What Is A Split Shot? Also Known As A Half-half Or An Over-under Shot? Well, in the world of underwater photography, technically they’re a way to show the above world and the immediate underwater, all at once, and they’re a really fun way to let the viewer know what it is we do, all captured in the one image. A picture where the topside of the picture and the land or seascape is visible, but the bottom half of the view is the underwater reef scene. As travellers with Snorkel Venture, we’re very lucky to visit some of the most beautiful tropical paradises in the world. And I’ve always been fond of taking shots that show the viewer exactly what it is we do and where, so what better way than a split shot? It’s like two for the price of one click of the shutter. And the great news is that they’re easier and much less expensive to achieve than you may think. The Necessary Kit And Equipment. Being an underwater photographer, also teaching underwater photography workshops alongside my job as a Snorkel Venture guide, has meant that I have amassed a lot of expensive underwater photo kit over the years. My bigger camera, lenses, housing, and strobes come to more than $15-20K, and it allows me to do some extraordinary things with it, but aside from the price, it’s huge and costly to travel with. So it was a revelation that when I started doing more of the Snorkel Venture trips, I could leave it all at home and instead use exactly what the majority of our SV clients use, and that was, in the main either GoPros or similar or the seemingly ubiquitous Olympus Tough range, currently the Olympus TG7. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical at
What Is A Split Shot? Also Known As A Half-half Or An Over-under Shot? Well, in the world of underwater photography, technically they’re a way to show the above world and the immediate underwater, all at once, and they’re a really fun way to let the viewer know what it is we do, all captured
It wasn’t too long ago that if you wanted to take your precious camera underwater with you, you needed to jam it into a cumbersome metal enclosure so as to keep the water out. This often meant a significant additional expense in purchasing the housing, one more bulky item to pack for your snorkeling trip, not to mention the fact that the housing would increase the size and weight of your camera by two or three times. What was once a small point-and-shoot camera that could easily be operated with one hand has now become a hefty burden that requires two hands to wield. Thankfully, for those of us who want a reliable camera that fits in the palm of our hand and also functions beneath the waves, there is the Olympus TG series. These cameras have been out for quite a while now, with the most recent model being the TG-7, and have really set the standard for what amphibious compact cameras should offer the shooter. Olympus has done such a superb job of building a camera that’s ready to be submerged right out of the box; other camera manufacturers like Sony, Canon, or Nikon have basically backed away from this corner of the market. As a result, the TG series has become the obvious camera choice for snorkelers around the world. While the TG cameras are ready to start shooting underwater straight away, I’d like to ever so delicately present the idea of purchasing a housing for your TG camera, using only the most rock-solid points. I get that this might sound a little contradictory as I’ve just set TG cameras on a pretty high pedestal for their underwater readiness sans accessories. In my opinion, the TG camera’s pedestal position is very well deserved, and I don’t offer
It wasn’t too long ago that if you wanted to take your precious camera underwater with you, you needed to jam it into a cumbersome metal enclosure so as to keep the water out. This often meant a significant additional expense in purchasing the housing, one more bulky item to pack for your snorkeling trip,
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
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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