only (without participating in the activity) will be charged 50% of the regular tour fee.

If you need to cancel your reservation, please contact us as early as possible, regardless of the reason. For cancellations due to personal reasons, the following fees will apply based on the number of days before your scheduled tour: 7 days to 5:00 PM on the day before the tour: 50% After 5:00 PM on the day before, or same-day cancellation: 100% No-shows without notice: 100% Notes: No cancellation fee will be charged if the tour is canceled due to bad weather. If your flight is canceled due to a typhoon, you will not be charged a cancellation fee.

For safety reasons and to protect our equipment, we do not offer gear rentals without a guided tour. Many water accidents occur during unguided snorkeling or SUP, often in conditions or locations that professionals would avoid. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Yes! We take underwater photos during snorkeling tours, and use a drone to capture the SUP experience. All photos and videos are included — free of charge. Just relax and leave it to us! You're also welcome to bring your own camera or GoPro, but please be extra careful not to drop or submerge your gear in the ocean. 🚫 No iPhones in the water, please! We've had too many guests accidentally drop their iPhones while snorkeling or paddleboarding. For safety and peace of mind, we ask that you do not use iPhones during any water activities. Please note that we cannot be responsible for any loss, damage, or submersion of your personal devices. That said... We once dove for two full days to recover a sunken iPhone — and actually found it! (No promises next time, though 😅)

In general, we kindly ask guests to come to the meeting point using their own rental car. 🙇‍♂️ We may be able to offer pick-up and drop-off for guests staying on Irabu Island, for up to 7 people. If you’re having trouble arranging transportation, feel free to contact us — we’ll do our best to help!

You can't wear regular glasses while snorkeling, but don’t worry — you still have options! If you have poor eyesight, we recommend wearing daily disposable soft contact lenses. Thanks to the magnifying effect of the water, everything often appears larger underwater — so if your vision is around 20/70 or better, you may be fine even without correction. We also have a few basic prescription masks available. If you think you might need one, just let us know in advance!

As a general rule, all guests are required to wear a life jacket, a wetsuit, or both, depending on the tour and sea conditions. However, our staff includes certified NAUI Skin Diving Instructors, and we may allow guests to remove their life jackets for skin diving only if the instructor deems it safe. To qualify, you must: Be a strong swimmer with a certain level of swimming ability Be familiar with using snorkeling equipment correctly and confidently If you're interested and meet the above criteria, please consult with our staff before entering the water. Your safety is our top priority.

Smoking and drinking are not allowed during the tour. Please refrain from smoking on the boat or near the parking area. We also ask that you avoid heavy drinking the night before your tour. For safety reasons, guests who are visibly under the influence of alcohol, or who smell strongly of alcohol, will not be allowed to join the tour. In such cases, a 100% cancellation fee will apply.