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.
What would you improve about this program?
A bit more loving from London. It feels a tad neglected; the phase before, unfortunately had issues with the boat which resulted in it being out of action. London should have actioned this over December since they had a whole load of new volunteers arriving in january expecting to dive from a boat. To rent a boat (which we had to do) cost about $200 a day, this is not a cost effective solution which should have been dealt with.
Another improvement could be to change the way the trip is advertised. Gapforce stated 2 dives a day for 6 days a week. On average i was doing about 3.2 dives a week. I feel London are a bit disillusioned with what is possible when weather is bad, or boats are broken, or there is not enough equipment.
Response from Gapforce
Dear GG,
Thank you for your comments, we welcome all feedback so we can better understand our customer needs and make amendments to our programs where necessary.
First of all, I am pleased that you found our Leaders very good. We run a rigorous Expedition Leader Training Course to ensure we have the best leaders for the job. Both Nick and Hannah completed the course last year so I am pleased that you recognise the high standards we set for our staff. The quality of our Leaders is something we pride ourselves on.
I am also happy to hear that you enjoyed the company of your fellow group members. We have participants from a number of countries on our programs including the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Europe which I think really adds to the group dynamic.
Of course I am disappointed that you felt the office was not good and the pre-departure information lacking. We have asked Nick and Hannah for updated trip information so we can amend any details that are incorrect and advise all future groups accordingly. If you have more specific details on you feel we can improve in this area please do let us know by emailing info@gapforce.org
With regards to Anaconda sightings, I am unsure whether this is a serious complaint? If it is please do email the office with more details so I can look into it further
In summary, I am pleased that you enjoyed the leadership of our staff and company of your fellow travellers and hope that, in the main, you had a great time in South America like most of our participants do.
We are constantly looking at ways we can improve our programs and thank you for your feedback. I will be reviewing our pre-departure information to ensure it is up-to-date and making any changes that are needed for future groups.
Best wishes,
James
Manager, Gapforce