Broadreach: Caribbean Diving and Sailing Voyages

Name: Broadreach: Caribbean Diving and Sailing Voyages
Brand: Broadreach Summer Adventures
SKU: 37635
Rating: 4.85 (40 reviews)

Read 40 reviews

4.85 Rating

Leave a Review

Location

Multiple Locations +4

St. Martin
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Lucia
Saint Kitts and Nevis

Length

1 - 4 weeks

Program Categories

Adventure Travel

Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, Payment plans

Health & Safety

Learn More

View Other Details

Program Details

Timeframe

Summer

Housing

Boat

Pricing

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals Transportation

What's Not Included

Airfare Travel Insurance

Last Updated: Sep 29, 2023

Last Reviewed: Oct 26, 2024

Wish List

8 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Spend your summer living on a catamaran in the Caribbean with 12 other teens for 3 weeks! Experience the freedom of life on the water and the magic of the world beneath it. Learn to scuba dive and sail, build skills that you’ll use for the rest of your life, and bond with a crew of new friends as you island hop through the beautiful Caribbean.

Meet every morning with warm wind in your hair. You and your crew will work together to successfully navigate yourselves through the breathtaking French and Dutch Leeward Islands, earning a variety of scuba and sailing certifications along the way.

Visit Saba’s magnificent marine park – the perfect spot to earn dive certifications – to experience the underwater walls and towering pinnacles of Babylon, Tent Reef and Diamond Rock. Take plenty of breaks from sailing and diving along the way to body surf, water ski, stand-up paddleboard and hike through lush mountain rainforests.

Visit Site

Apply Now

Video and Photos

Helm of sailboat with group of teens sitting at the bow

Group of teens on deck of boat at sunset

Group of teens swimming in ocean at sunset next to boat

View All Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

Learn More

Program Highlights

Experience a side of the Caribbean few can see aboard your floating home
Scuba dive with sea turtles, rays, and colorful coral and fish - no experience necessary
Learn to sail alongside a crew of new friends, navigating your way through the islands
Volunteer in Saba to help maintain island trails and protect biodiversity
Try water skiing, wakeboarding and stand-up paddle boarding

Popular Programs

high school students on liveaboard carribean program

High School 21-Day Scuba + Sailing Voyage

Explore the underwater world. Live on a boat. Make lifelong friendships. The journey is the destination.

High School 12-Day Scuba + Sailing Voyage

Jump right into this liveaboard adventure to build and use new skills that will allow you to properly explore the wonders of the Caribbean. Experience life on and under the sea with an amazing crew of friends and instructors. Gain new perspectives that will also serve your life on land.

students jumping on 12-day liveaboard program

Middle School 12-Day Scuba + Sailing Voyage

Prepare to surprise yourself. Learn to breathe underwater, get comfortable navigating a sailboat, fall in love with life at sea and become close friends with people you’ve only known for days. This liveaboard adventure might just change how you see the world – and yourself.

Program Reviews

4.85 Rating

based on 40 reviews

Leave a Review

Rating Spread High School

5 rating 90%
4 rating 7.5%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 2.5%
1 rating 0%

Growth 4.65
Support 4.75
Fun 4.85
Housing 4.65
Safety 4.85

Good for Adventure travelers, Under 18, Students

Showing 1 - 8 of 40 reviews

Learning how to dive on this trip and meeting all of these super nice people from all over the world was amazing. The Caribbean is a beautiful place and I had so much fun with Broadreach I would definitely do it again. There was always food and they were accommodating to anyone who didn't like something or had an allergy. Visiting the towns were wonderful and I loved sleeping on the tramp of the boat. I spent an insane amount of time outside this trip and being detached from my phone was a plus for sure!

What was your funniest moment?

When my group would make funny inside jokes and say they throughout our trip.

Pros

Beautiful place
Outdoors all the time
Friendships

Broadreach was overall the most amazing experience. The staff right away was so welcoming and some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They truly care about you and your growth as a person. The friends made on the boat truly are for life and is so fun to get to know them over the three weeks. The scuba diving was so amazing and the instructors truly were there for me facing my fears. Going to town was so fun and the hikes were even better getting to see the most breathtaking views along side your new best friends.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

Try everything and make as many friends as you as possible!

