Guide · Kerama Islands

Kerama Islands snorkeling from Okinawa: a day in Kerama blue

Kerama Islands snorkeling from Okinawa means a boat west from Naha into a national park of small islands, white beaches and water so clear it has its own name. Here is how to go, where to swim and what to watch for.

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Editorial team, bluecaveokinawasnorkeling.comUpdated October 25, 2026about 6 min to read25 sources

Bookable here: the tour Okinawa: From Naha Full-Day Kerama Islands Snorkeling Tour 4.5 (891 reviews) 7 hours from$83per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer

01What it is: A national park of more than 30 islets about 40 km west of Naha.¹
02Getting there: Tokashiki is 40 minutes by high-speed boat from Naha.²
03Beaches: Snorkel from the beaches of Aka, Zamami and Tokashiki.³
04Day trips: From Naha, 1 hour by speedboat each way to the park.
05Take care: In 2025, 4 of 5 marine leisure deaths in the Naha area were snorkelers in Kerama.⁴

A national park built around the sea

Keramashoto National Park covers more than 30 islets about 40 kilometers west of Naha, and its water is known for a shade called Kerama blue.¹ It was designated on 5 March 2014, with a marine park zone of 8,290 ha, far larger than its 3,520 ha of land in the villages of Tokashiki and Zamami.⁵ ⁶

Life under the surface is the reason it exists. The national parks site counts 248 kinds of coral around the islands, and describes the Keramas as one of the world's premier diving destinations, with 100 diving spots.⁷ ⁸ Only four of the islands are inhabited, among them Tokashiki, Zamami and Aka.⁹

That makes the Keramas a very different day from the Blue Cave. At Cape Maeda you spend an hour or two in one spot under a cliff; here you take a boat into open sea, swim from beaches that face the reef and come back in the afternoon with salt in your hair and sand in every pocket.

A Kerama day

How the day boat from Naha runs

Morning

Hotel pickup

From 19 pickup points in Naha.
30 minutes

To the boat

By car to the harbor.
1 hour

Speedboat west

Into Kerama National Park.
1.5 hours

Snorkeling

Or 2.5 hours with lunch on the longer option.
Afternoon

Back to Naha

1 hour by boat, 30 minutes by car.

Zamami Island snorkeling

Zamami Island snorkeling centers on Furuzamami Beach, which has two stars in the Michelin Green Guide and shallow water full of fish along a large coral reef.¹⁰ The national parks site also points to quiet Ama Beach, where green sea turtles can be spotted and some come ashore to lay eggs in the spawning season.¹¹

Getting to Zamami takes longer than Tokashiki. From Naha it is 1 hour by high-speed boat or 2 hours by car ferry, the ferry calling at Aka on the way.¹² In Naha's Tomari Port, allow about 10 minutes to walk from the Tomarin ticket office to the pier of Zamami's high-speed boat.¹³

From Nishibama Beach on neighboring Aka you can explore coral reefs, schools of tropical fish and green sea turtles.¹⁴ A night on the island gives you its beaches in the quiet early hours, before you head back to the main island.

Crossing times

Minutes from Naha into the park

minutes

Half-day trip from Miegusuku port, and Tokashiki's high-speed boat and car ferry from Naha; the national parks site gives 35 minutes for the high-speed crossing.² ¹²

Where to swim

Beaches the official guides name

Beach	Island	Known for
Furuzamami	Zamami	Fish along a large reef
Ama	Zamami	Green sea turtles
Nishibama	Aka	Reef fish & turtles
Aharen	Tokashiki	Snorkeling & diving
Tokashiku	Tokashiki	Turtle Beach

From the national parks site of the Ministry of the Environment and the Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau.¹⁰ ¹¹ ¹⁴ ¹⁵ ¹⁶

Day boats compared

Full day, half day or long day

891 reviews

Full day from Naha

Hotel pickup

Length: 7 hours
Snorkeling: 1.5 or 2.5 hours
Price: from $83

See this trip

Safety area

Half day

From Miegusuku port

Boat: 30 minutes
Snorkeling: 2 hours
Price: from $45

See this trip

No landings

Naha or Chatan

Full day

Boat: 1 hour each way
Length: 7 hours
Price: from $89

See this trip

Decision helper

Which way to the islands?

Start with your time and your stomach

I want everything arranged I have a morning or an afternoon I want to stay overnight I want the shortest crossing I come in February

Full day from Naha

Pickup, boat and snorkel stops.

Half day

2 hours of snorkeling, 30 minutes each way.

Ferry to Zamami

1 hour by high-speed boat.¹²

Ferry to Tokashiki

40 minutes on the Marine Liner.²

Watch for whales

Humpbacks visit late December to early April.¹⁷

Keramashoto National Park covers a group of over 30 islets around 40 kilometers west of Naha City on Japan's southern island of Okinawa.

