Everyone who’s spent a lot of time snorkeling has that perfect snorkeling holiday bouncing around in their head. For those that are still a bit new to snorkeling and have yet to embark on a proper snorkel safari, you may be curious about what exactly a snorkeling safari is, and what makes a really great one. Here’s a quick list of what we think makes a great snorkel safari, which also coincidentally the key components of OUR snorkel safaris!
Location
Choosing the right location is paramount. Most tropical destinations will have areas with great snorkeling, but each place will offer something different. Mexico for example is famous for big pelagic species like sea lions and sharks, the Philippines is known for beautiful reefs and unique critters, and certain locations in Indonesia have a bit of everything. So, knowing what tickles your fancy and choosing a destination accordingly is very important for enjoying your time underwater.
Hosting Resort or Liveaboard
A comfortable and reliable resort or liveaboard is almost equally important as the location. If you have just truly epic snorkeling but have a host resort or vessel that serves below average food and not enough of it, or the accommodation is just unsuitable, it can really put a damper on your snorkeling adventure. To this point, I would like to point out that the resorts or liveaboards we charter are absolutely the best in that particular location and have the years of experience and reviews to prove it.
Time of Year
If you are booking with us, this isn’t something you’ll really need to think about as all of our scheduled tours have already taken an area’s “peak season” into account. However, if you are putting together your own snorkeling trip it’s really important to know what time of year is best for your intended location, as certain places—particularly in the tropics—will have a wet and dry season, where the “wet season” typically means typhoons, which you obviously want to avoid.
Guides & Organization
Joining a snorkeling safari where the will be a guide or guides, who will not only be in the water pointing thing out but also there to help make the trip run smoothly just gives you more time to relax and focus on what’s important, instead of worrying about airport taxi’s or if mantas feed with a rising or falling tide.