【Oriental Hotel Okinawa Resort & Spa】 Love Okinawa! ~Experience Payao Fishing~

To start off, the meeting place for this event was at Toguchi Port in Motobu. After stopping at A&W, the drive from the hotel along the coastline took about 50 minutes before arriving at the port.

At the port we met our guide for the day–a quiet but smiley local fisherman. He interacted directly with the customers, answering questions about the kind of fish we would be catching. We were all excited and enjoyed talking together about previous experiences, etc.

So what is payao fishing? A payao is a floating reef where small fish gather to eat the creatures attached to the floating reef, and then the bigger fish come for the smaller fish.

As a beginner when it comes to fishing, I thought we would go out and find the payao floating in the ocean from where we would fish. But the payao was actually a “middle-rise payao” which means it is sunk 30 to 80 meters below the surface where the influence of the waves is insignificant. On this day, no matter how hard we looked for it, we could not see it. But the fishmen use GPS and know the right spot, and so we arrived safely. This is when the fun began.

When we reached the point, everyone was in battle mode. The goal was the “big tuna”. Using a fishfinder was the most helpful. “There is a fish at 40 meters below, so we should let out the line as much as possible.” The fisherman gave us plenty of advice and taught us the best ways for using the rods and about the many ways to catch a fish. The boat was equipped with an electric reel which is useful for sinking the hook deep into the ocean. Even beginners can have a great experience using the equipment on the boat.

Starting at the Payao we moved around to several points. Finally we got a hit thanks to the fishfinder! The sudden heavy movement made it seem as if the rod would break, but the fisherman said, “Hold on tight! This is a big one!” After 10 minutes of fighting, we finally got the fish into the boat. Everyone cheered! And suddenly there was another hit on the line. “They are coming! They are coming!”

By the way, you can also have the fish you catch cooked at a nearby tavern. You can make a reservation for the place as soon as you catch the fish! You can also have it shipped to your home by packing it in ice. If you send it home, it is like you have a souvenir waiting for you when you return. The fish I caught this time was sent to my home and it was so delicious!

As an aside, the time I did this activity was whale season when adult and small whales can be seen off the coast of Okinawa (December-March). On this day we were lucky to be able to see whales. It was so thrilling! Whale watching is definitely a  recommended tour during the winter months.

On the way back to the hotel, the intensity of our excitement about the fishing and the whales continued. It was an immensely satisfying all day event.

The boat we were on was for 6 people. If there are people in the group who are not fishing, it can hold up to 10 people. It is great for families or small group charters or company leisure trips. Certainly it is an experience for people who love Okinawa. Oriental Hotel would love to help you maximize your experience.

Written by Corporate Planning Office Staff