Seamester: Transatlantic, Mediterranean to Caribbean - 90 Days

Seamester: Transatlantic, Mediterranean to Caribbean - 90 Days

Location
Multiple Locations +7
  • Italy
    • Rome
    • Sardinia
  • Monaco
    • Monte Carlo
  • France
    • Nice
    • Cannes
  • Spain
    • Barcelona
    • Palma de Mallorca
    • Canary Islands
  • Morocco
    • Marrakech
  • Dominica
  • Antigua and Barbuda
Term
Fall
Subject Areas
Communications Environmental Studies Marine Biology Oceanography

Program Details

Program Type
At Sea
Degree Level
Bachelors
Housing
Boat
Language
English

Pricing

$31,970
Price Details
Your tuition covers life onboard from day one: shipboard accommodations, all meals, and every planned academic excursion. It includes daily instruction from professional staff, course materials, and 12 transferable credits issued through the University of South Florida. Program fees also cover training equipment and standard certification costs, with opportunities that may include IYT International Crew, Navigation Master, Master of Yachts 200 Ton Theory, and PADI training from Open Water through Divemaster, based on experience. The only major costs not included are travel to and from the vessel and personal spending.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Classes Meals
What's Included (Extra)

Includes staff instruction and supervision, course materials, use of onboard training gear, non-professional IYT and PADI certification fees, transcript processing for 12 USF credits, program local transport on excursions, vessel operations, safety gear, and required permits.

What's Not Included
Airfare
What's Not Included (Extra)

Personal spending money.

Jan 19, 2026
Jan 23, 2026
103 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

This is a 90-day semester of real life, taught by wind, weather, and teamwork. Over more than 6,500 miles from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, you will learn seamanship, navigation, sail handling, and ocean awareness while living aboard. Shore time deepens learning as you walk historic cities, visit coastal museums, and compare marine habitats across regions.

At sea, rotating watches means taking the helm, plotting positions, maintaining the vessel, and communicating clearly with your watch team, all while building habits in time management and calm decision-making. In the Caribbean, scuba, sailing, and ocean science training continue, connecting skill with purpose. Life on board adds daily rhythms like cooking for the crew, maintaining a clean ship, and reflecting together after challenging passages. Expect to leave your Sea|mester with new confidence, practical skills you can apply, and a team that knows your strengths and can count on you.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

This program offers a unique blend of sailing, scuba diving, and travel with strong community bonds and supportive staff. It challenges participants but fosters personal growth, teamwork, and lasting friendships.

Program Highlights

  • 🏛️ Mediterranean kickoff with historic ports, island citadels, and coastal museums
  • 🌊 True ocean passage across the Atlantic with rotating day and night watches
  • 🐠 Caribbean landfall featuring warm reefs, supervised night dives, and reef survey practice
  • ⛵️ Live aboard learning in seamanship, navigation, sail handling, and vessel care
  • 🎓 Earn up to 12 transferable U.S. college credits with options for PADI dive training

Where in the world are the Sea|mester vessels?

Video and Photos

Program Dates

Application Deadline
Program Dates
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Program Reviews

4.91 Rating
based on 22 reviews
  • 5 rating 90.91%
  • 4 rating 9.09%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.3
  • Support 5
  • Fun 5
  • Housing 4.45
  • Safety 4.95
  • Housing 4.5
  • Support 4.5
  • Fun 4.5
  • Value 4.75
  • Safety 5
Showing 9 - 16 of 22 reviews
Emmalee
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Everyone should have this experience

Not only was seamester a trip and experience of a lifetime that left me with wonderful memories and bonded friendships, but it also expanded my perspective on the world. I have felt a deepened desire to health the earth since doing seamester. Not to mention it’s a great time visiting various countries and having adventures only a lucky few are able to have. I got to experience everything from seeing the most beautiful sunsets in the world to seeing whale pods in the middle of the ocean. No day is ever the same and you get to experience all of it with a crew that truly does become ur family. It’s not an experience for the weak of mind, it’s challenging. However it is an experience for anyone wanting an adventure that is unique and beautiful and leaves you feeling accomplished, experienced and just straight up grateful to live in the world we do

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Come in with an open mind and also actively keep one. Not everything about this trip is glamorous, you won’t necessarily get a full nights rest most of the time BUT it’s a small price to pay for getting to travel the world and see things in the way you do. it’s worth trading some luxuries for experiencing ONCE in a lifetime things
308 people found this review helpful.
Claire
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Worth every penny

From the start the staff made sure that everyone was known and welcomed. With every night watch under the endless stars and every day in the kitchen with your sous chefs, we got to know each other a bit better. Even when we were sleep deprived, nauseous, and hangry, everyone took care of each other and we became fast friends. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around (in the middle of the Atlantic no less), it didn't feel like we were away from home. We all had good food, and we felt like family anyway.
The diving was my favourite part, as we got to dive in some of the most beautiful locations and see incredible creatures. Each location was different with a million colours, edges, and textures. Our instructors were highly skilled and taught us to recognize and care for the creatures we saw.
Academics were challenging and interesting, but I learned the most outside of the classroom. I can now negotiate underwater shipwrecks, barter with Moroccan vendors, and lead a sail raise.
I'll never forget the starry nights, endless ocean, and my boat family. It was unequivocally the trip of a lifetime and I would go again in a heartbeat.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
If you want to get along, don't be lazy. Work hard.
295 people found this review helpful.
Alexandra
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Crew-mates for life :)

