A little over a week ago Snorkel Venture wrapped up its first group snorkeling safari since the Pandemic knocked the world off its axis and put all travel to a screeching halt. Prior to the trip, I put out a blog about all about traveling under all the new restrictions and protocols for international travel, which were very manageable. Now I'd like to fill you in on what it's like to be a part of a snorkeling safari at this very interesting junction to what is hopefully the final stages of the pandemic. Arrival Onboard With the exception of the small pop-up tent set up just outside the vessel where guests would wash their hands and receive a quick temperature check prior to boarding, the boarding procedure was basically the same. The Aggressor III had already received everyone's COVID-19 vaccine information as well as their “negative” COVID-19 test results so we had the highest level of assurance that everyone boarding the boat was safe and healthy. I arrived a few hours early to familiarize myself with the boat and crew again, and just get all the little things I need to prep for the trip finished before the fun began. I must say, the crew really took the new cleaning protocols very seriously. The Belize Aggressor III is always held in a constant state of cleanliness and tidy, but now it's been elevated to a new level as crew members tirelessly clean and re-clean all the handrails, walls, sofas, and high touch areas. Masks As the Belize Aggressor III and IV boats have been successfully and safely running snorkel and dive tours for the past few months, we opted to follow their lead on the whole masks thing. The crew are regularly tested for COVID-19, and since guests have to
A little over a week ago Snorkel Venture wrapped up its first group snorkeling safari since the Pandemic knocked the world off its axis and put all travel to a screeching halt. Prior to the trip, I put out a blog about all about traveling under all the new restrictions and protocols for international travel,
It's been over a year since we—and just about everybody else on planet earth, have had to put all of our travel plans—or any plans that go beyond the front door of the house for that matter, on hold for an unknown amount of time. Tomorrow morning that stops—at least for this particular snorkel safari, as Belize's borders are now open and Aggressor Liveaboards's vessels are up and running! Tomorrow afternoon fourteen snorkeling enthusiasts and I will board the Belize Aggressor III for a full week of snorkeling around the third-largest barrier reef in the world, the Belize Barrier Reef. At least for me, the anticipation of all the awesome things we will see and encounter is palpable. Not only that, but SeaLife—the popular underwater camera manufacturer—has lent Snorkel Venture five of their newly released underwater cameras and two smartphone underwater enclosures for the guests to test and try out as they snorkel! Huge thanks to SeaLife and Dive Photo Guide for collaborating with us on this very generous endeavor. The purpose of this blog is not to gloat or make you feel like you are missing out on an epic snorkeling adventure. Ok, maybe a little bit, but only just enough to keep you motivated for your own snorkel safari with us. What I had hoped to do with this article was to give you all a bit of insight into what it's like to travel internationally during this pandemic to post-pandemic transition period. I will do a follow-up to this blog with the details about how the trip goes, and how operators like the Belize Aggressor III are safely accommodating the guests onboard during this time. International Travel When I set out for my 40+ hour journey from Bali Indonesia to Belize City in the midst of a
It’s been over a year since we—and just about everybody else on planet earth, have had to put all of our travel plans—or any plans that go beyond the front door of the house for that matter, on hold for an unknown amount of time. Tomorrow morning that stops—at least for this particular snorkel safari,
