Papalagi Diving School Yokohama

With four decades behind it, Papalagi Diving School is a PADI 5 Star IDC centre serving Tokyo and Yokohama, with 11 shops across the city and Kanagawa that members are free to use. It's a place built for divers who want their weekends to become something to look forward to — backed by more than 1,000 tours a year, plus events and ocean seminars that keep the fun going well after your first dive.

Courses for every level

Certification runs from complete beginner right through to professional, with flexible scheduling to fit weekdays, weekends or consecutive days. Pool training uses a dedicated indoor heated diving pool, while ocean sessions take place along the Jōgasaki Coast, about an hour and a half from Tokyo Station, where the Izu shop sits just five minutes' walk from the sea.

Instruction is supported by 40 full-time staff instructors, and the surrounding waters are home to marine life from ocean fish, eels and molluscs to turtles, corals and more. Courses are conducted in Japanese.