Fishing Programs Abroad

I've been to many camps before, but this one went above and beyond! It changed my life for 3 weeks completely: from complex school and research to easy-going diving and sailing, from tight schedules to relaxed life on a boat. It refreshed me and gave me the charge to go to the next year of school. I've also found many amazing friends, so next time I'll be in their area I'll come visit! Thanks Broadreach)

I had so much fun over the course of my three week trip! My instructors were great and I still talk to people from my trip because we got to be so close. We were able to get lots of dives in a got really amazing cultural emergence when we went onto islands.

The trip that i completed could not have gone smoother due to the INCREDIBLE instructors that i had. We bonded instantly and i knew i found my family forever! It is organized so nicely and everyone is so welcoming. I well be doing broadreach until i can become an instructor

This was my second Broadreach trip living on a boat. Last year (2021) I did the advanced scuba and sailing in st. Martin. This trip was incredible with amazing scenery, delicious food, and sunsets that are irreplaceable. Living on a boat is where I feel like I belong most. All the people were amazing. I would go back in a heartbeat. It's not camp, its home.

Broadreach responded to this reviewOctober 20, 2022

Thank you for your review! We agree, boat life is the best :)

My trip was incredible! My boat was amazing. The activities we did were very very enjoyable. My instructors were the best. They were so fun but at the same time always kept us safe! This summer was truly a dream and I will be doing Broadreach until I am an instructor! I could not have asked for a better trip!

Broadreach responded to this reviewOctober 19, 2022

Thank you for your review, Vanessa! We can't wait to see you again next summer :)

I can honestly say that my trip with Broadreach has been one of the best experiences in life! As an only child who lives in New York City, I don't really get challenged that much by my environment. Broadreach forced me out of my comfort zones and made me become a flexible, open-minded person that I am today. With eleven other people on the boat, things can get pretty tough sometimes when people fight or drama happens. On the boat, I was able to learn how to deal with a tension and resolve issues with other people. By living solely on a boat for three weeks, I learned how to adapt to my surroundings and be flexible with what's given to me. Lastly, I got to experience new opinions (some that I disagreed with) which is something that is very rare in New York City. By hearing them, I learned how to be open minded because it made me realize that there was more than just the opinion I had heard from most of the other people I knew. I'm not going to lie, being on the boat was really hard, but I think I'm a better person because of it. Unfortunately, in the middle of the trip I got an ear infection and had to go to the doctor multiple times and sit out of all of the later dives. Despite the unlucky situation, Broadreach handled everything really well. My mother was well informed with daily updates on what was happening and the doctors on the islands were able to give me ear drops to make the infection go away. The instructors were so helpful and amazing during this experience because even though I was disappointed about missing the dives, they always seemed to cheer me up and find activities for me to do. I was never bored with multiple things to do like wake boarding, making brownies, and learning more about sailing. Even though I did miss a couple days, I can still say that this trip has been truly amazing and that Broadreach turned what could've been a terrible trip into something amazing! Thank you to T, Christina, and Rosie for being amazing instructors! Thank you Broadreach for making my summer so incredible!

I have always wanted to go to the Caribbean, and this was awesome-sauce! Everyone was supportive and nice, plus you actually form close bonds. I know I did when I learned many people had similar taste in music. I also called two my directors senpai, and I will never regret it. My ane, which means big sister is coolio as ever, and my friends all have a special place in my heart. Learning about Caribbean culture was lovely, and learning about Swedish culture as well. Ha, classic jokes were made throughout everything! It would always keep you up at night just thinking about it laughing. I miss you all dearly, and I really hope to see you guys on another trip perhaps. Overall, this trip is my favorite of them all because of what you do and learn, and how you actually try foods that you could never dream of eating. Hehe, and good luck cooking if you go on this trip. It's a lot of fun, but don't worry too much....counselors on deck, reporting for duty!

Participating in the Grenadines Advanced Scuba program with Broadreach was one of the best deicions I've ever made. Not only did I make new friends from all over, grow as a person, experience new places and cultures, but I also gained experience diving and grew as a person. The trip focuses heavily on scuba diving, but we also explored sets of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, hiked to a waterfall, explored the towns, and immersed ourself in the diverse Caribbean culture. I would do this program all over again, and if you are considering it I HIGHLY recommend.

