How Fit do I Need to be for a Snorkel Safari?

We get a lot of questions about the level of fitness required to join one of our snorkel safaris, and the truth of the matter is we can’t really answer that question with a simple statement of “Guests need to be at this level of fitness to join the Komodo safari,” for example. Reason being is that there are certain fitness factors which will vary from person to person. Some people might have difficulty with walking or climbing steps but feel perfectly comfortable in the water while others might be a bit of the opposite. Prior to booking or selling a tour we do our absolute best to paint as clear of a picture as possible of the physical requirements so as to give you an idea of what the trip will look like so you can make an assessment for yourself. Something else we’d like to mention is that since we started running our snorkel safaris in 2018 we’ve had people of all fitness levels on our tours, including people with limited mobility on land, and we’ve always been able to make sure every guest was as comfortable as possible on land and in the water, for the duration of the trip. We’ll do whatever we can to make sure every guest is there to witness those magical moments. That being said, if you do have specific physical limitations it’s always a good idea to let us know in advance so we can make the necessary arrangements for the tour. 

Aerial view of papua paradise resort and house reef

Common Questions and Concerns

Will we be snorkeling in current?

In just about all of our tours, particularly in Indonesia, there is a good chance we will see current, BUT we rarely encounter it unless we have a gentle drift snorkel planned. We are constantly monitoring the tides and currents and will always select the snorkeling sites where there is very little to no current.

How many stairs are at the resort?

This depends a lot on the individual resort, and this is one of the criteria we actually look at when selecting a particular resort to run our safaris through. Most of the resorts we work with will have the very least amount of steps possible, with just two to three steps leading up to the bungalows or restaurant. However, on some of the tours do have more than a few steps in which case we will try to identify this on the tour description. If you are physically limited by large amount of steps it’s a good idea to let us know so we can make the necessary arrangements. 

What if I get tired in the water?

Unless we’re on the house reef where you can easily get in and out of the water through the resort’s pier or at the beach, there is always a support boat shadowing us just in case a guest does become exhausted. Also, there are multiple guides in the water with at least two of them carrying large floats for guests to rest on if they get exhausted.

How much walking is involved with the land tours?

Some of the land tours will quite a bit of walking, but we can always make arrangements for a shorter or alternative land tour to suite your needs. On our Komodo tour for example the full trek to see the Komodo Dragons is probably just bit more than a mile in total with some hills, but if you didn’t want to do the full trek and still see the dragons the walk can be about ¼ mile round trip on flat land. Whatever the occasion, we will come up with something unique so you can still have a special la

nd excursion.

happy snorkel venture guests

About Author

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Alex Lindbloom
Alex is a Snorkel Venture guide as well as one of the video and photo pros for the company. Prior to joining Snorkel Venture in 2018 Alex lived and worked all over the world as an underwater cameraman, including five years on a boat in Indonesia. Alex's images and videos have garnered many international awards and can be seen on NatGeo, Disvocery Channel, the UN Building, and various magazines.