Sea|Mester not only provided me with amazing experiences and memories, but after the 90 days were over I had a solid group of close friends I will have for a lifetime. I have visited many of my crew-mates, from California, to Colorado, and Switzerland even, after the program ended! It was definitely character building and flung me out of my comfort zones many times. However, there are no rewards without a little risk! I remember waking up in the middle of the Atlantic on my 19th birthday to my friend Andrew yelling that there was a pod of dolphin jumping at the bow! This trip was a beautiful blessing in my life, truly. The staff genuinely care and in my opinion is what really made the experience an enjoyable one.

What would you improve about this program?
Personally, I found it hard to stay engaged with the classes simply because we were in exciting new places every few days. While they were lower level classes I almost felt like some of the marine/oceanography classes were harder than what they needed to be. I remember choosing to skip a scuba dive in Gran Canaria because I had so much homework and tests to study for. Looking back on it I should have chosen the experience over the school work! One of my regrets. Advice to future students ... balance the work and exploration.
303 people found this review helpful.
Tait
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Invigorating

This was easily the best decision I ever made. There are obvious reason why this was an incredible experience, the diving, sailing, culture, and sailing were all amazing. But what I found to be the most remarkable and life changing was the new perspective it gave me. Being away from home and learning things in this environment created so much growth. You become so connected to nature and the ocean and develop a new understanding of the environment. Diving with animals was incredible and swimming in truly open water was euphoric. Waking up for night watch to stars that almost touched the water is something You would never see anywhere else. It helps you to appreciate what you have and show you a lifestyle you would never experience otherwise. The people we met along the way were wildly diverse and interesting. I’ve come home with so many stories that my freinds and family hardly believe. This program is definitely a get out what you put in and an amazing way to face your fears. I would recommend it to anyone!

What would you improve about this program?
The packing list was difficult. I was lucky that we stopped in ports where I was able to find clothes and things that I needed because I did not show up with them. If you are crossing an ocean I recommend a warm hat!
296 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Ben
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best decision ever

Seamester and life aboard Argo was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. It can be a big leap of faith for anyone to go abroad, especially with a program like Seamester. I had never been on a sail boat and had never been SCUBA diving before the program, but I felt fully comfortable and couldn't have been happier with my experience and what I had learned. Every day was special and unique. You're never ever bored and there's always something to do. It was an incredible challenge that enriched my life daily. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. You're living on a boat in the middle of the ocean. You and your crew only have each other. It is a nerve-racking, but liberating feeling when the only thing in the world that matters is that moment.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Come with an open mind and commit to the moment and each other.
193 people found this review helpful.
Lexi
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing

I had an amazing time sailing around the Caribbean. I would not have been able to complete all of my certifications at home or without the support of the amazing, encouraging, and patient staff. I was able to meet people from all over the United States that I would never have met without this program. Even though I initially struggled with scuba diving, the staff was willing to work extra with me so that I could conquer my initial fear until I was able to enjoy diving and eventually looked forward to. I got open water and advanced scuba certification, sailing certification, and first aid certification. I appreciate my time on the boat and have definitely learned a lot from it. After traveling to the various islands, I got a strong desire to help with pollution and have started looking for ways to help protect the islands from home.

212 people found this review helpful.
Zach
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best summer ever

I can’t thank Seamester and their staff enough for providing the best summer of my life. Countless jokes and amazing experiences with the other crew members are something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Everything was amazing , from small boat sailing, to scuba diving, to exploring every island! I also can’t thank Steve, Tom, Amy, and Alex for always keeping us on our feet every hour of every day ! Some of my favorite memories include drinking seamoss, scuba diving in Saba, exploring the boujiness of Saint Barths, meeting all my new crew members/friends in the airports as we all flew to S/Y Ocean Star, the squeeze every night after dinner, sunrise watches sailing from port to port, Tom for always having a smile on his face, and the steel drums in Antigua !

What was your funniest moment?
Probably almost every moment on board could have made this. :)
116 people found this review helpful.
Sydney
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The Best Time Of My Life

This experience changed my outlook on life and helped me find out who I really am, and I got to do it all at sea! I made lifelong friends who I keep in contact with everyday. The adventures we had were like nothing else. There is so much more to this world than just laying on beaches and suntanning and this trip showed me that. It showed me the back alleys that I didn't know existed. It showed me the lives of people I would never meet otherwise. I got to see how pottery was made FROM SCRATCH. I was shown to shops that many people didn't know were there, but sold great things. I tasted foods that I wouldn't dream of in a million years. It also showed me the messier sides of life. I learned how to do my laundry by hand. I learned how to clean a bathroom. I learned how to cook. I learned how to stay organized in a small space. These are valuable life skills that I will use until the day I die. This was the best three months of my life. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

What would you improve about this program?
I thought this trip was perfect. It taught us discipline, cleaning skills, and how to explore the world in ways that are both safe for us and the environment.
117 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

Seamester students are typically between the ages of 18-24. We see mainly gap year and study abroad students and a few postgraduate students as well!