Ministry of the Environment, Japan (National Parks of Japan)Source 1

Tokashiki snorkeling

Tokashiki is the closest of the islands to Naha. Tokashiki Village's high-speed Marine Liner takes 40 minutes; the national parks site gives 35 minutes by high-speed boat and 70 minutes by car ferry.² ¹² That makes Tokashiki snorkeling the easiest island day if you have no tour booked.

Aharen Beach on the west side of the island is popular for swimming, snorkeling and diving.¹⁵ The tourism bureau names it as a great place to spot sea turtles.³ Tokashiku Beach, also called Turtle Beach, is described as one of the best places in Okinawa to swim with turtles.¹⁶

Book the ferry in season. The village says the ferries get very crowded in Golden Week and in the summer from June to October, and strongly recommends reservations then.¹⁸ It may change the timetable for typhoons, strong wind or big swell, and posts the sailing status at 8:00 a.m. every morning.¹⁹

Checklist

For a day in the Keramas

Book and pack

Reserve the ferry in summer
Swimsuit, sandals and dry clothes
Reef-safe sunscreen and a hat

On the water

Wear the life jacket, always
Stay with your group and buddy
Check the morning sailing status

Price check

Kerama trips for your group

Choose a trip and the number of people

Full day from Naha7 hoursfrom $83 Half dayFrom Miegusuku portfrom $45 Naha or ChatanNo island landingsfrom $89 Day trip with lunch9 hoursfrom $51

People 2

Total from$166

per guest from $83

Check availabilityfree cancellation

The sum multiplies a listing's starting GetYourGuide price by the number you pick and converts it at today's European Central Bank rate; the exact total shows when you book.

Video

Island Paradise in Okinawa: Keramashoto National Park

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Day boats from Naha

If you would rather let someone else handle the ferries, a day boat from Naha takes you straight to the snorkel spots. The tour this page recommends collects guests from 19 pickup points in Naha, drives 30 minutes to the boat and spends 1 hour on a speedboat each way. In the park you snorkel for 1.5 hours, or 2.5 hours with lunch on the longer option.

It lasts 7 hours, is rated 4.48 from 891 reviews and costs from $83. Read its limits: no island hopping, a destination that can change with the weather, and no guarantee of sea turtles. Minors need parental consent, and a medical check sheet arrives by email when you book.

Shorter and longer versions exist. A half-day boat leaves Naha's Miegusuku port at 9:30 or 14:15, crosses in 30 minutes and snorkels for 2 hours in a designated safety area. A full day from Naha or Chatan spends 1 hour on the boat each way, makes no island landings and requires life jackets while snorkeling.

Turtles, coral and whales

Turtles are the wish of almost every snorkeler here, and the national parks site names several beaches for them: Tokashiku, Ama and Nishibama.¹⁶ ¹¹ ¹⁴ No tour can promise one. The day trip recommended on this page says plainly that you may not see sea turtles.

In winter the islands belong to the whales. From late December to early April humpback whales migrate to the waters around the Keramas to breed; they are 13 to 15 meters long and weigh 30 tons.¹⁷ The ferries and snorkel boats share the sea with them in those months, and the views from the island lookouts can be extraordinary.

The coral needs your care. The Ministry of the Environment notes concern about crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, coral bleaching and fin kicks from divers and snorkelers.²⁰ Keep your fins up when you float over the reef, never stand on coral, and wear reef-safe sunscreen, as the tourism bureau asks.²¹ ²²

The safety record, honestly

The Keramas are open water, and the official record shows it. In 2025, 4 of the 5 people who died in marine leisure accidents in the Naha Coast Guard Office area died while snorkeling in the Kerama Islands.⁴ Of 14 people in snorkeling accidents that year, 7 wore no life jacket, and 80% of those who died wore none.²³

That points to simple habits. Wear the life jacket the boat gives you; several Kerama trips make it mandatory. Stay with your group and never lose sight of your partner, as the prefectural police ask.²⁴ Do not swim after alcohol or when you feel unwell.²⁵

Listen to the boat crew. On a windy day the half-day trip says the captain chooses the safest site, and that visibility and marine life cannot be guaranteed. A calm sheltered bay with fewer fish is a better day than a rough reef you cannot enjoy.

Kerama or the Blue Cave?

If you have only one free day, choose by what you want to feel. The Blue Cave is a short, intense hour of light under a cliff, close to Onna's hotels; this site's private tour lasts 1.5 hours and meets at Cape Maeda. The Keramas fill a whole day and give you islands, beaches and open sea.

Families with young children may do better with the shorter trip. This site's tour accepts ages 6 to 59, while several Kerama boats do not take guests under 5 or over 59 and ask for a medical form. Seasickness is a real factor on a 1-hour crossing; the long day trip offers motion sickness medication on reservation.

If you can, do both. The cave on a calm morning early in your stay, the islands on a clear day later, with a spare day between them for the sea to settle. Both trips offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before, which keeps the plan flexible.

Plan your snorkel