Last fall, I was a student on the Where There Be Dragons Semester course in Indonesia. I hadn’t planned on taking time off between High School and College, but my ED school (Middlebury College) accepted me with a gap semester. The idea terrified me, challenged me, and ultimately has been an incredible gift. The course with Dragons changed my life. One of the most incredible parts of Dragons courses are the instructors. Each program is made up of twelve students and a minimum of three instructors, at least one of whom is native to the country where the course is based. The instructors are chosen because of their experiences as travelers, teachers, and citizens of the world, and each came to the program with a wealth of experience in human rights, conservation, academics, and cultural building. All were wonderful, passionate people with a will to open our minds, widen our knowledge of this world, and to grow with us as we experienced the consciousness-expanding wonder of deep, informed travel. Whether the experience is four weeks or three months, being immersed in a new culture can be immensely challenging. It is so important to have quality mentorship in times of intense growth. Dragons recognizes this, and the instructors are people who can hold space for this kind of transformative opportunity. I found that, beyond being more than qualified to inform us on human rights issues, the environment, cultural tendencies in the developing and western world, and many more intellectual pursuits, the instructors were there to support us mentally and emotionally. They guided us, challenging us when necessary, but always there for us. They took care of us, but they also helped us learn to take care of ourselves. Another amazing thing about Dragons is the relationship they build with local communities. Everywhere we went Dragons sought to create a sustainable friendship that benefits students and locals equally. This certainly deepens the student experience as it opens up doors for friendships and mentorships. A homestay family that trusts Dragons as an organization will be more likely to get excited about sharing their world with a student. I will never forget the connections I made with parents, children, and friends as we traveled through Indonesia. In each community we studied the culture (religion(s), history, customs, political dynamics, and role of the western world in all of this), environment (conservation issues facing communities, the impact of these on their everyday lives, changes being made going forward, and our roles in these issues), and community (what are the health care and educational systems, how far away is the nearest hospital, how and what language do the children learn to read). We studied all of this through community interaction: we’d sit in on community gatherings, organise talks with the village head, midwife, shaman, workers, and professors, and we’d ask them to tell us about their lives and their world. We also set aside time to process with the group, to learn how best to handle the intensity of our experiences. The course had a great balance of time spent learning with the group and time spent exploring, hanging out, and integrating our experiences into a newfound awareness of self and the world. Each day we would come together for at least two hours to check in with everyone, take care of medical needs, and rediscover solidarity with our peers. When we needed it we would always make time to go snorkeling in the nearby coral reef, explore the regional volcano, sing songs around a bonfire, have a dance party, drink a coconut, and decompress. I know that this trip changed my life. On my own, I never could have made it to such remote and beautiful places, experienced so much depth in new cultures, made such close friendships, and internalized my experience as lasting inspiration. I have been blown away by the integrity and values exhibited by all the staff at Dragons, and I am so incredibly grateful to have been their student. Each student faced many challenges on this program: we went into the unknown and fought against our comfort zones. We pushed into growth and found that, as we were challenged, new worlds started to open up to us. New perspectives appeared, deeper empathy was felt, greater integrity was realised, and we were suddenly more mature, more moral, more in touch with our inner selves, and more sensitive to the lives of those around us in this vast, unpredictable, beautiful world. Having had this experience, I will never be able to live without thinking of myself in service to my community. I can’t go back: I will always work harder in my friendships, find ways to explore, adventure, and deepen, and remember that I am a citizen of the world. I wish that more of my friends would do Dragons programs. I have complete faith they would find their minds and souls expanded by it, just as I have.

As Jacques Cousteau once said, “the sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” For me, while Broadreach’s message is one and the same, this trip demonstrated so much more. As the Caribbean Grenadines Advanced Scuba Voyage fascinated me with its diving, I couldn’t wait to set sail to the next island on our expedition. Making this remarkable journey with awesome and likeminded new friends made the voyage even more worthwhile. Overall, Broadreach gave me the opportunity to discover more about our marine environment and my abilities as an individual. A combination of truly once-in-a-lifetime natural and personal experiences, the Caribbean Grenadines Advanced Scuba Voyage provided me with exceptional adventures that will forever hold a special place in my memory.