Snorkeling abroad: what is it, what is the best place to go, and are you insured?

What is snorkeling abroad?

• Snorkeling is swimming with a windpipe and diving goggles to be able to view the underwater world from above.
• You usually wear flippers to make it easier to move or to be able to dive a few meters deep.
• A snorkeler breathes through a snorkel and looks down through diving goggles.

Why should you go snorkeling abroad?

• Experience: expect unforgettable impressions. The first time you snorkel among the many colorful fish is an unforgettable experience for everyone. In real life it is much more intense than you would have expected.
• Involvement: snorkeling increases your awe for nature underwater, whether you go snorkeling with dolphins, come face-to-face with enormous manta rays, or encounter a sea turtle while snorkeling, your view of nature will never be the same again!
• Stability and stress reduction: snorkeling is not only the ultimate relaxation, but it is also fantastically beautiful to float among thousands of fish and coral species, to let yourself be carried by the current along a rock wall with bright red fan corals and parrot fish that calmly look at you.

What do you need and what should you take into account when you go snorkeling?

• Environmental awareness: for example, by using coral-friendly sunscreen, by not standing on corals, and by touching as little coral or fish as possible.
• Health: snorkeling can sometimes involve risks if you are not fit enough and there is a strong current.

What are the risks when practicing diving abroad?

• Snorkeling is relatively harmless.
• Do inquire well about the local dangers such as currents and certain dangerous fish species.
• To have a pleasant night's sleep afterward, you better make sure that you do not burn your back and legs; that happens quickly!

What are the consequences if something goes wrong while snorkeling?

• If you end up in the hospital, you may have to pay the costs yourself when you do not have insurance that covers your activities.
• Snorkeling abroad is generally not restricted by regular insurance.
• Be careful not to take unnecessary risks. If there is a red flag in connection with the visit of a white shark or dangerous jellyfish, skip a day of snorkeling because your insurance will not cover you if you are careless.
• Read more: Travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
• Read more: watersport en duikactiviteiten verzekeren (NL)

Where is the best place to go if you want to snorkel and have an unforgettable experience?

• Australia: top locations include the Great Barrier Reef
• Bonaire: check the right places
• Egypt: top locations you will find in the south and in the Sinai
• Philippines: besides Palawan and Bohol there are several top locations
• Honduras: for example around Roatan and Utila
• Indonesia: such as on Lombok (cheap), Sulawesi (Bunaken!) and Pulau Weh (Aceh)
• Maldives: on many of the islands you can snorkel superb
• Malaysia: the Perhentians and Sipidan (on Borneo)
• Panama: for example on Bocas del Torro
• Tanzania: on Pemba and Zanzibar

Where else in the world can you snorkel really well?

• Canary Islands
• Curaçao
• Greece
• Cape Verde Islands
• Malta & Gozo
• Turkey
• Thailand