Pros

Scuba diving
Hiking
People

I had such a good time on this trip! I really loved the people I was with and getting to scuba dive and sail. However - and this may have been my fault - I was the only one on the boat who already had my advanced certification. There were seven of us, and two others had their Open Water Certifications, but it was a little frustrating not being able to dive super deep, at least for the first two weeks! The living situation was a bit rough: it was too hot to sleep inside, but it rained when we slept outside. Eventually, most of us ended up sleeping in the eating/living area, but there wasn't much room, and for larger groups of people it would have been terrible. I didn't know this when I initially signed up, but you're only allowed 10 seconds of fresh water when you shower, which sucks. I had a bunch of rashes once I got home. My counselors were super fun and took great care of us, but I didn't necessarily feel comfortable going to one of them and saying I had a rash, and I wasn't really able to access any of the people on the support boat. There were a lot of really great things, though! Going into town was so fun, and we really got to explore so much of the ocean and the islands. When we were anchored, we could just swim around the boat, which was relaxing and a nice break from the heat. The food was pretty good, and we never ran out. However, the recipes don't really give you enough for everyone; we were eating small portions of chicken out of a can every day.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?

Once, we were on a ten-hour-long sail. It was raining off and on, and we were all exhausted from a hike the day before. Then, all of a sudden, our counselors told us to come to the front of the boat, where we saw a pod of dolphins playing in front of us! We watched them swerve and jump for about 30 minutes, and I'll never forget it!

Pros

Lots of unique opportunities
Meeting really great people
Getting your scuba and sailing ceritifications

Cons

Rough living conditions

This was my first ever scuba voyage and I had no previous experience, but it was definitely the best one I could possibly have. I earned more than 5 certificates and met underwater creatures that I didn't even know about.

The creates and instructors were amazing (especially the ones that knew how to cook :) and I will never forget the time we spent together during these 21 days of pure happiness.

I really want to go again on a different course, not because I didn't like the last one, but because I want to meet more people.

Thank you Broadreach!!!

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?

If I had a chance to do all of my adventures this summer on Yara-Yara (my boat) I would happily take that opportunity and leave everything the same. There is absolutely nothing that I didn't enjoy or at least somehow wanted to do during this program, I think I had the most fun during that time than I ever did!

Pros

Good crue and instructors
Happy memories forever!
Food :)

Cons

My friend almost ran out of air in the middle of the night dive :o

This was an amazing trip I would go on again. In fact, I have already signed up for the advanced trip. The people were great and you learn so much just by having fun. The experience is one of a kind and the scenery is like no other. I put my hammock up and was chilling most nights (unless it rained). Scuba certifications were so much fun because I get to complete everything with my friends I’ve made on the boat. You make long time friends on this trip. I have one person coming from Arizona to Tennessee to spend fall break together. Really a once in a lifetime trip.

Pros

Certifications
Social skills
Location

Cons

Food
Living situations
Weather

My personal group of people on my Broadreach trip was really fun and interesting! Wouldn't trade the experience for the world. I got to live on board a SAILBOAT! HOW COOL IS THAT?!? But seriously, you get to become really close friends with everyone on board and get fully emersed in the experience. Boat life becomes you and your scuba course work becomes actual useful information. The wildlife, the people, the setting and the overall vibe all factor in to come out as the perfect experience. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Pros

Great for an all in one package
Great for building freedom
Helped me meet people from different backrounds

Cons

Kinda expensive
You must be responsible
NA

Broadreach is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The independence I have gained from it is insane. The people that i met are my best friends. I have done 3 trips so far and each one is so super special. I am always so eager to learn more about my peers and just about the world around us in general. It is such incredible experience that i would recommend to absolutely anyone. I will finish the rest of my high school creer doing broadreach and then i will be an instructor to make un impact on other kids like the impact the trip gave me. I Love You BR!!

Pros

the people
the independence it offers you
the experience of living on a boat

Cons

personally conflicts
living in such close quarters
itsss hottttt

My children all did the sailing/diving combination during the summer of 2022. It was a wonderful adventure for them. They flew to St. Maarten without hovering parents and got see new places on their own. They returned home with scuba and sailing certifications that they're proud of. My younger two had some difficulty with several of the other campers on their trip, but I spoke with Broadreach mngt after they returned home and think it was a one time issue.

