Program Reviews

This trip was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and I've had the most amazing time. Choosing just one moment would be extremely difficult as I loved every week and loved the diversity of each week. The leaders Joe and Jamie created a safe environment and provided the group with advice about the cities and different activities throughout the trip and made everyone feel very welcome! I would definitely recommend this trip and GapForce to others as it is a great way to travel and to meet new people.

I cannot find any thing negative to say about this program, from the amazing location, incredible diving and wonderful staff members the two months I had the pleasure to spend on the island of Andros was easily the best two months of my life. What the camp lacks in luxury it more than makes up for in location and being surrounded by amazing people and having amazing experiences daily means any missed creature comforts are very quickly forgotten. The diving, the main attraction to the course, is beautiful, being surrounded every dive by exquisite fish and crazy corals is breath taking at first, however after lectures on fish and corals it soon amps up the experience ten fold being able to ID what you are sharing the warm, clear water with. Overall it was an unforgettable experience that I cannot recommend any more to any body considering it, do it, you won't regret it.

I turned up for a month in the Bahamas with people I didn't know and to do something I had no previous experience of.......... and the best time. The instructors are some of the most professional, kind, hard working, good fun and just bloody awesome people you will have the pleasure of meeting and in my experience the same is true for the volunteers. This course seems to attract like minded and fantastic people. The accommodation and food is basic but very homely and a very relaxed environment to live in. Once you leave the comfort and sunny rays of the beach and venture on a dive words just cant explain the beauty that beholds you. Phenomenal reefs and fish, a fair few megafauna and visibility that enables you to see mainland America......... nearly! All in all I cant do this trip justice in words I just recommend you get out there and try it cause you wont regret it!

As a sort of introduction to Europe, this trip was fantastic. I had tons of fun and learned a bunch everywhere we went and got to know myself a whole lot better.

Being able to have all the travel and lodging planned already was a blessing. It meant that I had the time to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with the freedom we all had in each city. I loved exploring with the group, but some days I just needed to take advantage of the opportunity to go off by myself and do whatever I wanted to do and have some time alone.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this trip to someone looking to step out of their comfort zone and discover Europe.

The phase was genuinely the best time of my life, as we had an amazing group of volunteers who all bonded perfectly, and staff who got along with everyone. The island itself was enough reason to make me love the whole thing, but the organisation by the staff to get us at least one dive a day in some of the clearest, and most perfect waters imaginable just added to that. Whether you're an experienced diver like myself, or a complete novice then this is the perfect course for you. You can learn to dive in amazing conditions and see an unparalleled variety of marine wildlife just 20 metres from the house! And if you have dived before, whether it's in clear blue waters or in the murky lakes of England (like I was unfortunate enough to learn in) then it's still an amazing experience in itself. I would highly reccomend anyone and everyone to try this out for themselves, even if it's for two weeks, it will be the best fortnight of your life! Not just because of the diving, but the setting in which you are staying. There is so much else to do other than scuba dive, like visiting the blue hole lagoons, which are straight up amazing, and a lovely break from the normal routine on camp. If you do anything on your gap year, and you're even slightly interested in the oceans or scuba diving, I cannot push this option more than anything, as it has truly made my gap year the most memorable!

So many amazing memories created on this trip! I thought it had great content & I really enjoyed everything we did, there were so many different things packed into a relatively short time. However, Gapforce was not great at providing information beforehand, and some incorrect information was given. Our leader also didn't speak any Spanish, which at times made interactions with locals a bit difficult. I also think the food budget was quite tight, and we weren't always provided with bottled water, although I was told before the trip I wouldn't need to bring chlorine tablets as water was ok to drink. There were a few other improvements I think could be made, but overall I had a great time & didn't want to go home. I met some great people, did things I never thought I would & pushed myself out of my comfort at times. I definitely want to return to South America in the future, and would recommend anyone to go there.

The past 25 days have been a life changing experience. I got to see so many cities and countries and I got to meet so many new incredible people. As a recap, I started off in London where I met Terry, Ben, Zoe, Hannah, Josh (aka Joey), Shannon, Lung-Hou and Megan. We travelled to Paris, Barcelona, Monaco & Nice, Florence, Rome, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and back to London. We shared so many adventures and new interesting experiences together. The real truth is that there was a little tension towards the middle/end of the trip because when you spend 24 hours every day for 25 days with the same 8 people, you see them for who they really are-you see them at their best and at their worst-rather than for who they wish you to see. But looking back now, here at home, I already miss them all because I was with these 8 people, and only these 8 people for 25 days across the ocean, far away from the comforts of home and my family, sharing these mazing experiences with them. From getting lost in Paris with Zoe; the train ride from Paris to Barcelona with Terry, Ben and Josh; being on the brink of heat stroke in Nice and Ben running to get me water; spending the stressful day in Rome with Hannah; wandering the alleys of Venice with Hannah and Lung-Hou; the long late night chat at the hostel in Berlin with Terry on his birthday; the evening I planned my day in Amsterdam with Megan; exploring London with Zoe and Lung-Hou; and finally saying goodbye to everyone at the hostel where we started. Along the journey I have also made many friends not on the trip. The first was Peter who I played cards with and talked to in Barcelona, who we met in Rome, Vienna and Prague again as he was there the same time we were; Lou in Venice at the hostel who tagged along and watched fireworks with the rest of us; Nicole and Monica who I met at the hostel in Prague and then spent the next day with exploring Prague; Matt, Danielle, Jeff and Ronan who I played cards and talked with at the hostel in Berlin; Keaton and Jackson who I met while waiting in line for 2 hours at the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam and who walked through it with me. Thank you to Lauren for organizing this whole trip-it was an amazing experience and I hope to actually meet you in person someday! Thank you to everyone on the trip and to all the people I met along the way for making this an amazing experience that I’ll never forget. A special thanks to Terry for everything he’s done on the trip-gotten us to trains and hostels, stopped me from getting heat stroke and overall made the trip the best I could have hoped for! I enjoyed travelling, spending time with and getting to know you Terry over the past 25 days, I already miss you and our deep conversations very much and hope to see you again very soon! I am happy to be home now, but I miss everyone very much and hope to meet you all again someday soon. I love all of you very much and wish you all the best! Until next time.

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!

What and amazing experience met some incredible people and had some amazing experiences. Obviously some stuff sometimes went wrong but its South America what are people expecting? Cant wait to go back!!!

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.