Broadreach Summer Adventures Reviews

At the age of fourteen, a summer trip has completely changed the way I see the world. Being on a trip with possibly ten other teenagers made me learn valuable lessons that couldn't be taught anywhere else. Waking up every day to the beautiful Caribbean Sea and seeing all the amazing sea life opens our eyes to how beautiful the world really is. The dives were amazing. Every time we would go down, so many animals and corals were there to be discovered. The towns are so colorful and the townspeople are really friendly. This trip still makes me think of all the things we learned from how to equalize your ears to cooking dinner for fifteen people. I would go back for the whole summer if I had a choice. Broadreach is the way to go if you are looking for a once in a lifetime experience.
- Danube out

I will never forget my incredible summer in Fiji. Firstly, the diving is unlike any other in this world, offering close proximity to beautiful marine life (not to mention being incredibly safe all the while). Secondly, throughout my time in Fiji each person I met was kind-hearted, thoughtful, and full of life, making every moment wonderful. And thirdly, from what I experienced of the place, I believe that Fiji is a wonder of the world with vast natural landscapes (Sigatoka sand dunes, fun-yaking inland) more beautiful than anything I've ever seen before. With that, my experience was only made more enjoyable by my fellow Broadreach students and instructors. Throughout the three weeks, we fostered our own shark-loving community and learned an incredible amount about the species. My love for sharks, and Fiji as well, was only deepened on this trip, and I recommend it to any student considering the opportunity.

This program to the magical island of Long Key Belize and the exhilarating adventures in Costa Rica proved to be a once in a lifetime experience. The trip began in Belize as our small group traveled to the small island of Long Key. This island to this day is my favorite spot in the world. We spent a week earning our diving certifications, exploring local islands, and experiencing the Belize culture with our new island friends. Between diving, kayaking, star gazing, and dance parties there was never a moment where we were not having the time of our lives, making leaving so sad. But on we were to our next adventures in Costa Rica where we departed from our relaxing island lifestyle and hiked up mountains, tried exotic fruits and plants, repealed, cliff jumped, build a cement area for local kids to play on, slept under a cave, white water rafted and surfed. This experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and I learned so much more about myself then I ever imagined. I am so honored to have been able to go on this life changing experience and I highly recommend it to any environment loving, adrenaline seeking teenager.

While on my Broadreach program I experienced many life changing adventures, and friendships I will cherish for a very long time. One of the craziest experiences was after we had finished our WFR certification and were volunteering at La Loma Luz 7th Day Adventist hospital in San Ignacio, and at the Cornerstone Foundation in downtown San Ignacio. On one of my rotations at Cornerstone the trip intern Jonathan noticed my water bottle, he recognized the company, one from my small mountain town in Wyoming, one that I happen to work for. He then realized where I was from, having missed initial introductions, and we connected many mutual friends and experiences. Besides this I have never seen something as breathtaking and impressive as the Actun Tunich Muknal Caves (ATM) that we got to tour and explore. Belize, Broadreach, and the WFR were amazing.

During my time in Broadreach, it was my first time in Canada so I loved the experience. This one evening, we were at this encampment the night before going on our last kayaking trip, the ride had been long and it has rained a lot, it was my day as the organizer of sorts like we do at Broadreach and everyone was feeling down but then my amazing instructors steph and Quinn brought out marshmallows and Nutella! Just that day I had a little internet connection and my dad had told me I should video tape my friends and so I did. During this trip, I had become a kind of "mother" to my friends because I always had duct tape and I always told them things to not forget. Ironically I was also the youngest of our group but we were all a pretty tight family, so after flubs and gloss we sat around our first fire because the fire ban had been removed and I did an interview to all my friends! We had such an amazing time it was hilarious and I still look at the interviews they're extremely funny, my favorite was of Kayley say "hi my name is kayley and this is my 23rd marshmallow" it was funny because she loved marshmallow tortillas with Nutella and marshmallows but I just ate the Nutella, we had a very fun night and the rest of the trip and the whole trip was amazing! We shared stories and we were always on the same page no matter where we were from or how old we were. It was really a moment that I cherished the most.

