Bahamas Marine Conservation with Gapforce

There were many highlights on this exciting trip in Andros, Bahamas. One of the most memorable moments was the day trip to Uncle Charlie's Blue Hole. I enjoyed riding in the back of the truck with all of my peers. We brought a speaker and listened to our favorite tunes the whole way there, which was a total of about 30 minutes. Our driver was going slow as a saftey precaution so it took a bit longer to arrive, yet I didn't mind from how enjoyable the car ride was. We took turns picking a song, and it was so interesting to hear all of the different styles of music played. Some of the songs I never heard before and couldn't even understand as they were in a different language, but they grew on me. Now, I play them on days we have wifi, because how catchy they are. With the wind blowing in our hair and trying our best to sing along, we created bonds that hopefully last a lifetime.

When we arrived at the bluehole everyone jumped right in to cool off from the sun's rays that give us our golden brown tans. The water was surprisingly warm with such a fresh lake like feel to it. The color of the water was amazing as it reminded me of my ocean back home, in a cool blue. After swimming around we all gathered together for a giant water polo game. I have never played before so it did not take me long to realize how much of a tiring sport it is. My heart was racing as everyone was turning all of their poridge into ATP in hopes of out swimming their competitors. I ended up scoring 6 of our 10 goals but only because I hung out on offense the whole time as I grew tired quickly of swimming the length of the massive water hole. We all took a half time break to enjoy some delicious lunch made by our volunteers. The biggest highlight of the day was the tricks I did off of the table into the water. I started off with a front flip despite caution warnings by the staff. This got my confidence going to where I was able to gather up enough courage to try a gainer flip, something I have aspired to try for a while. I finally did it though and was very proud of myself when I rested my head down later that night.

I graduated high school in 2015, not knowing what I want to do. I found Gapforce and knew it was the perfect opportunity to see the world. I have never traveled outside of the United States so I was very excited. I knew I would have the time of my life, and it did not disappoint. I met many new people and gained many new friends that I know I will have for the rest of my life. I am so thankful for Gapforce for giving me this opportunity.

i had the most amazing experience on this conservation trip to Andros! everyday held something knew and we were kept busy doing various activities that were the opposite to boring, the diving especially was unbelievable and learning about the island and all the fish was really interesting. it was also nice to get away from all the luxury and experience living in beautiful remoteness. the people volunteering and all the staff were so friendly and made the trip unforgettable. All i can say is that my time was not at all long enough!

This trip is utterly faultless. I have never been the company of such amazing people doing things that I love. The staff on the phase were brilliant with a huge font of knowledge about the oceans and environment surrounding us. The equipment we used was top of the range, and I felt safe when in the water. The sea life that I was so lucky to see was amazing, from Caribbean reefs sharks to Loggerhead turtles, the Bahamas had it all. Andros, being such a remote island, had a create sense of community, with locals being friendly and generous with their possessions. The social life was great with 'Timmy's bar' being a 30 second walk from the house. We also went to such events like the Islands regatta which was a great way of embracing the culture that Andros so strongly expressed. The living conditions were great taking into account the remoteness of the Island. If you like rice and noodles this trip is the one for you. Overall I had the best 5 weeks and couldn't have asked for better people to spend it with.

It was afternoon by the time the second group set out to go diving. The sun was shining, and see sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. It was hot and humid, and clouds were lining the horizon. We kitted up and loaded everything into the motorboat, and as we undid ourselves from the boje, four very excited volunteers were lying on the front deck. As we approached the dive site (I believe it was Aladdin's) the wind was tousling our hair and a sudden feeling of happiness erupted in everyone. A smile spread across my face as I felt a deep inner enjoyment and content. The sea was calm so we threw in our BCDs and hopped in with our fins and masks to put everything on in the water. As everyone swam to each other Chloe gave the signal and we slowly descended. You felt almost as if you were floating, weightless. The warm water encased you as you started swimming with only board shorts and a rash vest. As we rounded up around Chloe we all got our dive slates out and began the coral point out. Everyone seemed very confident after the last lecture in the morning and some hours to practice. Chloe showed her amazement and joyfulness by giving us energetic thumbs up ever time we identified a given coral correctly. Like this half an hour drifted by seamlessly. I was just watching Chloe when I saw her eyes focus on something in the distance. I swivel around and am astonished to see a Caribbean Reef Shark swimming by silently. You could see the awe stricken faces of all volunteers, and the coral point out was momentarily forgotten as we all watched with wonder this amazing creature of the ocean. As it started to swim away we went after it in hot pursuit until it disappeared in the distance and blended in with the turquoise blue of the warm water. As we ascended to the the safety stop Theo and Lukas were finally able to fool around, they played around by snatching Chloe's fins and taking off her boots. This ended up being a mad chase in circles until the three minutes were over and we were able to surface. As we inflated our BCDs we all erupted in laughter and Chloe had big smile on her face when she said: "You guys were awesome. You knew your corals inside out, and that dive really made my day!" We finished up that great dive with jumps off the boat and swim around before we headed back home to camp.

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!

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!