Scuba, Sea Turtles, Service & Sloths

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Overview
Location
Dates & Cost
Itinerary
Service
Reviews
Overview

15 days | Isla Solarte, Bocas del Toro & San San Pond Sak, Panama | Ages 14-18 | $3,450 USD

Combine your love for service and marine life on this incredible two-week course. Travel to the famous Caribbean archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama to begin earning your Scuba Diver or Advanced Scuba Diver certification. Your first lessons will set the foundation for dive techniques and then progress towards more advanced skills that will be put to use on colorful coral reef dives, shipwreck dives, and a magical bioluminescent night snorkel or scuba dive. For those who are already scuba certified, earn your advanced certification on special dives including a compass navigation dive and deep water dive.

After your scuba adventures, give back on a development projects based on the current needs of the local community. Then, transfer to the natural wetlands of San San Pond Sak where you will discover why local sea turtle populations are an endangered species. Get hands-on experience helping to release newly-hatched turtles, excavating old nesting sites, and completing night patrols to monitor mama sea turtles laying their eggs in the sand.

Additional activities on this course will include testing your balance wakeboarding and kneeboarding, exploring a limestone cave, enjoying the white sand beach of Playa Carenero, and giving back to the environment on rainforest conservation projects.

Location

Dates & Cost

Dates: Jun. 8 – Jun. 22, 2024 (Session #1)
Jun. 22 – Jul. 6, 2024 (Session #2)

Jul. 27- Aug.10 ( Session #3)

Cost: $3,450 USD | £2,858 GBP | C$4,393 CAD | €3,366 EUR

Tuition includes all room and board, technical gear, course activities, and in-country transportation. Airfare to/from Costa Rica is not included in the listed tuition cost.

Please note the original course prices are set in U.S. Dollars (USD). Prices above are shown for your reference, based on the exchange rate of the last website update on Aug. 19, 2022. The final course price will be based on the exchange rate at the time of payment

Itinerary

PLEASE NOTE: This is a sample itinerary. Details are subject to change.

Day 1

Fly into Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría Airport (SJO) to meet your new friends and course mates. Don’t forget to connect to free airport WiFi to let you parents know that you have arrived and meet our staff member waiting for you outside of the airport’s only exit. A scenic one-hour drive will take you through the city and into the rolling hills of the country’s Central Valley to our Mountain Rainforest Base. Arrive at basecamp and enjoy a welcome meal with your group. Settle in for a great night’s sleep in our Rainforest Base furnished bunk bed dorms.

Day 2

Today, jump into getting to know your coursemates and instructors through a series of hands-on activities. You’ll be amazed at how fast you will make new friends. Rainforests are home to a unique type of climbing plant: the strangler fig. This type of vine can eventually become a full-grown tree that may outlive its host tree. It also can create a unique type of technical climbing experience that is similar to climbing in a climbing gym, however, this is 100% natural! Try your skills as you harness up and climb into the rainforest canopy. The well-deserved view from the top is superb as you work together with your fellow coursemates and expertly trained staff in this unique climbing adventure. Then continue getting to know one another on a variety of orientation and teambuilding activities from our jungle home environment at our rainforest base. Overnight in furnished dorms.

Day 3

Take a short drive to our private pool for your first scuba training swim session. Afterwards, enjoy free swim time with your group or play basketball at the outdoor courts adjacent to the pool. After returning to base, take part in a “duffle-shuffle” to prepare everything you need before heading out on your scuba adventure! Overnight at our rainforest base.

Day 4

Wake early, depart to cross the Panama border, and take a boat taxi across Caribbean waters to your picturesque island home in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro. Settle in, cook a delicious dinner, and watch the sun set over the serene waters. Time permitting, learn some of the basics of Scuba with your NAUI Instructor and coursemates. Overnight camping at our island home on Isla Solarte.

Day 5

Take a morning theory course in scuba diving, learn about the equipment and important skills needed to have fun diving, and take your first actual dive in a shallow water setting. In the afternoon, boat out to your first dive location to see spectacular tropical coral reefs and colorful fish that surround these islands. Overnight camping at our island home on Isla Solarte.

Day 6

Continue to build on your diving skills as you glide and explore new coral reefs, sunken catamarans and shipwrecks. If you are already certified, earn your advanced certification by completing special dives including a compass navigation dive, a night dive, and a deep water dive. In the afternoons, take a break from your scuba studies to wakeboard or kneeboard through the calm island waters. Overnight camping at our island home on Isla Solarte.

