Sailing Programs in Australia

The program has been absolutely amazing! I have loved everything about Australia, formed a lot of new friends/relationships, and made so many great memories so far. I would 100% recommend it to others, I think everyone should get to experience this beautiful place. My favorite part was the camping trip on Frasier Island, but I have also loved sky diving, snorkeling, and all of the nights out have been a blast. Overall, this has been the best experience I’ve ever had and I’m so glad I got out of my shell and booked it.

Being a student on Sea|Mester was the most incredible experience of my life. I did the South Africa to Antigua voyage on Vela, and it exceeded any and all expectations I could have possibly had. I got to visit places that I never thought I would get to go. I met people that started out as strangers, but quickly became family to me. Prior to Sea|Mester, I had very little sailing experience and no diving experience and I think that that is a common turn off for people that come across this program, but you have no need to be worried if you're in that boat (haha). The staff does an exceptional job teaching you the ropes, making you feel safe, and making you feel like the boat is your home. If you're a hands on learning that thrives on getting outside of your comfort zone, adventure, and travel then this program is for you. I can not effusive enough how much Sea|Mester and my crew changed my life. If you're presented with the privilege to be a student on Sea|Mester... do it. If Sea|Mester taught me anything, it's to say yes even when you're scared. The greatest adventure of your life could be waiting for you.

The three times our daughter has participated in Action Quest summer camps all three have surpassed ours and her expactations, in all aspects. It has giving her so much confidence, knowledge, it has helped empower her to become an independent and resposible teen. Ready for her next adventure, anywhere she so chooses!

I loved my experience at Action Quest so much, I ended up going three years in a row! The BVIs are such an amazing place and the sailing, scuba, and activities make it even more rewarding. I’ve also made some of my life long friends at AQ, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

This experience absolutely blew my mind. You are surrounded with the best people, while having the time of your life. We live on a sailboat for either 17 or 21 days, learning to sail, scuba dive, as well as many other activities. The counselors and staff are the best I have ever had at a camp, always supporting, encouraging, and helping us along the way. The community that is built on your boat is one of a kind, I have made lifelong friends who come from all over the world. Furthermore, you are able to learn and improve many life skills, like teamwork, collaboration, or small things like cooking and cleaning. Some may think that close quarters is frustrating and cramped, but I have never minded, it teaches you to share your space and made me even closer with my roommates. Additionally, we are able to learn and explore the beautiful BVI's. You develop such a love for the islands, and some programs even get to help restore the BVI's from past hurricane damage. I have done the Vega and Carina programs, furthering my diving and sailing skills each year. I have no negative memory from camp, except from the day that we had to leave and go home. Being in the fleet is such an empowering and amazing feeling, whether it was race day or barbeques at Sandy Spit. I have had so many people at school and back home ask about ActionQuest, asking me how it was and wondering if they should go. Every single time, I always encourage them. I truly believe that this was the best experience I could ever ask for. Compared to every other summer/sleepaway camp I've done, the community created outdoes everything else. When I walked into the marina for my second year, I immediately was greeted by my friends and counselors from the year before. The memories created aboard will never leave you, and the family that you form with your "shippies" will live on forever. ActionQuest most definitely exceeded every single expectation that I had.

I would suggest this program to anyone. I met some of my best friends, learned so much about diving and sailing, and even used it to get into all my desired colleges by writing my essay about my experience.

Action Quest gave me a opportunity that I never would see myself doing, In 3 weeks I was able to learn to scuba dive, sail and make friends, The people I met inspired and encouraged me and made me feel like they were my family, I felt safe and respected by everyone there, I’m proud to call Action Quest my second home!!

