Sometimes a cold beer, a long journey and a couple of ancient civilizations collide in the most unexpected way. I’m sipping a Belikin Beer — no, let’s be more accurate, I’m quickly downing one — in the bar at the Fort George Hotel in Belize City when I notice the condensation beading on the label. And then I spot the pyramid. A quick Google later and I discover that the pyramid on my now-empty bottle is the pyramid from Altun Ha the Mayan archaeological site we regularly visit on our Belize trips. The coincidence is that I’d arrived in Belize that very morning from Egypt, where I’d just completed another Snorkel Venture trip. Our Egyptian trips often include visits to the incredible structures and antiquities of Ancient Egypt. And one of Egypt’s most popular beers is Sakara, which also has a pyramid on its label — this time one of the earlier dynasty pyramids at Saqqara. Now, I’ve no idea if the producers of the Belizean and Egyptian beers are somehow in collusion, which I very much doubt. But it did strike me as rather odd that both national beers feature pyramids. So what has all this got to do with snorkeling? Bear with me, I’ll get to that bit shortly. When we meet our Snorkel Venture guests in Belize City — or Cairo — it would be a crying shame not to explore some of the local culture when the opportunity arises. Altun Ha is less than an hour away by minivan", making it an ideal morning excursion before we transfer to Turneffe Island. I’d taken more than 30 hours to reach Belize from Egypt, but for our mainly American guests, the flight from Miami is only around two hours. Even from further afield in the US, the Caribbean
Sometimes a cold beer, a long journey and a couple of ancient civilizations collide in the most unexpected way. I’m sipping a Belikin Beer — no, let’s be more accurate, I’m quickly downing one — in the bar at the Fort George Hotel in Belize City when I notice the condensation beading on the label.
I’d like to tell you about a trip to two of the most iconic Indonesian snorkeling destinations: Alor and Komodo. Both delivered unforgettable ocean encounters, sparkling, jaw-dropping reefs, and unmatched relaxation. As with many of our trips, we started off in Jakarta, in my home away from home, the FM7 Hotel (which I recently found out stands for “Fond Memories”!). I met my group for our welcome dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and instantly felt at ease as we all bonded over tales of snorkeling. A sense of shared excitement and anticipation for what was to come filled the room. That night/morning, we flew across the chain of islands that borders the southern end of the Indonesian archipelago and finally made it to our first resort of the two-week trip, Alami Alor. Alami Alor As we pulled into Alami Resort, we were greeted by the wonderful Alami staff, who showed us around and made us feel at home. Alami is a small resort, nestled in a remote Indonesian village. At Alami, you really feel like you have arrived somewhere special! Meandering garden paths, shaded by palm trees, lead each of us to our beautiful bungalows with stunning waterfront views. From here, it is not rare to spot baby reef sharks cruising over shallow coral and dolphins flipping in the distance before even leaving your room. That first afternoon, we wasted no time jumping into Alami’s house reef, home to moray eels, octopus, baby batfish, and thriving coral, to name a few. That evening, we all met in the lounge to watch the sunset with a cocktail in hand, feast on our first delicious dinner, and settle into what was already proving to be snorkeling bliss. Alor is definitely one of my absolute favorite places to explore. The variety of sites
I’d like to tell you about a trip to two of the most iconic Indonesian snorkeling destinations: Alor and Komodo. Both delivered unforgettable ocean encounters, sparkling, jaw-dropping reefs, and unmatched relaxation. As with many of our trips, we started off in Jakarta, in my home away from home, the FM7 Hotel (which I recently found
“Yes! wonderful things” This was what Howard Carter famously said to Lord Carnarvon whilst peering into a dusty and ancient antechamber illuminated by just a single candle, and not looked upon by human eyes for over 3000 years. It was full of treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamen and is arguably the most significant archeological find in recent times. And all of us on my latest Snorkel Venture tour to Egypt were treated to viewing these wonderful things on our visit to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum laid out in what is the largest museum in the world. The sheer scale of this astonishing feat of modern engineering designed to display and make accessible those treasures found by Howard Carter and others after him is simply breathtaking.. It’s so well done and whilst massive it’s quite easy to navigate especially with the aid of our Egyptologist Amira who took us on a curated selection of the most famous exhibits. We were there only half a day, and it’s not enough, but for our group of travel weary Americans and a fellow Brit it was just enough to savor this incredible place and whet our appetites for a future visit. The day before which was the official start day of our Red Sea Snorkel Venture tour we visited the pyramids and in keeping with the GEM they’ve revamped the accessibility and made the whole process more organized with hop on hop off air conditioned tour buses which get you around the sites major landmarks including of course the Sphinx which was the last stop on our tour. As the majority of our SV guests travel in from the States via Cairo then it would be a terrible shame to not visit these wonders of the world, and so when the
