PAPALAGI Diving School Machida

Based in Tokyo, PAPALAGI Diving School Machida is a PADI 5 Star Dive Center where an ordinary weekend turns into one you can't wait for. Marking 40 years in operation, the shop is part of a network of 11 stores across Tokyo and Kanagawa that members are free to use, running more than 1,000 tours a year alongside events and ocean seminars that keep the fun going long after your diver debut.

Courses and training

Certifications run from beginner right through to professional level, with flexible scheduling across weekdays, weekends or consecutive days to suit busy lives. Ocean training takes place at the Jogasaki Coast, about an hour and a half from Tokyo Station, while pool sessions use a dedicated indoor heated diving pool with a 25m lane and a deeper training tank.

Divers here encounter marine life including sharks, whales, turtles, ocean fish, eels, molluscs and crustaceans, corals, anemones and jellyfish. With equipment sales, servicing and rental on hand, it suits first-timers finding their feet and experienced divers alike.