Day 7

Continue to explore the colorful tropical reefs as you learn more about the amazing plants and animals that make this ecosystem their home. Finish up your last study session in preparation for your scuba exams tomorrow! Once the sun sets, enjoy a celebratory bioluminescent night snorkel or dive—waving your hands and gliding through the waters as thousands of magical bioluminescent lights illuminate your path. Overnight camping at our island home on Isla Solarte.

Day 8

Take your practical and written exam toward earning your scuba diver certification. Today, you will do your graduate dive where you will continue to explore the spectacular reefs of this island paradise. Cruise to a local limestone cave filled with stalactite and stalagmite formations. Here, you’ll have a chance to swim inside the cave and explore while learning about this unique ecosystem. In the afternoon, head to beautiful Playa Carenero—one of the most pristine white sand beaches in the region. Enjoy the Jurassic Park-esque jungle backdrop as you splash in the warm waters. Overnight camping at our island home on Isla Solarte.

Day 9-10

Load up the powerboat and visit a remote island to complete a service project to benefit the local community. Your project will vary based on their current needs but may include building recreational equipment and cleaning up trash that drifts to the shoreline. Overnight camping at our island home on Isla Solarte.

Day 11

Transfer back to the mainland and to the Sea Turtle Sanctuary of San San Pond Sak where you will meet local conservationists and learn about the active conservation efforts for endangered leatherback and hawksbill sea turtle populations. Wake up to the sounds of the ocean and make your way to the sandy beaches to volunteer at one of the most important sites for nesting sea turtles in the world. Excavate old nesting sites in the sand, release newly hatched baby turtles, and complete night patrols to monitor the mama sea turtles laying their eggs along the beach. You will also assist in planting and harvesting pineapples, plantains, and coconuts for the community. Overnight in the sanctuary’s dorm bunk beds.

Day 12

Begin the transport back to our Costa Rica rainforest base. Arrive back at the rainforest base in San Ramón de Tres Ríos for group activities that may include a group bonfire complete with s’mores and roasted hot dogs (weather permitting). Overnight in furnished dorms.

Day 13

The Tiribi Rainforest Reserve is blessed with spectacular waterfalls only a short hike from our rainforest base. Today, you will hike to these spectacular falls that look straight out of a movie set. Even try a refreshing dip in the pool at the base of these falls. Overnight in furnished dorms.

Day 14

Head into the scenic rainforest reserve behind our base to give back to the environment by planting new trees, maintaining the greenhouse garden and forest trails. Celebrate all of your achievements on course tonight with a group reflection and a delicious final dinner. Overnight in furnished dorms.

Day 15

Transition to your next course or transfer to the Juan Santamaría Airport (SJO) for departure. Say hasta luego to your friends and coursemates. ¡Nos vemos pronto en Costa Rica!

Accommodation

Accommodation varies throughout this course, but will include overnight tent camping under a traditional thatched-roof lodge and on the grounds of a local community, and community dorm room bunk beds. All participants are provided sleeping mats and sleeping bags.

Service

Earn 12 – 14 hours of community service. In the community of San San Pond Sak, you will learn from local conservationists and assist with projects to protect the endangered leatherback and hawksbill sea turtle populations. These projects include nightly patrols, excavating old nest sites, and releasing newly hatched baby turtles into the wild. You may also participate in additional service projects that include beach clean-ups, trail and greenhouse maintenance, planting new trees, and creating recreational equipment for island community schools.

Reviews

Want to join us for longer?

Combine this course with any of our other summer experiences to create your ideal 2-8 week adventure!

View All Summer Courses

“I believe that whether you are an adventurous person, or not, anyone should do an OBCR course because it really allows you to see what you are capable of doing. I learned so much about the wildlife of Panama especially during the scuba portion of the course. This meant a lot to me because I am very passionate about marine animals.”
Kaitlin
KaitlinCaribbean Scuba & Service Alum
“I’ve learned a lot through not having technology and putting yourself in other people’s shoes.”
Joshua
JoshuaCaribbean Scuba & Service Alum
“I definitely have seen the ‘pura vida’ lifestyle and how it’s so different from the materialistic lifestyle that people in the US live. Outward Bound is a really cool experience and I would love to do it again if I had the chance.”

SamanthaCaribbean Scuba & Service Alum
“I learned a lot about both myself and other people. I learned to be more accepting of other cultures and to embrace the way other people live.”
Jill
JillCaribbean Scuba & Service Alum
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