My whole family has engaged in Action Quest's programs. I specifically went to please my family, yet I found myself having the time of my life. During my time in the Vega program, I made friends, had unforgettable experiences, and got to know cultures and areas I otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to. When people ask me what I do during summer, I jump at the chance to say: I spent 3 weeks sailing the caribbean and getting "scuba certy" with 11 other kids at THE summer camp known as Action Quest. The first questions I most frequently recieve are: How did you all fit on a sail boat? How did you sleep? and, What did you eat? To which I reply: We managed our space well thanks to our VERY organized and well-prepped counselors, We often slept on the tramp at the bow like burritos and we'd fall asleep quite easily to the smell of salty air, the star-filled sky, and the slight sound of the ever so often coming gusts of wind. The cooking, on the other hand, fell into the explanation of the chore chart and how, even as lazy teenagers, we'd come together and pull our load! Experience wise, AQ gave me everything they had to offer, the staff were always present, aware, and engaging. As I'd experienced a serious alergic reaction to a jellyfish sting years prior which led to a three day hospital visit, the day I arrived I met with James who assured me they'd do their best to keep me safe, with epi-pens on board, extra shower buckets if necessary, etc. The activities were fun but always required safety (which was greatly appreciated on those wakeboarding wipeouts), the "townhalls" with Mike brought the community together, our trip to spanish town brought only laughs to our crowd, the bbq night was filled with dance and sights of pure joy. After every dinner we'd have our nightly session of "squeeze" where the skipper otd would pose a question to which everyone would contribute a special and unique answer, and if we got lucky, we'd get a special guest appearance from the 3 ft long barracudas swimming below us. When a boat had a covid outbreak, it was delt with flawlessly and all of us took the required measures to keep healthy. Action Quest for me was a life changing experience that taught me independence, responsability, compassion, and more importantly, it brought me closer to the world of sailing and diving of which I'm so fond of. Now, I know I could keep spouting about the wonders of AQ endlessly so I'll keep it short and mention simply one more thing. Do it. Go. and don't miss out because I PROMISE you won't regret it.

Having been to an action quest camp for 2 years it has easily been the best thing I have ever done. From living on a boat with some of the coolest people to diving the most beautiful places in the world every second of the camp is amazing.

I did the trip from Palau to Thailand in 21 and it was so much fun. I learnt so much, made so many great friends and got to see and experience some of the coolest stuff I’ve seen to date. The staff are all very cool, approachable and great teachers. I got 12 credits and it didn’t even feel like a semester because it was so fun. If you like adventure, travel and the ocean I couldn’t recommend this program more.

Was so much more than I expected. Met amazing people and leaders. Would highly recommend this to anyone as you will have the trip of a lifetime and you will never look back at it with regret. Helps you step out of your comfort zone with likeminded people.

This trip is amazing for those who may not have much experience in travelling much like myself , it’s been a great experience and i have had the time of my life the gap force team have been amazing and i have enjoyed everything moment of the trip would definitely recommend to anyone.

Gapforce responded to this reviewDecember 10, 2022

Thanks Daniel - we're so glad you had an amazing time!

Action Quest provided me with a second home and family. Currently, my favorite people on the entire planet are the ones that were on my boat this past session. Scuba diving and sailing are the most amazing activities ever, and I cannot believe I was able to breathe underwater and see many creatures you never get to see on a regular basis. Sailing is so calming and it helped me to forget everything stressful in my life and just focus on the waves and horizon. I seriously cannot say enough about how close I got to my shipmates and the impact they've had on me as a person. I hope that everyone can experience something like this once in their life, and I am so grateful to have done so myself. The best thing about Action Quest is the people that you meet; there are no connections like the ones you make living on a boat with someone.

My son went to Australia with GoBeyond when he was 15. He had an unforgettable experience. GoBeyond is an amazing company, extremely well organized. They even help with booking the flight and all the details, and I didn't have to worry about anything. I can't say enough good things about them.

Superb program for sailing, diving and marine biology. But even better for learning social skills - independence, confidence, teamwork. All the staff on the boats were awesome. My child could not stop talking about the amazing crew. He came back with an increased appreciation of his creature comforts at home, but also with the confidence that he can adapt to physical discomfort. He can't wait to be back next summer and has kept in touch with all the kids from his boat. Because of Covid, the travel requirements for BVI were onerous. AQ's procedures were thorough and helped us prepare all the documentation. However, AQ's stated policy is that students arriving late will not be admitted. My child's flight was canceled 8 hours before flight time; the rebooked flight was delayed 6 hours because the airline crew was not available. 4 kids, including mine, were late to the program but AQ made arrangements to put them up in a hotel and let them join their boats the next day. We are so grateful that AQ was able to make the accommodation. Given the uncertainty with travel and the now frequent flight delays and cancellations, I hope AQ will revise their late arrivals policy.

