If you’re considering a Raja Ampat Snorkeling Tour, your mind is in the right place. There’s no place quite like Raja Ampat in the world. It’s the epicenter for marine life biodiversity; as such, you’ll find that over the course of your snorkel tour you will have snorkeled over and alongside more species of reef and fish than anywhere else in the world! All of this underwater awesomeness is only complemented by the surreal topside beauty that Raja Ampat has also become famous for! Before you book your Raja Ampat snorkel tour, though, there are a few things you’ll want to take into consideration; for example, it’s a good idea to understand just how massive Raja Ampat is—approximately 46,000 square kilometers or 29,000 square miles—with the north and south offering very different snorkeling experiences. You’ll also want to decide how you’d like to snorkel in Raja Ampat, by which I mean: would you rather do so from a snorkel liveaboard or from a snorkel resort, which again will impact your final decision. If this all seems a bit more decision-making than you expected, not to worry, we’re going to break down all these different aspects so you can be sure you’ve made the correct decision for your next Raja Ampat snorkeling tour. The North of Raja Ampat - Dampier Strait and Fam Islands Where snorkeling is concerned, the north tends to offer a bit more diversity when it comes to types of snorkeling sites. You of course the have the iconic limestone islands characteristic of Raja Ampat with their classic mushroom shape, but you also have stunning mangroves that seem to grow right out of the reefs in clear blue water, a few places where mantas come to feed and clean, and several different villages whose large wooden piers or
If you’re considering a Raja Ampat Snorkeling Tour, your mind is in the right place. There’s no place quite like Raja Ampat in the world. It’s the epicenter for marine life biodiversity; as such, you’ll find that over the course of your snorkel tour you will have snorkeled over and alongside more species of reef
The Coralia Liveaboard is well known for many things: its spacious cabins, romantic wooden finish, stellar crew, and convenient and uber-comfortable design. At least, that's something we talk about a lot whenever we talk about Coralia. One thing we haven't really highlighted too much, at least in any great detail, is its food! The chefs on the Coralia have cultivated an extensive menu that beautifully combines a variety of Western flavors along with Indonesian favorites. With enough notice, they can accommodate just about any dietary preferences or requirements while still delivering the rich flavors you crave. Here's one of our guests' favorites from past tours aboard the Coralia. Ayam Bakar Taliwang ('Taliwang Style' - Spicy Grilled Chicken) A flavor-packed Indonesian favorite from the Coralia galley, tender chicken simmered in a fragrant spice blend, then finished over the grill for a smoky, caramelized char. Ingredients 200 g garlic, roughly chopped 300 g shallots, roughly chopped 1 inch fresh turmeric, or 1 tbsp turmeric powder 2 inches fresh ginger, or 2 tbsp ginger powder 2 inches fresh galangal, optional 3 stalks lemongrass 3 bay leaves 3 kaffir lime leaves 200 ml coconut cream 1 chicken, chopped into pieces Neutral oil for sautéing ~100 ml Water Method Sauté the garlic, shallots, turmeric, ginger, and galangal in a little neutral oil until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a blender, add 100 ml water, and blend until smooth. Return the spice paste to the stove. Add the lemongrass, bay leaves, and kaffir lime leaves. Add the chicken and enough water to just barely cover it. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the coconut cream and simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Remove the chicken and finish it on a hot grill pan, or even better, over a barbecue, until cooked
The Coralia Liveaboard is well known for many things: its spacious cabins, romantic wooden finish, stellar crew, and convenient and uber-comfortable design. At least, that’s something we talk about a lot whenever we talk about Coralia. One thing we haven’t really highlighted too much, at least in any great detail, is its food! The chefs
We caught up with our resident Marine Biologist, Lydia Vavoulas, for a chat about her recent tour through the Banda Sea aboard the Mermaid II Liveaboard, and then we dove deep into corals, where she gave us an in-depth look at the coral reef ecology. She then gave us insight into our new Snorkel for Good Campaign, with some exciting new conservation initiatives that Snorkel Venture is helping to sponsor. We wrap it up with her thoughts on her brand-new Olympus TG-7 camera!
We caught up with our resident Marine Biologist, Lydia Vavoulas, for a chat about her recent tour through the Banda Sea aboard the Mermaid II Liveaboard, and then we dove deep into corals, where she gave us an in-depth look at the coral reef ecology. She then gave us insight into our new Snorkel for
If you’ve ever booked — or even just dreamed about — a Snorkel Venture tour, chances are you’ve already crossed paths with one of our travel experts: Bernita, Crystal, Graham, or Kelly. They’re the people behind the scenes bringing each journey to life, overseeing everything from the moment a tour is conceived to the final details before our travelers meet their tour leader at the destination. Let’s catch up with the Snorkel Venture travel team and take a look at where their adventures have taken them in 2025. Bernita in the Dominican Republic I was fortunate enough to tick off a bucket list trip in early 2025... a trip to the Dominican Republic to snorkel with the humpback whales that go there to breed and/birth their babies. The trip was liveaboard based. The Silverbank, the Marine Mammal Sanctuary where the humpbacks can be seen, is 80 nautical miles from Puerto Plata. Only 3 boats have permits to enter the sanctuary, each carrying up to 20 guests, so I felt very privileged to be there. The encounters are regulated to protect the humpbacks; much of the day is spent on the small tender boats looking for whales. They can be seen spy hopping, breaching, tail lobbing and sleeping. We also saw groups of males chasing females trying to mate or fighting amongst themselves. The area is a shallow underwater plateau with coral formations coming up to the surface, but the trip is not about the coral and no time is spent snorkeling around the coral heads, unless there is a whale there to see. When we find a whale/whales that are slow moving or sleeping, we quietly enter the water and watch them. The moms are mostly relaxed and the babies are quite curious. The sleeping whales come up to breathe
If you’ve ever booked — or even just dreamed about — a Snorkel Venture tour, chances are you’ve already crossed paths with one of our travel experts: Bernita, Crystal, Graham, or Kelly. They’re the people behind the scenes bringing each journey to life, overseeing everything from the moment a tour is conceived to the final
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 snorkel guide 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 nice and comfortable hotel to stay in, though it’s 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
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 snorkel guide below, you’ll hopefully get a feel for the many different aspects of the tour, from the liveaboard, the travel
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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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