Well it’s been a fun weekend overall, and an extended one for those of us lucky enough to live in Okinawa and my employed by the local government. Yesterday marked the end of the Battle of Okinawa, and therefore was Okinawa Memorial Day, with all public offices and schools closed for the day. So, while many families attended their ancestral tombs and shrines for the day to have picnics and pay homage of some sort, I elected to get into the ocean and pay my respects to Poseidon, Neptune and Darryl Hannah from Splash!

It was actually the 2nd attempt at getting into the water after I had tried on Saturday. Was scheduled to meet a diving student and start an Advanced Open Water course with her. So we met up, got to the dive site and geared up. All was well until we got into the water and about 4m/12ft down when my dive buddy indicated there was a problem and that they wanted to surface. So we went up and my buddy said they were having problems breathing from the regulator. I tried breathing through it and it seemed to be tough to inhale; almost as if the diaphragm inside was sticking. I looked at the alternate second stage and tried breathing through that and encountered the exact same problem. Very strange. If you hit the front of the 2nd stage (near the purge button) it seemed to loosen up for about 20-30 seconds before it started sticking again. As we were planning a deep dive there was no way I was going to take any chances with equipment, so we had to call off the diving. Have sent the regulator off to get checked but I only had it serviced 2-3 weeks ago. Hopefully it is just something that has stuck and needs lubrication or similar. I could have taken the regulator apart and given it a visual inspection, but I would rather give it to someone who has easy access to the parts and who will know straight away what the problem is. So instead on Saturday we decided to snorkel around Maeda Misaki instead. The sun was beating down and the water was about 29C at the surface; it really was beautiful there. We snorkelled around to the “cave” but that was just a huge mass of people colliding into each other, elbowing each other in the face to get past etc, so we didn’t stay in there for long. At one point I had someone just push my head down under the water to give them leverage to get past - not nice. The sun was pretty strong and I could feel the backs of my legs had been burnt a little by the time we had finished.

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It has been a long time coming, but I have a bit of diving news to report. The water is warming up, and so on Saturday I arranged an Open Water pool session that has been put off since the water started getting cold back in November. The day was a success on the whole and am now looking forward to getting into the water with those students at the start of July.

The day didn’t start too well, with rain scything down and strong winds on the west side of Okinawa. It was a good job we weren’t planning on getting into the ocean as there is no way we would have done it. Things didn’t improve when I got to the meeting spot and 5 minutes before we were all due to meet up one of my dive students called after being involved in a traffic collision. Not sure what happened exactly, but the main thing was she was physically OK. The car didn’t sound too good, with one of the front wheels not pointing the way it should, but cars can be repaired with money. So from 3 students we went down to 2, and those other two arrived promptly. We got gear and then headed off to the pool at Island Message in Sunabe.

Although we had done some of the skills before, I decided to run the course pretty much from scratch again as it had been a while since we’d done anything underwater. I was really pleased and, I have to admit, a little surprised at how well they did. Neither of them had any real problems, even when it came to the mask skills. The mask skills (filling it with water then clearing it, and removing the mask and putting it back on) are always the ones that could be tough for students. That skill is all psychological too: people often get worked up about water going in their nose and them inhaling it, that when they finally come down to doing the skill, they are so worked up that it happens just like that. The key with that skill is visualization; you have to picture yourself taking the mask off, the feeling of water touching your nose but not entering your nose, you keeping calm about it all etc. If you can picture yourself doing it, then you’ll do it without any problems. And I am happy to report both students did the mask removal first time, without any worries whatsoever. You could see the relief in their faces when they’d done it, along with the realization that it wasn’t nearly as tough as they’d built it up to be.

Once the mask skills are done, the rest of the session usually proves to be a breeze, and this one was no different. Smooth and methodical was the order of the day, and it worked well for both of them. So now I think we all look forward to the start of July (the next time we are all free) and a chance for us all to get into the ocean and see what diving is all about!