This program was the most fun and best experience that I have ever had. I made great friends and saw amazing sights and animals that I could not have seen anywhere else. We hiked up a volcano, explored a fort, cleared a trail in the mountains, saw amazing marine life, including turtles, sharks, octopi, barracuda, and thousands of different types of fish, and were in the water everyday. We earned sailing and scuba certifications, including Open Water and Advanced Open Water as well as our International Yachting Crew certifications. I learned a lot about myself and my skills as well as learning new skills that can be applied elsewhere, such as leadership skills and dealing with the same people for an extended period of time.

This was my first trip overseas on my own, and I was naturally nervous about many things. However, from the moment I got off the plane, the staff and other kids made me feel supported and welcome. Everyone was very warm, and, in no time at all, I was feeling like part of the group even though I had arrived on the later plane and many kids were already there. We quickly hopped on another plane and flew to the tiny island of San Salvador, where the Gerace Research Center is located. The island was beautiful and right away we got down to business. We were split two groups, those who were already scuba certified and those who weren't. I was in the group who wasn't. Within a few days, however, we had gained enough skill in diving to merge the groups again. The diving instructors were very competent, clear and supportive and because of this we were able to speed through our instruction in no time. On the dives throughout this trip we saw many things including hawksbill sea turtles, grey reef sharks, rays, octopuses and more. Not only that, but the reefs themselves were healthy and amazing.
Besides the diving, there was also a heavy academic component to this trip. Every day you would have a lecture and homework to complete. If you are interested in marine biology as well as diving, than this is certainly the trip for you. You'll learn a ton and be able to actively observe what you're learning in the classroom during your dives. There are a couple tests and research projects that help determine your grade, however, if you love marine biology like I do, you will have an easy time with them because you've soaked up all the info during the lectures and homework. The academic instructor was a very intelligent and accomplished marine biologist who taught the material well and was eager to help everyone learn. She was very approachable and friendly and also very knowledgable and interesting.
If you're looking for great diving experiences and an expanded knowledge of marine biology, than you will absolutely love this trip!

This was my second Broadreach program (my first being the Costa Rica Sea Turtle Studies - I highly recommend that as well) and honestly the most amazing time of my life. I was nervous about scuba diving, since I've never been a very outdoorsy/athletic person, but since I already had experience with Broadreach I knew I'd feel super comfortable and also have a lot of fun. The office is so helpful and communicative and will answer any questions you have. The instructors are sooo friendly and really great at making everyone feel at ease and getting everyone to talk, since people are mostly a little shy at first. But you become such a family so quickly it's amazing. Gerace is absolutely beautiful, even though the rooms aren't that glamorous. The food is pretty simple "American" food, and there's always cake at dinner which is FABULOUS. The rooms don't have air-conditioning but the lab rooms where all the schoolwork/hanging out is done are so it's all good. The weather is the stereotypical sunny cloudless sky, so bring lots of sunscreen! The town on San Salvador is more conservative, so when driving to different places on the island you need to be fully clothed FYI (Tshirt and shorts). The instructors are really patient and if you don't understand something, either with diving or the academics, they'll go over it with you until you're confident about it. My summers with Broadreach have impacted me so much in my life and I can't rave about them enough. If you're looking for something fun, adventurous, and life-changing, a Broadreach trip is the exact thing.

Deciding to go on Broadreach was the best decision I ever made! The experiences and adventures were spectacular. I never would have expected how close I would become with my ship-mates and instructors in such a short period of time. It was incredibly hard to say goodbye after 3 weeks. Not only was the sailing and diving awesome, but all of the other little moments made it great like watching the stars, cooking meals, going on hikes and sharing our glums and glows each night. I will never forget all of the fun I had and the lifelong friends that I made.

This trip was life changing! Two summers ago I experienced this trip and had the best time of my life. Life on the boat was simple, but it was hard work. Ocean showers, scrubbing the deck and cooking canned food became a regular routine. But waking up on the deck and looking out to the crystal clear ocean, seeing stingrays and sea turtles during my wake up swim, diving with nurse sharks and endless coral reefs, make every ounce of work worth it. These are the things I live for and this trip with Broadreach showed me how hard work, friends and nature can really open you up to yourself and allow you to appreciate everything in life. I had a blast making new friends, seeing different islands, hiking a volcano, snorkeling (at least 5 times a day) and learning more than I ever would have in a classroom. Ive done multiple trips with Broadreach and the memories continue to make me smile!

Wish I could be on that boat again! Thanks Broadreach!