Bahamas Marine Conservation with Gapforce

I would recommend this project to those who do and don’t have any diving experience. I was there for the full 10 weeks and it was definitely a memorable experience. As a first time diver I didn’t know what to expect, however, James the instructor was amazing. In just 10 days, I was a qualified advanced diver!

The April phase was pretty good in terms of weather, and there were only a handful of days where we were unable to dive. However, it was made sure that most of these days were used productively. From exploring the islands blue holes to visiting a bat cave.

As a marine conservation project we were there to collect data and, therefore, had to learn fish and coral species. Chloe made learning fish and corals easy, with helpful power points, flash cards and games. I would say if you have an interest in marine life then this trip is definitely suited to you.

For someone who is fairly fussy about food, you may struggle. With the main mealtimes involving, rice, beans, porridge and pasta, it can get a little boring. However, by the end of the phase we were making the most out of the given ingredients. There are also 2 shops in 5 minute walking distance, where you can get some snacks.

This was a really memorable experience and I would urge anyone who wants to try or enjoys diving to go for it!

I would strongly recommend this project to anyone, even if you have no diving experience. I was there for four weeks and wished i went for longer, in that time i did a lot. I was nervous about diving before i went however James the instructor was brilliant and i managed to complete the advanced course in 10 days.
The staff were good at having days planned, and the project was good value for money. Any issues the volunteers had, were addressed by the staff and things were changed swiftly after which made the trip run more smoothly. The food was very basic however i'm gluten tolerant and i took supplies with me and it was no issue for me to eat alternatives. Everyone helps with the cooking which makes it more of a social activity and everyone's preferences in the kitchen are accommodated for. There is also a shop five minutes away to get snacks from in between meals.
In my phase, there were only 10 volunteers and we all got on well, you get to know everyone as you spend most of the day together and as cliche as it sounds you become a little family. which is why i would recommend going for as long as possible as if you leave early it is hard to say goodbye.
Anti-insect repellent is a must as the sand-fly bites can be particularly nasty. Although everything is quite basic you soon get used to it.

This trip has truly been amazing. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it when I booked it but it exceeded what I imagined. For my gap year I first wanted something to do which wasn't travelling around and was by an organisation I looked at volunteering and treks but none had quite as much spark as diving everyday. I had been diving before so it really sounded like the perfect trip for me. There were many people who had never been diving before so they got qualified in the first few weeks, I thought that was quite bold to commit to 3 months of unknown, but they all enjoyed themselves so much and were lil pro divers by the end.
Even when we could not dive due to weather issues, we were still on the largest island in the Bahamas so there was so much to explore. We went up north to Morgan's bluff where there were ship wrecks we could snorkel, another time we went to captain Morgan's cave and then to the most northern tip of andros. On the island there were hundreds of blue holes we could of explored, my favourite of the blue holes was churches; it had a platform to jump, dive or flip off depending how ballsy you were, a bbq and toilets!! Another bh had a rope swing which was very entertaining.
All these day trips were organised by our amazing scientist Sam and expedition leader. Both Sam and James slaved away to plan these trips for us so we weren't sitting around camp all day.
There was a point during the 10 weeks where Sam was on his own supervising 12 people, whilst leading 4 dives a day and having to buy groceries (without a car) so then hitching back, taking hours. He must have been exhausted by the end of the day, but he never complained and was always still willing to listen to moans or suggestions. Also he would have to teach us our fish and coral lectures in between dives. it was clear the passion he has for his subject, which made the lessons so much more bearable and interesting. He would come up with quirky ways of remembering either the fish or coral, which always stuck in my brain. This man deserves a medal.
I would recommend staying for the full 12 weeks, just because you get so close to your fellow volunteers, like a big family, leaving early upsets the family and you won't want to leave them having all the fun!
If you're a cool kid, this trip is for you. Yes, you'll miss home sometimes and yes you'll miss vegetables (shocker) but that's not the things you remember from the trip.
You'll remember the crazy underwater creatures and the awesome people you meet. I'm tempted to book for next phase!
It is advertised as 2 dives a day for 6 days a week. Now thats a lot of diving! For the 10 weeks I was there I was sold the idea of 120 dives. To put this into perspective, I did 32 dives. all of them were amazing and so much fun, but its still about a quarter of what is advertised.
I would recommend checking out the weather conditions of the time of year you intend to visit, so you get your moneys worth.

I took part in the Greenforce Bahamas project in January 2015- march 2015 and I would definitely recommend this project to everyone who loves meeting new people, diving, beach life and sun. Every thing is obviously a bit basic but I believe this adds to the whole experience and makes everything a bit more fun. The dive sites are also really good and if you are lucky you might see sharks, dolphins and turtles. My fellow volunteers and staff members where extremely nice and supportive and I have definitely made awesome new friends. Food is basic just like the whole research station but if you are not a picky eater you will be just fine. Andros is really a beautiful island with so many things to visit and the locals are very friendly and funny. The only thing I was disappointed about was that it seemed like Gapforce has neglected this project a little bit the main problem being that we didn't always have the proper equipment or it wasn't working properly. But none the less the staff always tried to make the best of the situation and often did. All in all I have to say that going to the Bahamas was an experience of a life time and I would recommend it to everyone.
If you have any questions feel free to ask :)

Generally the trip was generally really fun. The diving is amazing and when the weather is good there is loads to see from parrotfish to the occasional shark and ray.

The staff (my dive instructor & marine biologist was Sam Healy) during my phase were really good and professional in the way they certified us and conducted the dives. Greenforce does tend to be slightly conservative with diving in other than perfect conditions but on the whole I do not find this a bad thing. Apart from anything else when the water is choppy the visibility is lowered to a few meters.