You just can’t keep me down. After a forced absence for over a week, I am happy to report I am back and typing again. I would like to come up with some exciting reasoning for my site being taken down… something like a wrangle with some ultra right-wing nationalists. Unfortunately, the reality is much more boring. The whole deepstop.com site was hacked by someone who obviously had nothing better to do, and the webmaster had a hell of a time recovering it all. But he managed it, so a big thanks going to Andy at www.yorkshire-divers.co.uk for sorting it all out.

First of all, just had an event at work which really takes the proverbial biscuit. Japanese teacher came over and told me the school was making a sign and wanted to know the best way in English to say “No Trespassing!”. Thought this a little strange and asked why they wanted the sign in English (unless, as a school, we want to educate people even through warnings). The reasoning is because of this horrifying event. Apparently a military jeep had the audacity to get lost on Okinawa’s wonderfully signposted roads (if you have been to Okinawa you can imagine the sarcastic tone that was said in). In an attempt to go back in the right direction, the jeep turned into a school parking area and turned around. I can hear you all saying “And…” but that is the end of the story. Jeep turned around and went on its way. It should also be noted that there were no students at the school at the time (although I don’t really think that’s too relevant to the story anyway). So now, apparently all schools are quaking in fear that one of the smog-belching carriages that transport those foreign armed savages around will decide to turn around in their car parks, and are trying to make signs to deter them. Now I don’t know about you, but even if I see a “no trespassing” sign, if I need to turn around and that seems the best place, then I will spend a couple of seconds turning around there. Have seen plenty of Japanese tourists doing that at Japanese and American bases after making a wrong turn. So I told them the translation and they went away very happy. Nice to know the school budget is being spent on things that make a difference!

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An interesting link to this story is that Nago fishermen have, for the first time in quite a while, managed to trap 100 dolphins and slaughter them recently. This, from Japan Update:

Nago used to the center of dolphin hunting in Okinawa where tens of fishermen gathered to hunt dolphins that were herded into the shallow Nago Bay and then slaughtered. Eventually the bloody practice was stopped mainly because of opposition by conservationist groups, and accompanying bad publicity to the city.

However, the tradition is still alive, and a few fishermen in the city still possess licenses to hunt dolphins. Dolphin meat is also available at some smaller shops and at some festivals in the city.

Recently, a school of more than 100 dolphins appeared off Nago Bay and the local fishermen?fs association called its members to join the hunt. Five boats joined the hunt and chased the group of the animals. They managed to herd seven dolphins into the fishing port where they were slaughtered.

This was the first time the dolphin hunt has been allowed since the practice was stopped 18 years ago. That ban was lifted last May. Association officials stress that the dolphin hut is not against International Whaling Commission limitations. But as people around the world are strongly opposing whaling, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recommended to halt the practice.

Currently there are six boats that have a license to hunt for dolphins. For people in and around Nago City dolphins used to be an important part of their diet, but recently dolphin meat has become more of a curiosity that is eaten on special occasions.

Even local fishermen agree that a large scale dophin hunt is a thing of the past. “We can’t continue taking dolphins like before. People are strongly against the practice, and besides the cost of fuel has increased so much that hunting dolphins is no more profitable”

One thing that is rarely mentioned here, but usually in base arguments is the dugong. The only reason the dugong so rare in Okinawa is because they were fished almost to extinction. It’s not a coincidence they are only found near Camp Schwab waters in Okinawa (i.e. where Okinawan fishermen are not allowed). Seems rather strange that they are complaining then that the Henoko base will result in the death of the dugong population.

After what seemed like an eternity (in reality, just over 2 months) I finally got back into the water and dived on Saturday morning at Maeda Misaki. I’m pretty sure it’s been the longest period I’ve ever been out of the water since I came to Okinawa, and as soon as I got in I realised how much I’d missed it. Met up with Brian at 7am at Maeda, and upon meeting we found out that parking to the dive site doesn’t actually open until 8am (shows how much we haven’t been diving!). On heading over to look at the conditions we were astonished though. It was probably the flattest I have ever seen the ocean off the coast of Maeda. There really wasn’t a single ripple in the water and was pretty breathtaking.