Two out of three are going back in 2023 for more diving. My oldest is aging out, unfortunately.

Pros

Lots of activity. Very little time for electronics.

Cons

Price; it's a lot for 1, let alone 3.

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

Broadreach has a variety of programs to offer. I was scrolling through all of the different choices and the Carribean Underwater Discoveries really caught my attention. My sister had gone on this program the year before and had nothing but positive reviews.

I knew that I was interested in scuba diving and sailing and when I heard that you live on a catamaran, I was determined to go on the trip. Looking at all of the different Carribean Islands that you would get to visit and dive near had me ecstatic. The program was my perfect fit.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

Even though the program might have been the perfect fit, the cost was not. I applied for the scholarship in the fall of last year and unfortunately did not receive it. I was devastated. Broadreach later emailed my parents offering program discounts and the discount was still not big enough for us to afford. Broadreach was so accommodating in meeting our maximum amount that we could pay for and gave me a once in a lifetime experience.

I would give anything to go on another program with them.

View Entire Interview

The day finally came for me to leave and my flight out of Kentucky was delayed, causing me to miss my flight out of Atlanta to St. Maarten. We called Broadreach and they were so helpful in this chaotic situation. I left the next day and two instructors met me at the airport with a huge, warm, welcome. They drove me to the Pad and I was driven out to Miss Amanda Jones on the Mega Dinghy, which was a fun start to my trip. We blasted music and I met my best friends for the first time.

Broadreach also accommodated the fact that I am a vegetarian. All of the meals were separated from the meats and it was actually a big weight off of my shoulders that I had worried about. Basically anything that you need, Broadreach has your back.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Before the trip, I wish I would have known how much work you had to put into the trip in order to get stuff out of it. Going into the trip, I thought it was going to be a vacation. This was a learning experience, strengthening your skills in many different areas, such as leadership, group work, learning, listening, and so much more.

I am so glad that it was not “just a vacation” because I got so much out of the program. I would not change it for anything. Just know that going into the trip, you have to be willing and ready to work and learn in order to get the experience you want.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Every day has their certain rituals and leaders. The first step in starting your day was to be woken up by your LOD (Leader of the Day). The Leader of the Day was chosen the night before by our instructors and they were in charge of getting everyone motivated in each activity we did and that our dive gear, meals, messes, etc., were ready and cleaned up.

Then we had our two cooks each day that would prepare and serve three meals a day. The meals were all in the cookbook and written out for us, so everything usually went smoothly. We would start the day by eating breakfast, sloshing the deck if it was dirty, cleaning dishes and then either sailing, diving, hiking, or having a lesson. Sometimes we were offered to go kneeboarding, water skiing and wake-boarding with the “Jabronies.”

At the beginning of the trip, we had homework in our scuba diving workbooks in order to get certified. It was surprisingly fun to go out on the tramp with all your new friends and work together. The tramp is a huge bouncy net over the water on the bow of the boat and we would all stay up there talking for hours each night. It was definitely a highlight.

After our long days, the cooks would prepare and serve us our dinner. Before we ate we had to do our rituals, which included “Glums and Glows,” “the squeeze,” and “the quote of the day.” They became second nature by the end of the trip. Every day was something new and contained unforgettable memories.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear going on the Carribean Underwater Discoveries program would be making friends. Going into this, I was so nervous about making friends and not fitting in.

Once I got there, all of my worries washed away, because the instructors and other students were all so happy and nice. They are all so chill and treat you like family. We were all there for the same reasons and you connect over that. As long as you are yourself you will get along with everyone and have a blast.

What is your favorite memory from the trip?

My favorite memory from the trip was cliff jumping in St. Barths. We hung out with all of the different boats and met so many great people. We were all very encouraging to each other to just go for it and jump. We shared so many laughs, mostly because of the accidental flops into the water. We all jumped over and over again and it never got old, because of how fun it was.

Nick Thayer

Daniel Kramer

Elsa Smith

Emily Burcham

About Broadreach Summer Adventures

For more than 25 years, Broadreach has worked with middle, high school and college students to help them discover their passions and spark new curiosities on summer adventure programs. Students explore the world and their own abilities with the appropriate level of challenge and support in small-group settings, learning from both professional...