Articles

Snorkeling articles: experiences, tips and gear

What I really use and experience in the water — honestly written down. Translated from German.

New Tips Maldives local islands: which island is right for snorkeling? Maldives local islands for snorkeling: five I snorkeled myself. Where the house reef starts at the beach, where you need a boat, which island suits whom. Read more

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Tips
Maldives rainy season or dry season? The same reef in April and in August

Maldives rainy season or dry season? Twice at the same reef on Rasdhoo, in April and August: same fish, same visibility. The difference was one animal.
Travel report
Crystal Rock Mauritius: the boat trip from Flic en Flac

Crystal Rock Mauritius: a rock in the lagoon, round corals in 20 meters of visibility, dolphins and a barbecue on Île aux Bénitiers. A boat day from Flic en Flac.
Tips
Best time of day to snorkel: Maldives visibility at low tide, high tide and in rain

Best time of day to snorkel? In the Maldives I had 25 meters of visibility in the morning, 15 from noon. What decides it, with 19 of my own readings.
Gear
GoPro vs. Insta360 X5 underwater: why I switched

GoPro vs Insta360 for snorkeling: what the Insta360 X5 did for me with a whale shark and mantas, compared to my GoPro Hero 10, and what bothers me about it.
Travel report
Hanifaru Bay manta season in the Maldives: fifty mantas in the water

Hanifaru Bay manta season: when to go, how the tour from Maalhos works and why murky water is a good sign. With fifty mantas, August 2026.
Tips
Sharm El Sheikh snorkeling from the beach: is it worth it?

Sharm El Sheikh snorkeling: which hotel has a house reef, where the easiest way in is and what you'll see. One week on the Red Sea, October 2025.
Travel report
Maldives snorkeling trip report: Rasdhoo and Fulidhoo

Maldives snorkeling trip to Rasdhoo and Fulidhoo: a strong house reef, turquoise shallows, mantas and turtles, and honest about the 2024 coral bleaching.
Travel report
Flic en Flac snorkeling on Mauritius: is the beach worth it?

Flic en Flac snorkeling on Mauritius: from the beach into the lagoon, what lives between sand and surf wall, what you need and when the boat is worth it.
Travel report
Whale shark in the Maldives: the tour from Dhigurah, five meters of whale shark and fifty snorkelers

Whale shark in the Maldives: the tour from Dhigurah with price, best time and rules. A beautiful animal, and behind it fifty snorkelers.
Travel report
Fulidhoo beach snorkeling, Maldives: rays instead of a reef

Fulidhoo beach snorkeling: at Bikini Beach I swam out a hundred meters and found no reef. Instead, the big rays from the jetty came along.
Travel report
Can you swim with turtles in Mauritius? Snorkeling at Turtle Point, close to the beach

Can you swim with turtles in Mauritius? At Turtle Point, a sea turtle in two meters of water, 50 m off the beach. Do you need a boat, and what applies since 2022?
Travel report
Turtle Reef in the Maldives, at Rasdhoo: where sharks appear and bother no one

Turtle Reef in the Maldives, at Rasdhoo: we wanted to snorkel with turtles, and again and again a shark moved along its path. It had no interest in us.
Travel report
Stingrays in the Maldives: evenings with nurse sharks at the jetty on Fulidhoo

Stingrays in the Maldives: on Fulidhoo, nurse sharks and stingrays waited at the jetty almost every evening, relaxed, of their own accord, very close.
Tips
Best snorkeling in Sharm El Sheikh: four Red Sea reefs for beginners

The best snorkeling in Sharm El Sheikh for beginners: Ras Bob, Ras Umm Sid, Ras Mohammed and Gordon Reef in the Red Sea, and which reefs are really worth it.
Travel report
Swim with turtles in the Maldives: Turtle Reef off Rasdhoo

Swim with turtles in the Maldives: by boat from Rasdhoo to a reef in the middle of the sea, an hour and a half with around ten turtles, all alone and unhurried.
Travel report
Manta rays in the Maldives: my first encounter, snorkeling off Rasdhoo

Manta rays in the Maldives, in the off-season: a boat trip from Rasdhoo, first a shadow that disappears. Then it lies ten meters below me and turns toward me.
Gear Advertising
Snorkeling & diving gear: what really pays off

My snorkeling gear: which mask, snorkel and fins I use, why open-heel fins with neoprene boots came next, and when inexpensive gear from Decathlon is enough.
Travel report
Nurse sharks in the Maldives: dangerous when snorkeling? My experience

Are nurse sharks in the Maldives dangerous? Two boat trips from Fulidhoo and Rasdhoo, a nudge against my leg, and why I stayed in the boat the second time.
Travel report
Blacktip reef sharks in the Maldives: my first, snorkeling on the house reef of Rasdhoo

Blacktip reef sharks in the Maldives: on my first day on Rasdhoo, suddenly one is there on the house reef. An uneasy feeling, and who gives way to whom.
Travel report
Diving without certification in Egypt: my first dive at Ras Mohammed

Diving without certification in Egypt: booked spontaneously on board, no practice, held on to down to 20 meters. My dive at Ras Mohammed, October 2025.
About Riffnah
Snorkeling and diving blog, told honestly: welcome to Riffnah

Riffnah, the snorkeling and diving blog, is starting: real experiences from the Maldives, Egypt, Mauritius & more, with our own photos and videos.