So 8am comes, the gates open up and typically, we are first into the water. That’s a great feeling, as you know that a lot of the more timid fish may still be around before everyone else jumps in and starts disturbing them. But man that water felt cold after 2 months being out of the loop! The official temperature was 22.7C in the water, but when that stuff hits the base of your spine it feels ice cold! But a bit of cold water wasn’t going to stop me diving so we descended and headed left along the wall. Saw a big (50-60cm) stonefish and some nice corals on what ended up being a deep dive (to around 34m). When we returned and came to the shallower waters we saw a cuttlefish too, which made my day as they really are my favourite marine animal. They just like like something not from this earth, with their colour changing and the way the propel themselves through the water.

So the 2nd dive of the day was even better, as we saw 3 of the things! Admittadly, one of them might have been the one we saw on the previous dive being spotted again, but it was still great. And I think we were watching 2 of them mating at one point. We spotted one cuttlefish which was pretty big and hovering close to the bottom. We went over and stayed a safe distance from it so as not to scare it off. Anyway, after about a minute it suddenly shot off at great speed and then we saw a smaller cuttlefish which must have been below the bigger one. Smaller cuttlefish then sauntered away with a post-coital glow to it (ok - so the very last part wasn’t strictly true!). I have to say at the end of this dive I was feeling pretty chilly. The water was a little cool and I had only had around 3 hours sleep the previous night so wasn’t full of energy. But I was back in the water for the first time in 2008 and am looking forward to getting back in once again this coming weekend. Until then, take care and dive safely.

Fishermen don’t like divers messing in their waters, but divers contend their livelihood is made in the same ocean areas, leading to a years-long feud over who?fs right. Now, the two sides have compromised, and agreed to work together.

The Miyako Jima Fishermen’s Association, Irabu Island Fishermen’s Association, Ikema Island Fishermen’s Association, the Miyakojima Diving Work Association and the Miyakojima Marine Business Resort Association have signed a pact that seems to have both sides satisfied. More than 40 diving companies will pay the fishermen’s associations support money, a fee of Y500 per diver.

Most of the diving companies have been making the Y500 payments for quite a while, but some had balked at making the payments. They didn’t like the informal agreement, saying “this is a nonsense agreement. Why should we pay the fishermen’s associations? It’s not fair to us.”

The fishermen have been asking the Y500 fee as compensation for divers using the waters in which they make their livings. The new agreement formally decrees that the fees will be used only for exterminating poisonous crown of thorns starfish, and not go to the fishermen’s associations.

Dive companies say this is fair, as the money goes to protecting the natural environment and to promote the fishing industry.

Fishermen’s associations agree now that the diving companies are working with them to promote their industry while protecting the environment by getting rid of poisonous star fish. Both sides say they’re happy to share use of the oceans in southern Okinawa.

Forwarding some information to you out there as I know a fair few people who visit this site are divers themselves. It comes from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and without furter adue, here is the message in full:

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NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2007
Release #08-127

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (888) 636-9390
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

ROMI Recalls SCUBA Regulators Due to Drowning Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Oceanic and AERIS SCUBA Regulator First Stages

Units: About 6,000

Manufacturer: ROMI Enterprises, of San Leandro, Calif.

Hazard: An internal component that seals air between the high pressure first-stage and the intermediate pressure second-stage can fail. This can result in uncontrolled flow of air to the diver and pose a risk of serious injury or death.

Incidents/Injuries: ROMI has received two reports of units malfunctioning during diving and six reports of units malfunctioning while being tested by dealers prior to delivery to consumers. No injuries reported.

