In terms of sea conditions, there is very little difference between the snorkeling trips we would recommend for beginners and the snorkeling trips we would recommend for more advanced snorkelers. Regardless of if we are snorkeling in the Caribbean where the currents are mild to none, or Indonesia's Alor where the currents can rip like a river, the areas where we snorkel are essentially the same. Yes, in very specific sites there could be some current, but it's never the main current, we brief you fully before it, and we always drift with it. Any site we are taking you to, on any of our snorkeling safaris around the world can easily and safely be snorkeled by someone who's never snorkeled before. The biggest reason why the following list of snorkel safaris have received the “Advanced” rating has more to do with overall trip logistics than anything else. These trips are longer, might require a bit more domestic travel, and a few have slightly more basic accommodation as a result of their remoteness. While these tours are amazing, and we want everyone to join them, we just want to make sure that you don't bite off a bit more than you can chew, so to speak. Basically, the hardest part of these specific snorkeling tours are the flights. Alor & Komodo Safari | 14 Nights This is not a particularly difficult snorkeling trip, it's actually our most popular snorkel safari by far. We run anywhere from six to ten of these each year and have run these tours with everyone from advanced freediving folks to beginners without any issues whatsoever. The big reason why I say it's advanced is that it requires quite a bit of flying at uncomfortable hours. The snorkeling is as good as it gets in both
In terms of sea conditions, there is very little difference between the snorkeling trips we would recommend for beginners and the snorkeling trips we would recommend for more advanced snorkelers. Regardless of if we are snorkeling in the Caribbean where the currents are mild to none, or Indonesia’s Alor where the currents can rip like
Twenty-twenty-two was a big year for a lot of reasons. It marked the end of the global lockdown that plagued us all and allowed countries like Indonesia, Egypt, The Philippines, Palau, Honduras, French Polynesia, Fiji, and Cuba to once again welcome visitors into their beautiful oceans! Twenty-twenty-two was also our biggest year since we launched in 2018. Even though many of the countries we run snorkeling safaris to were not open at the beginning of the year, we still managed to successfully run 31 tours with 520 snorkeling guests, in 10 different countries! I believe we've said this before, but we can't thank you enough for sticking by us as we all bushwhacked our way through that rough patch. It's only a few more weeks before our 2023 tours begin in February, and we can't wait to welcome you all back as we kick the new year off with a big splash in Belize, Raja Ampat, and Halmahera! Here are Just Some of the Best Moments of 2o22 With all the tours wrapped up for 2022 and the next ones starting in February, our Video and Photo Pro Alex Lindbloom has finally had a minute to go through the hundreds of gigabytes of footage he captured while on tour and has edited a quick little recap of just some of the snorkeling highlights from the last year.
Twenty-twenty-two was a big year for a lot of reasons. It marked the end of the global lockdown that plagued us all and allowed countries like Indonesia, Egypt, The Philippines, Palau, Honduras, French Polynesia, Fiji, and Cuba to once again welcome visitors into their beautiful oceans! Twenty-twenty-two was also our biggest year since we launched
After being closed to tourists for two years, Indonesia is finally open to foreigners! If you are at all familiar with our inventory of snorkeling safaris, this is a game-changer as the majority of our snorkeling safaris take place in this stunning island nation. We couldn't be more pleased to finally be able to once again offer you guys access to some of our most popular snorkeling adventures like our Alor-Komodo Safaris, Misool Resort Safaris, North Sulawesi, Wakatobi, and of course both Triton & Cenderawasih Bay, among many others. For those of you wondering what the protocol is for entering Indonesia, here's a quick look at what it's like to enter Indonesia currently. Entering Indonesia When the country first opened its borders to tourists in late March/Early April there were understandably a few hoops to jump through. Over the past few weeks, those hoops have been steadily removed, almost on a daily basis. Currently—and these are likely to ease up over the next few weeks, all you need to enter Indonesia is: Proof of being fully vaccinated Printed results of Negative PCR test taken no more than 48 hours before departure The PeduliLindnugi app INSTALLED on your phone Proof of medical insurance covering COVID related cases As you can see there are still a few hoops to jump through, but these are pretty big and easy hoops that are essentially standard for all countries across the world, including the United States. These are all expected to be lifted over the next few weeks and months as well. It may sound like a lot of extra things to think of or plan for, but when you actually look at the list, most of you will already have them all completed anyway. As long as you are vaccinated and have health insurance
After being closed to tourists for two years, Indonesia is finally open to foreigners! If you are at all familiar with our inventory of snorkeling safaris, this is a game-changer as the majority of our snorkeling safaris take place in this stunning island nation. We couldn’t be more pleased to finally be able to once
Unless you're traveling business class, there's no denying that flying long distances—like from the United States to Asia—can be physically exhausting and uncomfortable, particularly if you happen to be someone who needs a bit more legroom and or just can't sleep on planes. As a full-time guide for Snorkel Venture who's originally from the U.S but has lived all over Asia since 2010, I've spent a considerable amount of time flying between many of the different Asia-U.S hubs. I won't lie, I've experienced some pretty miserable flights and layovers, but I've also had some quite pleasant trips once I figured out the better routes, which airlines to avoid, and what airports to transit through. So, for those of you who are planning or considering joining one of our Snorkel Safaris that take place in Asia but are a bit hesitant about the long flights, I'd like to share some of what I've learned so as to make your journey as comfortable as possible because I promise you, it will be worth it! Routes Your flight route will depend a bit on where you are coming from in the states, but most of the routes to Asia will be over the Pacific, even if you're on the east coast of the U.S. There is one route through Doha in the middle east which is also comparable in travel time to the Pacific itineraries. Travel times for any of the routes vary between nineteen and twenty-five hours. Actual flying time is about the same no matter which option you choose, the big difference in travel time is the layover. My personal favorite route is through either Singapore or Doha because it not only combines two of the world's best airlines, but also two of the world's best airports—particularly in the case of
Unless you’re traveling business class, there’s no denying that flying long distances—like from the United States to Asia—can be physically exhausting and uncomfortable, particularly if you happen to be someone who needs a bit more legroom and or just can’t sleep on planes. As a full-time guide for Snorkel Venture who’s originally from the U.S
Muck snorkeling is a really unique type of snorkeling. For many people it can be an acquired taste, like certain types of aged cheese. And just like someone who's developed a pallet for Limburger cheese, for example, what once used to be a casual affair with muck snorkeling or something you would dismiss altogether, can quickly turn into an obsession. So what is muck snorkeling, well it's basically the same as your tropical reef snorkeling, only muck snorkeling typically takes place in areas where there is more sand—usually black—and where an assortment of sponges and different types of algae grow. Reason being, this unique environment is one of the best types of environments—most likely due to the nutrient-rich volcanic sand—for finding some of the most unique and interesting creatures. Frogfish, nudibranchs, a vast assortment of crabs and shrimps, moray eels, stargazers, and some of the most ornate and interesting types of cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish, and squids) can only be found in 'mucky' environments. If you've never been muck snorkeling before, it can seem a bit strange when you first jump in, simply because it's not your classical reef scene full of color. Floating over a black sandy substrate is not what people typically have in mind when they imagine a tropical snorkeling holiday. However, as I said, once you get in the zone and start finding these cool critters all by yourself, that dark sand punctuated by unusual colonies of sponges will quickly become a beautiful thing for you.
Muck snorkeling is a really unique type of snorkeling. For many people it can be an acquired taste, like certain types of aged cheese. And just like someone who’s developed a pallet for Limburger cheese, for example, what once used to be a casual affair with muck snorkeling or something you would dismiss altogether, can
