Snorkel Venture Opiniões 

Once again, Snorkel Venture (SV) delivered a memorable, seamless trip to Alor, Indonesia. From booking through the final day, Graham, SV’s knowledgeable and efficient travel consultant, and Marcus, our wonderful tour leader, ensured every detail was handled. Marcus’ open, engaging style quickly created a collegial atmosphere, and our group soon felt like good friends. I would gladly travel with them, Marcus and SV again. During our snorkel sessions, Marcus worked hard to make sure everyone spotted the fascinating, nearly invisible creatures we encountered. He was also attentive in the water, monitoring conditions, currents, and snorkelers. His exceptional diving and photography skills created many unforgettable “wow” moments. Angela, manager of the Naga Biru and one of the dive guides, and the crew were warm, friendly, and attentive. Thank you for the four blue whales!

I have just come home from my seventh Snorkel Venture trip and it was, as always, just brilliant. From the very moment we arrived in Jakarta until our final farewell, Marcus and the superb crew of the Naga Biru looked after us like royalty. The snorkelling was epic, the food incredible and our time in Alor was just magical. Marcus was, as always, a fantastic tour leader, always ready to help out, offer handy hints on all things photography- related, and he just made our trip run so smoothly. I simply cannot recommend Snorkel Venture highly enough as the best organisation to cater for mad keen snorkellers such as myself. You will not regret booking an adventure with this outstanding organisation.

I recently took the SV trip in Alor on the Naga Biru with Marcus. From day one, Marcus was amazing at managing a big mix of personalities and cultures in our group. He made sure everyone felt included and got equal attention without ever playing favorites, which gave the whole trip a really warm, comfortable vibe. His leadership style extended to the boat crew, too—it was clear he had strong, established relationships with them. He shared the lead equally with the cruise director Angela and really respected her expertise. Because of that teamwork, whenever the currents got too strong or visibility dropped during our trip, Marcus and the crew quickly shifted plans to make sure we still got the best experience possible.
As a novice snorkeler, I felt incredibly valued and supported. He perfectly balanced the needs of beginners like me with the more experienced so everyone felt satisfied. He also made sure I actually "saw" everything out there; my untrained eye I never spotted the frogfish on my own, but Marcus was always pointing things out so I didn't miss a thing. Plus, Marcus is a total expert at underwater and drone photography and generously shared his photos and videos, giving us all some incredible keepsakes. If you book with Snorkel Venture, you'll be lucky to have him.

When reading the following you will realize that we had very nice weather and sea conditions :

As the day passes, more people talk about the situation saying that the "Beyond " is a misrepresentation.

From that moment on Alex is on a snorkeling sites search mode. A couple of times he doesn't snorkel with us. He doesn't eat with the group anymore. He rather stays with Sarah. We understand they have a crush. They stick to the living room couch while we are all around.

On Sunday 48 hours after the horrible evening Mrs. M asks during a briefing "why are we not doing the "Beyond ""...... Alex says that we have already been through this and that we won't go there again. Adding this time that it's because of the green water...He then says that he's doing his best to take us to the best places and that he has nothing to hide from us...... we all but him have a good laugh!

The trip goes on, sessions gets shorter and sites aren't that interesting. On Monday we had only one good site out of 3. Tuesday we went back to the same 2 spots we did when we left Maumere. They were still below average.

The trip itinerary change has never been supported by any factual weather conditions. I attach at the bottom of this mail the daily sea forecast for the canceled part of Lamakera Strait. The swell was average at 1.1 meter, wind was about 8 km\h, the current was 1.1 knots and we assume that the water temperature and the color could be the same....

The reasons for the cancelation remains a mystery to us. With such a crucial decision to be made one would have expected an official statement either from the Captain or the Snorkelventure management. It's evident that we are not told the true reason.

We have done 4 snorkeling trips with Snorkel Venture this one is very rough and humiliating to swallow...

Snorkel Venture is responsible for having sold us a trip that we were prevented from doing. We snorkeled mostly the Pantar Strait. The 3 1/2 days (from Saturday afternoon till Tuesday) we didn’t do in the "Beyond" represents 44% of the 8 snorkeling days we bought. It's truly regrettable. We do not want any apologies neither a credit note. We only want 44% of our money back.

We expect a quick and satisfactory response,

Marc and Christine who are just starting to sleep better.

This is going to be a 2 parts review because of the number of characters limit.

We are Marc and Christine returning from the Alor and Beyond Trip, May 10 to 20, 2026 with Alex Lindrom on Mermaid I.

On Friday afternoon May 15 anchored at Beangaboon Bay we are four people seated in the dining room. As Alex comes in Marc tells him "I am happy to leave the Pantar Strait and move forward toward west". Alex says NO !! we are not going that way .....because of the swell ...and he left the place. We are all flabbergasted to get to know in this way that we will not do the trip we were supposed to do. As the day goes by the word gets around that we are not going along the south coast of Pulau Marisa, Lembata and into the Strait at Lamakera as stated in the itinerary of Alor and Beyond.