Description and Models: The recall involves the following regulator first stages:

Oceanic Regulator First Stages:

Model CDX5
Certain serial numbers from 30202856 through 51312641 and purchased from May 2006 through October 2007

Model FDX10
Certain serial numbers from 51408026 through 51411813 and purchased from May 2006 through October 2007

Models CDX, DXi, DX3, DX4, and TDX5
All serial numbers and serviced from May 2006 through October 2007

AERIS Regulator First Stages:

Model AT400
Certain serial numbers from 30200036 through 51311560 and purchased from May 2006 through October 2007

Balanced Diaphragm
All serial numbers and serviced from May 2006 through October 2007

The model and serial numbers are stamped on the side of the body or on the body’s rubber covering.

Sold at: The items were either sold or repaired at authorized Oceanic and AERIS retailers nationwide from May 2006 through October 2007. The items sold for between $300 and $500.

Manufactured in: United States and Taiwan

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled regulator first stages and take them to any authorized Oceanic or AERIS dealer for a free replacement part.

Consumer Contact: For further information or to determine if your specific unit is affected, contact ROMI toll-free at (888) 636-9390 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday. Oceanic customers can send an e-mail to service@oceanicusa.com or visit the firm’s Web site at www.oceanicworldwide.com. AERIS customers can send an e-mail to info@diveaeris.com or visit the firm’s Web site at www.diveaeris.com

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08127.html

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15, 000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC’s web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov

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This is a large number of regulators so if you own any of these models or know anyone else who does, please pass on the information. Take care and dive safely.

The past weekend was a pretty successful and productive one. Friday was a Japanese public holiday due to it being Japanese Thanksgiving and so I decided to make use of the day off. So at 8am I met up with a dive student to finish her Advanced Open Water licence. She did very well and is a very competent diver. Couldn’t believe when I checked my logbook that it had been 5 weeks since I’d been in the water. No wonder I’d be getting withdrawal symptoms! The water has cooled down a little but it was really good to get back into the ocean. In addition, I managed to see 2 of my favourite marine creature: the cuttlefish. I think out of all the marine life you see, they look most like something not of this world. I’m always fascinated whenever I lay eyes on them, and this time was no different. It also felt good to get another diver signed off, and it means I’m only one more certification off improving my instructor status to Master Scuba Diver Instructor, which I’m pretty stoked about. Staying on the diving theme, Kadena Marina have also got into gear and have sent me a contract for working with them part time. I’ve got to finish reading it and making sure exactly what I’m signing but hopefully I’ll be able to get it back to them at the weekend and will be on their books some time in early December.

And then on Sunday I went to the Omega drag racing tournament in Nago yesterday as a spectator. I was so close to entering but decided that I really needed a new clutch (and a clue about how to do drag racing!) so I just decided to watch this time. Was good fun though, and the Japanese really know how to power up their cars. S13s, Skylines (a lot of them), and even an old skool Datsun was there doing runs, and some of them were hella-quick. But standing out from the pack were 2 Evos: an Evo I, and an Evo III, being driven by my friend here in Okinawa. It was the first event she’s entered in Japan and she was the first woman to ever enter this drag racing event. She certainly ruffled some feathers and after a slightly nervy start, came in 3rd place in her class. Not bad at all considering the majority of the car is stock and the track is slippery as ice (coral-based roads are killers in Okinawa). I think the Japanese drivers were mostly in a state of shock and shame that a foreign woman was keeping up (and beating) them! Just goes to show the early Evos can hold it with the best of them.

So without further adue, here are some shots of the event:

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I finally have something to report, and so have a relatively meaningful entry in my blog for the first time in quite a while. And it’s diving related - something I need to get back to after plenty of stories about all things Japan in the past few months.