“Yes! wonderful things” This was what Howard Carter famously said to Lord Carnarvon whilst peering into a dusty and ancient antechamber illuminated by just a single candle, and not looked upon by human eyes for over 3000 years. It was full of treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamen and is arguably the most significant archeological
In May of 2026, we ran our very first snorkeling tour to the Solomon Islands, and as you’ll soon see, I have a lot to say about it, because it absolutely rocked! In the trip report below, you’ll hopefully get a feel for the many different aspects of the tour, from the liveaboard, the travel logistics, the above-water experiences, and of course, the reefs and marine life. In my opinion, and I believe it’s the same for most of the guests who joined this snorkeling tour, it doesn’t really matter where you’ve snorkeled prior to the Solomons; you’re going to love it. Where are the Solomon Islands The Solomon Islands are located off the east coast of Papua New Guinea and northeast of Australia. The 1,000 islands that make up the Solomons are all located on the easternmost corner of the Coral Triangle, an area well known for having the most marine biodiversity on the planet. How to Get to the Solomon Islands The easiest way to get to the Solomon Islands is via Brisbane, Australia, or Fiji. On this particular tour, we started in Fiji and flew to the capital city of the Solomon Islands, Honiara. We’ve since decided that it’s easier to fly through Australia. Once in Honiara, we catch an organized transport van which will take us to our hotel in town and on the coast. Honiara is not a very beautiful place; it’s a major port town and a bit similar to Sorong in Indonesia. We have a comfortable hotel to stay in though, called the Heritage Park Hotel, which is a 4-star hotel right on the water and a nice little refuge from the heat and chaos outside. The following afternoon, we board the Bilikiki. The Bilikiki Liveaboard Up until just a few years
In May of 2026, we ran our very first snorkeling tour to the Solomon Islands, and as you’ll soon see, I have a lot to say about it, because it absolutely rocked! In the trip report below, you’ll hopefully get a feel for the many different aspects of the tour, from the liveaboard, the travel
This trip report is going to be a bit different, and I make no apology for this. You see, being a photographer I tend to recall things based around pictures I’ve taken, so I’m not going to list all the sites we visited, but I am going to curate the places that have had a particular impact upon me, especially from a visual image point of view. This is difficult on a tour like this as there’s always a lot to choose from, and it is a very personal view. Chatting with our group at the end of each day never stops informing me that whilst there is often universal appreciation for the various delights we may have all encountered that day, each and every individual has their own unique perspective. So alongside sharing with the group the exciting sea snake encounter we had all swim amongst us, there’ll be someone as equally rapt about watching a starfish make its way slowly across the reef, or a pair of tiny bulldozer shrimp and a partner goby doing their thing—keeping what must rank as one of the oddest cohabiting trios in apartment sharing history. Yet another reason to love the enthusiasm for snorkeling and those that do it! First Snorkel of the Tour: “Like Being in a Dream” Our trip began in Siladen Resort, North Sulawesi. This area is known for its bustling sea turtle population. So, I made a wager with my group that I thought almost impossible to lose, yet it didn't make me any less nervous as you never know when Mother Nature might play a cosmic joke on you. I promised the group that, if we didn't see a turtle during our first snorkel I would run naked around Siladen village! So, it was with no small
This trip report is going to be a bit different, and I make no apology for this. You see, being a photographer I tend to recall things based around pictures I’ve taken, so I’m not going to list all the sites we visited, but I am going to curate the places that have had a
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The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
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