Snorkel Venture

21/09/2026

2026 Snorkel Venture Friendly Photo Competition results!

After months of receiving all the amazing photos, this year’s competition has come to an end and we’ve carefully selected the winners! There was some serious talent, which made it tough, but these four photos stood out from the crowd.

Massive thank you to all who participated; it was a delight to see all your wonderful images, and we look forward to next year’s competition.

Congratulations to Marilyn Stacey for her winning image of the whale sharks and bagan, Paul Gibbard for his image with the frogfish and razorfish, which took second, Gary Narcowish’s surreal jellyfish lake image that garnered third place, and Judy Backhouse’s stunning blenny shot!

Marilyn will be taking home a $500 voucher for her next Snorkel Venture trip while Paul, Gary and Judy will receive prizes from our new web-shop.

https://www.snorkelforgood.com/

21/09/2026

2026 Snorkel Venture Friendly Photo Competition results!

After months of receiving all the amazing photos, this year’s competition has come to an end we’ve carefully selected the winners! There was some serious talent, which made it tough, but these four photos stood out from the crowd.

Massive thank you to all who participated; it was a delight to see all your wonderful images, and we look forward to next year’s competition.

Congratulations to Marilyn Stacey for her winning image of the whale sharks and bagan, Paul Gibbard for his image with the frogfish and razorfish, which took second, Gary Narcowish’s surreal jellyfish lake image that garnered third place, and Judy Backhouse’s stunning blenny shot!

16/09/2026

This is amazing! Inga, who's an accomplished travel author and one of our guests who joined our Solomon Islands Liveaboard Snorkel Safari, joined a podcast called Big Blend Radio and talks about her experiences aboard the Bilikiki and snorkeling the reefs of the Solomon Islands. If you're curious about this trip, or planning to join next year, this gives you great insight into the tour from a guest's perspective.

Inga's relatively new to snorkeling, at least the type of snorkeling we do at Snorkel Venture, where we spend three to four hours a day in the water exploring the reefs for weeks at a time. She does a great job of explaining what that aspect of the snorkeling experience is like, and what it's like to be on a boat for two weeks. Hands down, my favorite bit of this podcast is where she explains her reaction to muck snorkeling! She'd never done it before and, like most guests who've never done a muck snorkel, was apprehensive at first. But once she let her eyes adjust and slowed down, the beauty of the "muck" revealed itself. So good!

Even if you're not joining our Solomon Islands Snorkel Safari, this is a great podcast for you to get a better idea of what it's like on any of our snorkel tours. Thanks, Inga!

Author and adventurer Inga Aksamit returns to Big Blend Radio's "Fo...

10/09/2026

The Banda Sea is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting bodies of water in all of Indonesia. As you can see from the map (last photo) many different seas border the Banda Sea, like the Ceram Sea, Maluku, Flores, Timor, Arafuru, and the Aru Sea, all of which flow into the Banda Sea and deliver an abundance of nutrients that feed not only the corals but also the marine life, big and small. As a result, you can find more species of coral in the Banda Sea than you can see in Raja Ampat. Wakatobi, for example, in the western Banda Sea, has an estimated 750 coral species. Raja Ampat’s coral count is estimated at around 550.

Another aspect that makes the Banda Sea so special is its remarkable remoteness. Only a handful of tiny villages can be found on its islands, and with the exception of Wakatobi, which has had to build its own airstrip to comfortably and conveniently service its luxury resort, there aren’t any resorts in the area. The inaccessibility of the Banda Sea’s Islands has almost entirely spared the area from widespread tourism and development. Again, except for Wakatobi Resort, the only way to experience the Banda Sea is to visit it by liveaboard, and by doing so, you leave civilization behind, allowing you to experience Indonesia’s most pristine reefs in peace.
Alex Lindbloom

04/09/2026

Bangka Island in North Sulawesi is an incredible place to snorkel for many different reasons. Bangka is a relatively new area for snorkelers, and still quite unknown as most people go Bunaken which is right around the corner from Bangka Island, leaving Bangka free from the crowds.

Bangka island is fringed by hard and soft coral reefs which come right up to the surface in many areas. Within these vibrant reefs, you can find cuttlefish, sea snakes, juvenile batfish, schooling fish like barracudas and surgeon fish, and a whole hoste of critters. There’s a few jetties as well which are covered in sea fans and soft corals where swirling schools of fish seek protection from the larger predatory fish. If that’s not enough, Lembeh Strait, the critter capital of the world, is just a short boat ride away!

Bangka Island is best snorkeled from Coral Eye resort, the sister resort of Siladen Island Resort. Coral Eye is one of Indonesia’s newest and hands down one of the nicest resorts in all of Indonesia. From it’s jaw-dropping rooms, to it’s delicious food, and house reef accessed from the white sand beach or jetty, you’ll want for nothing! Coral Eye Bangka

02/09/2026

Print copy of Issue 2 of our magazine is now available to purchase via our webshop. 20 USD including shipping across the USA - this includes a 10 USD donation to our charity partners! Easy to buy online HERE - https://www.snorkelforgood.com/store/p/snorkel-venture-magazine-issue-2

31/08/2026

Only 24 hours remain to submit to our 2026 Snorkel Venture Friendly Photo Competition, where the winner will receive $500 off their next Snorkel Venture trip!

Send your best shot to [email protected] by September 1, and you could win big.

Remember, this is just a bit of fun, and it's free!

Here is a quick selection of just a few of the submissions we've received. Some truly stunning images from all over the world.

31/08/2026

If you haven't caught it yet, don't miss our latest podcast with our Resident Marine Biologist and Tour Leader, Lydia Vavoula, who explains some coral reef ecology with us and some of the marine conservation projects we're helping raise money for!

We caught up with our resident Marine Biologist, Lydia Vavoula, for...