What kind of diet is offered? How is the sanitary situation?

Hi Tina,
Andrew here - I participated in the 4 week marine biology research program. It was an absolutely amazing experience, by far the best time of my life and met such wonderful people. I highly highly highly recommend it if you enjoy the ocean and new experiences. The living arrangement is certainly close quarters which strengthens your relationships with the other volunteers. Everyone on camp is expected to complete their chores and practice cleanliness so that the camp remains relatively clean in respect for others. Also, it is island living so it is a very simple life with simple meals. I would recommend bringing multi vitamins and protein because the diet is mainly carbs. A store is accessible for mainly fruit and snack foods but Saturday night barbeques are amazing and the highlight of food for the week. Hope this helps. LMK if I can clarify anything further!

Hi Tina,

I'm Fred I was out on Andros island for 5 weeks and has the best time. The diet fairly minimal with meals mostly consisting of carbs, but there was still loads of choice when deciding what to cook for meal times. From bean burgers and chips to noodles and veg, it was possible to make a nutritious meal out of a small number of ingredients. There was a small shop down the road close to house where you could buy other foods such as biscuits, cheese and fruit. The weekly rota of chores meant that the camp was kept clean and tidy so the standards of living were good. This is one of the best experiences of my life and I know you wouldn't regret it if you were to go on this trip of a life time!

Hi Tina,

I stayed on Andros for 6 weeks from July - August last year and had an absolutely amazing time. I honestly wish i'd of opted to stay longer.

Food is fairly simple but keeps you sustained and full of the energy you require to do a days diving. Meals are normally done on a rota, so for example, on Monday the camp might have bean burgers, Tuesday could be be pasta and salad and Wednesday might be flatbread pizzas. The fridge is essentially yours (within reason) so whatever's in there is yours to use for cooking. Of course you do have to be mindful of how much you use. Remember those stocks have got to last the week! There is a recipe book on camp with a whole bunch of amazing recipes that previous volunteers have come up with.

Vegetarians and vegans are easily catered for. All new volunteers tell the camp their dietary requirements and meals will always work around the needs of camp members.

There are a couple of local stores in the area too that sell snacks, drinks and other produce that can be used to help with cooking. The camp also has an amazing beach bar ran by the sites owner "Timmy"! Saturdays evenings are when the camp usually unwinds (there is no drinking on and before dive days for dive safety reasons), so you can purchase alcohol (provided you're of the legal drinking age) and other snacks. He does an amazing assortment of cocktails with my personal favorite being, "The Slippery Nipple" (Rum and Baileys).

As for sanitary conditions, the camp offers basic facilities. However, they are more than sufficient to last you for whatever duration of time you intend to stay on camp and you do get used to them over time!

The camp offers 5 showers all of which are made from basic plastic piping and positioned above a pallet. Three of these are outdoors which have tarpaulin curtains for privacy and two are enclosed indoors. The water normally came out of the shower head warm for me, however, bear in mind my stay took place during days where the temperature rarely dropped below 26/27 degrees Celsius.

There are four toilets. Two that are properly plumbed in and two that require you to use a bucket to flush.

Please be advised, you will be sharing these bathrooms with frogs and all manner of creepy crawlies! My evening showers usually ended up being spectated by a family of frogs that sat on the shower rail, but you do get used to the wildlife on camp!

Camp cleanliness will always depend on how seriously the camp members you're with take it. Volunteers are given daily chores and are expected to complete them during some point in the day. Generally speaking, if the camp bands together and tidies up after themselves, the camp will remain a pleasant and hygienic place to call home! Just remember, don't spoil paradise and paradise will spoil you!

I can honestly say my trip to the Bahamas was the best 6 weeks of my life. You'll meet some incredible people, see amazing things and come back with an entirely new outlook on travel and life. It goes without saying, the longer you stay, the more you get out of it!

All the best! If you do decide to go to Andros, Have an amazing time and enjoy every minute!

- Jake