Snorkeling World

When it comes to snorkeling gear, most people instinctively reach for the longest fins they can find. Bigger must mean better, right? After years snorkeling in the Atlantic and traveling across the world, I'm here to argue the opposite — and I think the answer might surprise you. The Case Against Long Fins in Snorkeling Long fins are impressive. There's no question about it. They generate serious propulsion, and in the right conditions, they glide through the water with remarkable efficiency. But their real strength lies in  freediving  — deep, powerful, efficient descents where every kick needs to count. In snorkeling, depth is secondary. You're at the surface, exploring, reacting, moving laterally. And that changes everything. Why Short Fins Win in Rougher Waters Snorkeling in the Atlantic means dealing with currents, waves, and unpredictable tides. In these conditions, short fins allow for a  quicker reaction to changes in current , requiring less muscular effort and o...

  At the end of last year, looking to take a serious step beyond action cameras for underwater video, I decided to invest in a Sony a6700 paired with a Seafrogs housing. The choice came down to two key factors: budget and video stabilization. For snorkeling footage, stabilization is everything — shaky clips can ruin otherwise beautiful underwater moments. The a6700 features Sony's in-body image stabilization (IBIS), which works across all lenses and is one of the strongest in its class for an APS-C sensor camera. For this setup, I used the Sony 16–50mm f/3.5–5.6 PZ OSS lens. Its compact size and power zoom make it particularly practical inside a housing, and the built-in optical stabilization (OSS) works together with the camera’s IBIS for improved results. Due to winter conditions, I only recently had the chance to properly test the setup in the water, and I wanted to share some honest first impressions. Test location: Sesimbra, Portugal Stabilization The stabilization isn't q...

  What brought me to Bunaken in Indonesia was the search for a route that made sense to reach Sorong in the Raja Ampat area, where I could also take advantage of the stop to go snorkeling. The time of year was also a deciding factor — I was traveling in February, which falls within the dry season in Raja Ampat, but is not the ideal time to visit Bali, which is, in any case, not one of the best snorkeling spots in Indonesia. Since I had never been to Bali, I was somewhat curious to visit, but as I was arriving in Asia through Singapore, I realized there was a direct flight to Manado, and from Manado there was also a direct connection to Sorong — a fairly short one, around an hour. Very close to Manado lies the island of Bunaken, part of a small archipelago that, according to my research, offered better snorkeling than the Bali area. The prices were also very attractive, which made me choose it as an intermediate stop on the way to Raja Ampat. I have to say right away that it was an ...