ALOR AND BEYOND ITINERARY

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During the evening briefing Alex shows on the map the next day destination: Bakalang, Kabir Village without telling the group that it implies we will turn back. Marc then asks him why are we not following our planned itinerary anymore. His answers "it is because of the swell". Christine asks "what is the impact of a 1.2 meter swell". He goes on the defensive adding that it is also because of the cold water, the wind and the current.The people ask around for the original itinerary. Someone has it handy and give it to Marc. He walks to the screen to show the part that we will miss.

Alex insists and repeats that the issue is not the fault of Mermaid I and it's cruise director Sarah. She too starts to be on the defensive comes to Marc with her paper work and zip through the stops of the planned Mermaid 1 itinerary (naming the places we have already been to). She then says "further than that I don't even know what is the snorkeling like". Now it's obvious that we will snorkel mostly the Pantar Strait not doing what is called "the Beyond " and finaly missing a large part of the trip.

At this point the tension rises. Alex wants us to have a talk in private. We refuse. You can tell that he is furious, his unspoken gesture is like don't you dare asking for more explanations. Mrs M. stands up and says "Alex is doing a good job and I'm having a nice trip". Christine says "Bravo but I'm not doing the trip I have paid for". Mrs M. then points the finger at her and says "I don't want you to spoil my trip". Christine replies "if you don't want to hear what I have to say you can always walk out". Enraged Alex takes the opportunity to throw water on the fire and says to Christine "If that doesn't work for you I call my boss to get a boat and you go back to Maumere". What a disgrace and a total disrespect! The atmosphere is tense. Nobody says a word. Christine walks out, Alex follows and caught her off guard on the gangway threatening her again with the "If that doesn't work for you I call my boss to get a boat and you go back to Maumere.

The next morning after a bad nite sleep someone told us that right after we went to our room the night before 4 people told Alex that if they had known they wouldn't do the "Beyond " they would never had bought that trip. Because just like us they had already been to Alami Alor (did the whole nine yards with Snorkel Venture) adding that they bought the "Beyond" as a whole new itinerary that can be done only on a liveaboard. Here are the pictures of the following days when we turned back because of the swell, the wind and the current.....

SATURDAY MAY 16

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SUNDAY MAY 17

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As we are back into the Pantar Strait Alex discovers a new snorkeling spot that he names "Alex's Rage". Many group members are uncomfortable with that and believe it's a lack of professionalism and ethic...

BEN HAD ANSWERED : " HONESTLY I DON'T HAVE A REASON FOR ALEX'MOTIVATION TO ADJUST THE ROUTING. I HOPE THE SECOND PART OF THIS TRIP WILL BE POSTED SOON.

The resort itself was outstanding. Staff and the physical place itself was 10 out of 10. Unfortunately, there was a lot of wind so we had to snorkel on the west side of the island which was shallow which resulted in less than desirable visibility a lot of the time. The guides were great at planning dives in which we drifted with the currents caused by the wind but that made it sometimes difficult to try to stay in one place and really look at what you wanted to see. After hearing from the guide that June is typically an extremely windy month. I wondered why Snorkel Ventures would have a tour this time of year. Duxy was his usual charming self and very responsive to the needs of each and every member. Of my three experiences with SV, this was my least favorite.

This trip exceeded my expectations! Emma was the perfect guide and she took care of every one of our needs. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her. She is an expert free diver and taught us many tips and techniques. We snorkeled a total of 16 times during the 6 days and it was just amazing. The resort, Turneffe, Belize, was beautiful, the food was great and the staff were pleasant and helpful. I'm looking forward to booking a trip in Indonesia with Snorkel Venture.

Just came back from an excellent, well organized snorkel trip to Belize. The resort, Turneffe, was top notch. The staff, the food, and wow! freshly brewed coffee delivery to our room every morning, how spoiled we were! Our snorkel guide Luis, incredibly knowledgeable and excited to show us all the critters under the sea. Always looked forward to our outings and what new creatures he would rustle up for us to meet. I do have to say that what made this trip an absolute stand out for us in a year of much traveling was Emma Ferrell, our Snorkel Venture guide. A most surprising treat added on to a trip already awash with pluses. Freediving lectures, morning breathing/yoga sessions, entertaining mealtime tales, hair braiding, professional photography, filmography (still talking about Emma here!). An infectious enthusiasm for all things underwater that really made this trip quite brilliant! as she would say. Thank you Snorkel Ventures, for adding her and her ginormous fins to our little adventure!

