Marine Science Gap Year: Andros, Bahamas

I went to Forfar Field Station in January/February of 2014 through the Ecotourism and Adventure Travel major with Hocking College. The experience definitely had a lasting impact on my life and inspired me to pursue a career in SCUBA diving. During my 6 week stay at Forfar we learned about geology, biology, icthyology (fish ID), dendrology (tree ID), coral identification, sea kayaking, windsurfing, sailing & got my Open Water and Advanced Open Water SCUBA certifications. The staff at the field station has always been super friendly and helpful, from the directors to the interns to the local Bahamian staff that cooks and works on the facilities or Daddy Cool who works as as security guard- everyone makes you feel welcome. Andros has the third largest barrier reef in the world, so you can imagine that the diving is pretty good! We saw all sorts of critters in the ocean. Some of what we saw were sharks, rays, parrot fish, crabs, octopus, squids, BIG fish, etc. I enjoyed this program and specifically the diving so much that I kept taking diving courses when I returned home and am now a SCUBA instructor and manage a dive shop. I still keep in touch with the members of my group and maintain good friendships with a few of them. When you spend 6 weeks on an island with a group of people you form some really solid bonds. All in all I think this program is a great way for people who are taking a gap year to be introduced to a new culture, a scientific way of thinking, and put out of their comfort zone enough to experience some real growth.

I first came to Andros and Forfar with Hocking college as part of the Eco-tourism and Adventure Travel program. I had been studying and working as a naturalist already but the experience here showed me things I never would have considered. I gained a love and appreciation for the ocean that I never would have had coming from Ohio. I learned so much about marine biology as well as bush medicine and geology all of which I am now passionate about. This new experience helped me further understand the directions I wanted to go down later in life. On top of the amazing book knowledge I gained many social skills and understandings from living in close quarters with a group of peers. The experience taught me about how I manage myself in social situations and led to a large personal growth. This experience, along with a few others, eventually led me back down to Andros where I was hired as part of the Educational Staff at Forfar!

This place is incredible and it was life-changing. I highly recommend this course. I was there for 40 days and I never had a single bad day. I was pushed to new limits and the staff was very encouraging. It was incredible and I wish I could go back every day I'm in the states. Take every opportunity or you will regret it. Jump off Bills, go to Lauries (no matter how tired you are), night snorkel, and go birding. Just be free, and do this trip. You will not regret it.