The accommodation is basic but for me this is part of the charm, although no warm water does take getting used to. You sleep on the air mattress you bring as the bunk beds are wooden frames so a thicker mattress is not a bad idea. There is also a small social area to hang around in, listen to music, watch films and play games, etc. But don't expect to be able to surf the web as wifi is only available on Sundays unless you buy data on a prepaid sim card ($35 for 2GB). The social area is also where the cooking is done. The food is fairly basic due to GapForce giving the instructors a tight budget (I think too tight). I would definitely recommend bringing vitamin tablets as you cannot get them on the island, due partly to the budget and partly to the lack of fruit and vegetables available on the island you do not get the vitamins you need. Most people also end up buying a few loafs of bread a week to keep them going in between the meals.

As I mentioned before I feel that Sam (our primary staff member after the second instructor had to unexpectedly leave early on) did a really good job, especially considering he was on his own and (with the intern- Scot), responsible for twelve people. Being the marine biologist he also gave the lectures on the fish species that we had to learn. They were fairly easy to learn as he was always prepared to ask questions and always had a funny way of remembering the species main traits. Sam is knowledgable and his passion for the marine sciences is evident.

Where the staff were effective, I feel the support they and the volunteers get from London once in the Bahamas to be less than satisfactory. Given this they do an even better job. We had multiple problems with boats, which cost us multiple diving days. Greenforce used to have a boat but have not done anything to replace it after it got damaged a few phases ago. This means that we have to rely on renting boats. At first we had one of the locals, which barely worked (there are very few mechanics and even less spare parts on Andros). Then due to the second instructors contacts at the five star resort down the road we were able to rent their spare boat. Obviously though this came with a few more restrictions. They were not really a hinderance but just one more thing on top of other complications, which Sam did not need. I feel that GapForce left Sam to deal with these problems on his own and with a tight budget. I also think that GapForce should provide an extensive 1st Aid kit (not for minor use i.e cuts and scratches) but if there was an emergency ther does not seem to be anything and there are no medical supplies on the island.

Furthermore be aware... GapForce advertises one to two dives a day. I will admit that after four weeks we were meeting this promise but only because we had three people leave the program (only booked a month). Before this there was not enough space on the boat and not enough equipment. Due to the lack of equipment I dove with an S,M and L BCD's on different occasions, meaning that often the equipment was ill fitting and banged around. There is only one large BCD and two mediums. The rest are small and extra-small (not really appropriate for the guys). Sam was doing four dives a day to get the two groups of six volunteers two dives a day. This is not really an ideal situation for him either as it means he was not getting a rest or often much food throughout the day. To add to this Sam is the one who has to do the grocery shopping and because there is no car he has to hitchhike the half hour journey down to the closest "town", which not only is difficult but also time consuming.

The bottom line is I would recommend this program but you have to be aware that it is probably not the cheapest option (partly due to prices on Andros) and that if you are not here for more than seven weeks you will just be on a diving holiday and not marine conservation (as you have to learn everything before doing the surveys).

I just hope that GapForce gets a boat sorted, which should make things easier and would stop a big waste of our money ($500 a week without fuel for the rent). Also for groups bigger than about twelve to fourteen people there needs to be more equipment otherwise their advertising of 1-2 dives a day needs to become: a dive a day (max). So basically it was a good experience due to the actual diving the people on the trip and the Staff (Sam and Scot) but let down by GapForce's administration, which left the feeling of being ripped off (i.e not cost effective).

Diving was fantastic and I learnt so much about the reef, marine animals and the coral. Sam the scientist made learn not only interesting but fun playing games to help learn the species of fish and coral.

Some of the days were boring when we couldn't dive as most of us just sat around doing nothing. More team games or activities would have improved days like this.

Only real negative of the trip was the boat disaster no ones fault but I think gap force should have another boat in place that could have been used when the rental boat was not able to be used.

I had always loved scuba diving and headed down to the Bahamas to learn more about marine science. The program balanced learning and fun very well and I ended up having one of the best experiences of my life. Be prepared that this is not a resort location. I feel that the fact that the location is a little rustic and rugged only adds to the experience. You are right on the beach and dive everyday (weather permitting). I would recommend going during the spring or summer season, as the winter winds can sometimes leave you stranded on land. For the price and location, the food, the diving, and the accommodation were great and plentiful. Plan to learn a lot and never want to leave!

I went down to the Bahamas not expecting much at all and I believe those are the expectations you have to have if you're going to a project like this one. I had loads of fun during my time in Staniard Creek, but unfortunately, due to some uncontrollable factors such as weather and the fact that Andros is so remote this projects full potential was not completely reached. Saying this, there was nothing that the staff could do and they worked their hardest to try and make the windy (no diving) days as enjoyable as possible with lots of out trips. These trips were to AMAZING blue holes, surrounding towns and to more sheltered areas close by where volunteers were able to complete their PADI courses in time before they left. So the staff was great, especially Sam, the chief scientist who was a fantastic teacher and more importantly a great person. He made lessons fun and interactive, while putting emphasis on accuracy and the importance of what we had come to do. If not for the windy weather and trouble with getting boat parts I have no doubt that we would have been making the 5 minute boat ride to the beautiful reef to dive and survey almost every day. So I'd suggest to anyone interested to definitely check the seasonal weather patterns before they go. It's too bad that I wasn't there at another time of year when it wasn't so windy, because if not for the wind and a few other uncontrollable factors I would be giving a 10/10.