On Saturday, I and 9 other people got onto a boat at Ginowan for a dive trip out in the Kerama islands. I arranged this trip for everyone myself (the first dive trip I’ve tried to arrange) and out of the 12 people who said yes originally, I was quite pleased to find that 9 of them turned up. 2 people cancelled on me for no reason (24 and 48 hours before the trip respectively) and one person said they would come but never got back to me. The latter might have had to go out of the country on business at very short notice though so they will be excused. But everyone else turned up bright and early on a gorgeous looking day. I met up with Brian a little earlier than everyone else, just to chat about the week, get my intake of caffeine for the day and talk about what we’d be doing today.

Once we’d got everyone and all the equipment and tanks onto the boat, we headed out to the Kerama islands. For those of you that don’t know, the Keramas is a group of 22 islands lying around 20 miles west of Naha. Only 4 of these islands (Zamami, Tokashiki, Aka and Geruma) are inhabited. Around the Keramas is some of the best snorkelling and diving you can find anywhere in Asia, and I truly believe that. Visibility of at least 30m/100ft is the norm, as well as the chances to see sharks, eels, turtles and many more marine life. By boat, the trip is around 1 hour, and you’re crossing a bit of open ocean so the wind and waves can play a part. On our trip there was northeasterly winds resulting in a bit of swell coming across us as we travelled west. When we’d got to the dive site, a couple of the people were feeling a little seasick. I must remember next time to remind everyone to take seasickness medication. It’s one of those things that you learn to tell people after the first time. Won’t make that mistake again.

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I must apologise to you regular readers for the lack of updates over the past month. I have been pretty busy with work and some personal things and have hardly had the time to sit down and tap away at my keyboard. But the week at my school is coming to an end and so I find myself witha bit of time on my hands and an inkling to update you with what’s been happening in my life.

Since I got back from England at the end of August it’s been pretty busy for me, despite the 2 public holidays (and therefore long weekends) we’ve had. We’ve had Respect for the Aged Day on September 17th (I called my folks and respected them!), and we had a subsitute holiday for the Autumnal Equinox on the 24th. When a public holiday falls on a Sunday in Japan, the next day is taken as a subsitute holiday in lieu. Pretty good deal if you ask me, but the Japanese need as many holidays as they can get as they’re a very highly stressed out race. I don’t think I’ve met a people work such long hours. Note that they’re not so productive at work, but they work long hours. I’m sure if they did a reasonable amount of work during the day, they wouldn’t have to stay at work until 8 or 9pm at night. But that’s beside the point…

I’ve had a couple of diving courses start too, and I’ve had the expected lateness and cancellations from my students. Calls an hour before a session is due to start telling me that the student in question had just woken up hungover and had forgotten about the class, other telling me they can’t make it because they’re celebrating after a school event (a month after we were meant to meet previously, having cancelled twice before) and a couple of others have tested my patience. And of course, in any diving course there’s always one or 2 people who will turn up late, all apologies, but who you know will be late the next time too. But those who know me know that I’m a very tolerant and cool-headed person, and I’ve acted in quite impressive restraint in telling them they’d have to reschedule at a time that suits us both in the future. It’s a complete joke but there’s not much I can do about it unfortunately. I know that without the lure of alcohol and the chance to embarrass the foreign community in front of members of the Japanese public, it’s a hard sell I’ve got on my hands. Saying that though, I do have 2 cracking students at the moment, who will hopefully be doing Open Water dives 1-4 this coming weekend. They are by far the best students I’ve had going through theory and the pool sessions, and I’m sure they can continue it through to the ocean tomorrow. Hopefully my standard (and tardiness) of dive students my increase in the near future though. Kadena Marina, one of the US military dive shops, has offered me a part-time dive instructing job with them. I’d have access to the base classrooms, equipment, pools and base access. It will be a great opportunity for me as it will give me the chance to increase the number of students I certify, get a little extra money on the side, and possibly open up the door to staying in Okinawa whenever my teaching contract finishes. I am waiting to get the contract from the dive shop, but will let you know how that all goes. From what they were saying before, they wanted me working for them from mid-October, so I expect to hear something soon.

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