Hi All – I'm planning a trip to Okinawa island with my family (including two young boys) and am trying to determine when to go. Logistically, the last week of May into the first half of June would by far work best as it is when the boys get out of school, but I'm concerned about both the weather and jellyfish. The other option we're considering is late October, but as the boys are in school we'd probably be limited to a couple weeks vs. three if late May/June.
Our plan is to stay at airbnb's basing mostly out of Nakijin to explore that area and Yanbaru, with a little bit of time on the Southern end of the island and maybe trips out to Miyagi/Hamahiga and Izena. As such, we'll likely want to get into the water at quite a few places without a developed resort and Jellyfish nets.
Jellyfish: I've searched a ton, and can't get a clear picture of how big a risk box jellyfish will be end of May/first half of June vs. end of October. The general warning is that the season is "May through October" but I've read lots of reports indicating the vast majority of incidents occur in July and August, and that is doesn't really start being a risk until then. I've also read that it is more of an issue in the Southern islands. For those of you who live there and swim outside the tourists areas, what's the real situation/risk end of May/first half of June vs. end of October? In any case we'll wear rash guards and protective footwear, but I'd like to not feel paranoid the whole time if there is a decent chance of box jellyfish encounters. Would a rash guard fully protect against stings?
Weather: We're not afraid of a little rain, but since we'll want to enjoy a good amount of beach time in addition to some hiking, etc., we'd like to avoid constant rain. Again, I've seen mixed information online both antidotally and from official weather sites giving historical info. It seems the consensus is that rainy season can be extremely variable hour to hour, day to day, week to week, and even year to year. It also sounds like it's pretty overcast during that time period vs. late October. How much of a difference overall in weather on average are we looking at between the two times of year?
Thank you so much in advance for any wisdom and advice you're able to share!
by Acrobatic_Pay_1171
