Seamester: Transpacific, Fiji to Bali - 80 Days

I've been wanting to do a Sea|mester program since I was a sophomore in high school, and this experience has surpassed all my expectations. I learned so much about sailing, the ocean, and myself while visiting some of the most unique locations on earth. I loved getting to know people from all different areas and backgrounds and enjoyed how the staff facilitated our group development. Overall, I am so grateful I got to be a part of this summer's program and experience everything Argo and Sea|mester had to offer.

My experience with SeaMester was absolutely amazing. I met so many great people and saw so many amazing things. However one part of the trip that I do think should be changed is the whale shark experience. The company SeaMester had us use was super unethical. They practiced shark provisioning and allowed people to get really close and even touch the shark. I would hope that in the future, SeaMester would choose to maybe skip the activity or find a more ethical way to see them. I along with other people on Argo were very uncomfortable about the whole situation. Other than that I had a great time!

Such an amazing experience and I would do it all over again in an instant. Met some amazing people and truly had the experience of a lifetime. I cannot recommend this program more. It can be hard to be so disconnected from the outside world but when you embrace it you find how amazing it can be. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable but I don’t think anyone grows as a person without stepping outside their comfort zone and taking risks. This was my first time ever on a boat let alone sailing, and it was hard sometimes but I was ready for the challenge and welcomed the hardships I knew would come along with such an amazing experience.

This was the most life changing experience ever. I did the 40 days of their trip from Fiji->Palau and I learned the most amazing things and made lifelong friends.
Personally, I have so much fun learning new things and the whole experience for me was new and exciting. I learnt how to sail and gained 3 sailing related certifications, I also learned how to scuba dive and got my advanced open water, and lastly I got my EFR certification.
The staff was all very supportive and fun to be around. I felt like I could have a genuine conversation with every one of them. Also doing a program like this you are bound to find people who like the same stuff as you because who is really signing up to sail if they don’t want to.

It’s been just over a year since I boarded Argo in Port Denarau Fiji, and it has taken me all of that time to sit down and write this review. My advice just do it! There will be few things cooler you do in your life than one of these trips even if you spend the rest of your life chasing epicness. The ocean is spectacular, the experience is one of a kind, the opportunity is yours for the taking. Sailing from Fiji to Bali allowed me to see and do things I never would have suspected possible and allowed me to dream bigger!

I sailed with Seamester for 3 months from Fiji to Palau and Indonesia. I joined the boat with no sailing or scuba experience and ended up a rescue diver with multiple sailing certifications. All the staff and students were so friendly and the 22 strangers that I met on day one turned into a tight-knit family that was impossible to say goodbye to on day 80. The program is definitely challenging and will push you out of your comfort zone with long-passage and some rough nights but I now look back on those as some of my fondest memories. The boat transforms into a home with people who were put together by chance and now know some of the strangest stories about each other's lives. Nothing can ever beat the feeling of jumping off the boat to swim with manta rays just feet from our floating home or back-rolling off the dinghies to scuba dive across the equator or helming through 360-degree sunrises and sunsets in the middle of the ocean with some of your closest friends. This experience teaches you to be comfortable going outside your comfort zone and to always say yes, it may just turn into one of the best memories of your life.

Seamester was a trip that exceeded all of my expectations. I had an opportunity to visit places some people may never see in a lifetime and I got to make countless memories with amazing new people. I grew a bond with not only the students but also the staff that could never be replaced. We got to witness beautiful sites such as healthy coral, marine life, and beautiful islands. I gained a great knowledge of sailing which is one thing I had always dreamed of doing. Everyday I wish I could go back and relive it all just once more.

Sea|mester was a life changing experience! The most valuable aspect was the ability to grow your voice and gain confidence. I went into the program with a sufficient amount of confidence and wasn’t the type of person to raise my hand in class. As the program went on, I went outside my comfort zone as often as I could to grow my voice. I didn’t notice the increase in confidence until the student lead passage when I was Chief Mate and really utilized those skills and pushed myself even harder. For those moments, I’ll forever remember.