This was my third time with Snorkel Venture, this time to Misool and Wakatobi. I loved both resorts. Misool is a bit more intimate while Wakatobi is more posh. Our local guides were so knowledgeable, catering to our differing interests. Our Snorkel Venture guides, Dalton and Luca, were both delightful and I learned so much from them especially improving my photography skills. I already have my next Snorkel Venture trip planned!

My wife and I have now completed 5 tours with Snorkel Ventures and each tour has been brilliantly organised, led by exceptional tour guides and taken us to fabulous resorts. Every aspect of each tour, from the initial point of contact through to the conduct of the tour itself, is first class. We particularly like the fact that Snorkel Ventures have a wide range of available snorkelling experiences and we have fully enjoyed every trip we have taken. The tours are so good that we already have bookings for 2027 and 2028.

Both of our guides (Marcus and Amy) at Misool Resort were incredible. They organized our daily tours so we were still safe when the wind picked up. They provided great information on fish and coral. They guided us safely through many airports. Many thanks!

We enjoyed the variety of sea life between West Komodo and Alor. Both sites were well run and had excellent staff that made sure we were well cared for.

Mona the head snorkel/dive manager was exceptional at Alami Alor. She gave excellent briefings and always made sure that safety was the priority every time we went out. We enjoyed learning from her and appreciated how hard she worked to be sure we saw numerous things.

Our guides Emma and Crystal were both exceptional. They worked together so well and we were impressed by both of their knowledge. Emma taught us so much about free diving and breathing techniques. Mark and I both learned a tremendous amount from her and will continue to follow her videos so that we continue to improve. Crystal is just a joy to be with. She has so much knowledge about not only Snorkel Venture, but snorkeling and sea life around the world.

Both Crystal and Emma went above and beyond to be sure everyone had a good trip.

From the moment we started communicating with Snorkel Venture they were prompt, professional and committed to providing us with a great snorkelling holiday. Our guide took care of everything and everyone. The resorts were all great - the staff were welcoming, the food was varied and high-quality, and our rooms/villas were well-appointed. Most importantly, the beds were comfortable. Our trip was three weeks. I didn't want it to end.

Great staff, knowledgeable and helpful. Resorts and snorkeling experiences were fantastic .

Snorkel Venture made the trip easy and fun. Great guide Amy, she is the best! Enjoyed 3 locations in one tour: Alami Alor, West Komodo and Raja Ampat. Everything went well. Take note: trash is unpleasantly in the water in many sites in Raja Ampat. And economy air seats overnight are not fun in both timing and comfort. Resorts are beautiful and do a lovely job, good food, great staff, sweet rooms overlooking the water. Snorkeling in gorgeous settings is the priority and your days will be full.

My husband and I had the great privilege of joining 11 other snorkeling enthusiasts on a Snorkel Venture 19-day tour of Bunaken, Bangka & Raja Ampat. It was an excellent experience from my very first inquiry to the moment we said goodbye to the group at the end of the tour. Our tour consultant, Kelly, did a terrific job. She promptly and thoroughly answered each of our questions, and she provided all necessary information in a timely manner. The booking process was efficient and smooth.

We stayed at the Siladen Resort in Bunaken, the Coral Eye Resort in Bangka and the Papua Explorers Resort in Raja Ampat. All 3 were in stunning locations, and they all provided very nice and comfortable accommodations and excellent service. The reefs at all three locations were simply amazing. I could not have imagined the variety and abundance of colorful corals nor the amazing variety of fish and marine mammals that we saw.

Our group hit the jackpot with our tour leader, Marcus. It was truly remarkable how well he handled the travel logistics, and he always made sure that everyone was safe and having fun. He is a marine life expert who enthusiastically shared his knowledge with us. Additionally, Marcus is an avid underwater (and above water) photographer, and he chronicled our trip with fabulous photos and videos, which he shared freely with us. He made a wonderful video of our entire trip that is the best possible memento of our adventure.

In summary, we had a fantastic trip, and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Snorkel Venture or to book again with them. If you are considering booking a tour with them, just do it!

fabulous corals! Marcus, the trip leader, was outstanding! Outstanding resorts!

This trip was amazing! Snorkel Ventures knows the best places to take you for the most wonderful snorkeling experience possible. But on top of that, we were lucky enough to have Marcus as our guide. He made the trip seamless and the snorkeling an exciting adventure every day! He made us laugh and showed us a marine world we would have missed without him!

Alex made the pleasant adventure exceptional. He was kind, warm hearted, and very knowledgeable. I really appreciated his humor. And he never took himself too serious. We would do another trip lead by Alex.

A very well run trip from the start in the office to the actual trip. The snorkelling sites are superb, varied and the snorkelling experience was run with the emphasis on safety and then having fun. The accommodation was lovely and the food very good especially given our remoteness. Our tour guide, Lydia, was excellent, very knowledgeable, organised and good company. I’ve booked another trip already and many on the trip had further trips already in the bag. The fact that one has to book so far ahead is testament to the the overall experience.