Our son is definitely more confident, talkative, empathetic and motivated about his future after coming back from his trip. The perfect combination of independence, co-living, learning and no electronics! I loved having the blogs to read, so kudos for those. On a non-CoVid year, I could see that this is a well-worn path that AQ has perfected over the years, but they should be commended for stepping up and adapting to the CoVid testing, restrictions, and challenges this summer presented.

It was a great experience for my child. Not only fun but for growth as a person and for learning teamwork and some independence and responsibility. Beyond the training, I think it is great preparation for life. Teenagers are put in a position where they are away from their parents interference, away from devices and with total strangers and have to work together to get through each day. Everyone has responsibilities and expectations. This is not a luxury boat where someone is serving them and pampering them. They have to take care of themselves and others and be part of a team. That can be difficult to replicate at home. I think it has left my child with the sense that when he goes off to college, he can take care of himself and work with a group of strangers.

Action Quest has been one of, if not the best, opportunities of my life and I wish that everyone could have the opportunity to experience it, because everything is truly amazing. Everything. But seriously, the diving, sailing, marine biology, etc are great but you can’t beat the people. The people you meet are what really make the program special.

This program is a great introduction to long-term traveling, as you are in a group of people with planned activities most days. You see the best of what Australia has to offer on the east coast, my favorite city being Byron Bay. The Whitsunday Islands and the Atherton Tablelands in Cairns were also highlights. There are many scenic and gorgeous overlooks for pictures and you get to see the diversity of wildlife and climate that Australia has to offer. After 4 weeks there is a volunteering segment, which can be challenging, but is rewarding in the end. Around this portion of the trip there are less activities and a lot of free time, as you are in Cairns for a little over three weeks. There is an excellent extra activity called Green Island tour, which is a beautiful area with snorkeling. There is also skydiving, bungee jumping, and white water rafting (these all cost extra $). Be sure to bring enough if you want to do these, and for food in general because Australia is expensive in certain areas. You get a good mix of free time and planned activities throughout the time you're there. It's an amazing trip and you get to know the people you're traveling with very well and become like a big family. You will get a lot of it and learn so much about an amazing country with many experiences to offer.

This was my first time travelling alone without my family, which was a daunting experience in itself. That's why I chose to do a guided trip with other people, this was definitely the right decision and it is a great way to start off your travelling in a safe way, it eases you in and makes you so much more confident to go and travel by yourself. The trip itself was jam-packed with activities and you definitely got your money's worth for 7 weeks of travelling with accommodation and activities included. However, I did find that there were quite a few 'free days' which sometimes was a little frustrating as you just ended spending money for the sake of it. On the topic of money, I should have taken double what I did. The Gapforce website advised that you take approximately £750 for food for the whole trip, this was definitely not enough as Australia is really expensive!! A lot of others on the trip also recognised this, and some of us had to go into extra money or contact our parents because we hadn't brought enough with us. I think it might have been helpful to have known how expensive Australia was and how much money per day you would need (I'd advise £25-35). The highlights of this trip are definitely the Whitsunday Islands and the trip to the Atherton tablelands in Cairns. Everywhere here is beautiful and therefore your camera roll will be filled with scenic views and many waterfalls! The best times that I had were actually the extra activities that you could pay for like Green Island and Skydiving! (I would recommend taking at least an extra £500 to be able to have the freedom to enjoy these activities if you'd like to) a lot of people also got the opportunity to get their PADI diving certificates over 4 days which I would highly recommend as it is much cheaper than England! The volunteering section in the last couple of weeks was definitely harder than expected, a lot of us were a little disappointed as on the Gapforce website it states that the volunteering would involve animal conservation such as Koalas and Wallabies. However, we only got told a couple of weeks into the trip that we were actually going to be spending 4 hours in 35ºc heat weeding and planting trees, not what we had expected. Despite this, we all learnt a lot and very much appreciated the week after volunteering where we could relax and catch up on some sleep! This trip was honestly some of the best weeks of my life and I met some wonderful people. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who hasn't travelled before and finds it hard to meet new people. You get a wonderful tour of Australia and I don't think anywhere was missed out on the trip at all, the itinerary was great and the Gapforce leaders were even better, they were so supportive and got to know all 23 of us individually, you really felt like a big family only after 1 week of knowing each other. I would highly recommend a Gapforce trip but brace yourself for 7 weeks of beautiful views, unforgettable experiences and lots of partying! I vlogged my 7 week experience - if you want to know exactly what we did.