Location Description For years now, Komodo National Park has been one of the top snorkeling destinations in Indonesia, if not the world. Located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, Komodo National Park is made up of three larger islands - Rinca (pronounced Rincha), Padar, and of course Komodo. These are just the three larger islands, as you'll find by looking at a map or by joining a snorkeling safari, there are around one-hundred smaller islands, many of which are exceptional snorkeling sites. Labuan Bajo is a small town on the western edge of Flores that acts as a sort of gateway to Komodo National Park. This is where the newly built airport is and where all flights will arrive and depart from. The harbor is just a five-minute drive from the airport where board the resort's transfer boat which will take us to our snorkeling resort located on its own private island. Snorkeling in Komodo Nearly all of the snorkeling on a snorkel safari—whether it be on a liveaboard or via resort—will take place in the north and central area of Komodo. This area is best suited for snorkeling as the water is typically clear and warm, and the snorkeling sites are more protected from bad weather. It's also where you'll have the best chances for encounters with all the iconic marine life while also having plenty of vibrant reefs that come right up to the surface. Many people will have no doubt heard about the currents in Komodo, and the rumors are true, Komodo does have some strong currents. It's one of the main reasons why the area has such an abundance of marine life. Fish and corals love current as it often brings nutrients with it. However, as snorkelers, we honestly have very little to worry about.
Location Description For years now, Komodo National Park has been one of the top snorkeling destinations in Indonesia, if not the world. Located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, Komodo National Park is made up of three larger islands – Rinca (pronounced Rincha), Padar, and of course Komodo. These are just the three larger
Ok, so there's a lot of awesome snorkeling out there, in places like Indonesia, there's an amazing mix of colorful coral and mesmerizing marine life, while in places like and Mexico and Tonga it's all about the adrenaline pumping open ocean adventures with some of the world's most iconic big ocean animals like sharks, whales, and sea lions. With such a wide variety of snorkeling styles and destinations, everyone is going to have their own ideas as to what defines a great snorkeling destination. I know I have mine. So, rather than say something like “this is the number one snorkeling destination in the world, and this is the second-best, etc...” I'll just carefully put a list together of what we Snorkel Venture guides—based on our collective snorkeling experience, believe to be some of the ten best snorkeling locations in the world. Please keep in mind that these are in no particular order. Here we go. Komodo, Indonesia Komodo is one of the most predictable places we've ever snorkeled. Manta and turtle encounters are as close to guaranteed as you can where marine life encounters are concerned, while schools of big fish and small fish reside on all the different reefs—which are absolutely stunning and prolific. Glovers Reef & Turneffe Atoll, Belize These two atolls are a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef and are just amazing for snorkeling. The shallow reefs come right up to the surface and are made up of layer upon layer of brightly colored sea fans and large coral heads. Cabilao, Philippines Cabilao is a small island just off the much larger Bohol island and offers incredible shallow reefs and steep walls. Hard coral and soft coral grow in stunning formations here while an interesting array of critters like frogfish, sea snakes, octopus, and
Ok, so there’s a lot of awesome snorkeling out there, in places like Indonesia, there’s an amazing mix of colorful coral and mesmerizing marine life, while in places like and Mexico and Tonga it’s all about the adrenaline pumping open ocean adventures with some of the world’s most iconic big ocean animals like sharks, whales,
Though we have several snorkeling photography workshops in several different destinations which include Belize, North Sulawesi, and the Cayman Islands, all will focus (pun intended) on a very similar set of underwater photography principles and techniques, regardless of the destination or who your photo pro is. Here's a quick breakdown of what you can expect from one of our photography workshops. Focus of the Workshops Understanding your Camera Every camera is a little different, and understanding the nuances of your camera can be one of the biggest things to improving the quality of your images, particularly where colors are concerned. Composition A lot of time will be spent throughout the trip discussing the importance of composition. Choosing what to include in a single image is really one of the most important fundamentals of photography. Light Much like composition, we will also spend a great deal of time discussing light and how it changes underwater and the different ways in which we, as photographers, can react to it with your cameras, either by using the natural light or by using an artificial light source such as a flash or a photo/video light. Marine Life Behavior & Subject Selection Understanding how marine life is going to behave around snorkelers will not only help you get the photo you want, but also play a big role in what subjects you select. Some species of fish for example, just don't make great subjects, even though they be the most beautiful fish you've ever seen, simply because they either dart straight into the reef at the first hint of a human. Wide Angle & Macro Though we will of course cover both wide-angle and macro shooting styles in theory and during our snorkeling sessions, the bulk of the time will be spent covering the principles
Though we have several snorkeling photography workshops in several different destinations which include Belize, North Sulawesi, and the Cayman Islands, all will focus (pun intended) on a very similar set of underwater photography principles and techniques, regardless of the destination or who your photo pro is. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect
During the first week of May 2021 we were finally able to run the very first snorkel safari since the pandemic shut down the world. Needless to say, we were ecstatic to finally be able to fun a tour. Not only did we have some amazing underwater surprises like eagle rays and hunting octopus, but we also had a very cool surprise for all the guests which came in the form of SeaLife underwater cameras. Our guide and video/photo pro, Alex, is also a field editor for Dive Photo Guide, and through that relationship we were able to arrange for several different newly released models of SeaLife underwater cameras to be brought onboard for all the guests to use as they please. This was such a nice surprise for everyone, as it not only allowed those who have never used a camera underwater to get a feel for underwater shooting, but it also allowed those who already have a camera to try out a different brand— with two different models to choose from. The two models of SeaLife camera we were given were the SeaLife Micro 3.0, which is more along the lines of a traditional compact camera—only it's completely sealed so no need to worry about messing around with o-rings and camera housings. The other camera was the SeaLife Reefmaster RM-4K, which is basically SeaLife's version of a GoPro. Both cameras shoot both video and photo, with the ability to capture images in RAW format as well as 4K video. They are designed to be as simple as possible and have some pretty cool, easy-to-use settings, that allowed guests to capture images with amazing natural colors. If you would like any help choosing your next cameras, or are curious about a camera you may already have and want to
During the first week of May 2021 we were finally able to run the very first snorkel safari since the pandemic shut down the world. Needless to say, we were ecstatic to finally be able to fun a tour. Not only did we have some amazing underwater surprises like eagle rays and hunting octopus, but
