This fall, our Coast to Coast Expedition & Outdoor Leader Semester groups hiked, rafted, dived, rappelled, and surfed across Costa Rica & Panama! We look back at their experiences and what they achieved during their semester abroad.
On arrival to Costa Rica, the students had a tour of the rainforest reserve that surrounds the OBCR base to explore the walking trails, waterfalls, and crazy fauna! Then, after their orientation, they started to get to know one another, played volleyball, basketball, and foosball, and tried some new tropical fruits (including mamon chino, papaya, jocotes, and more!).
While completing their 5-day active quarantine, the students also started their Wilderness First Responder classes led by our instuctors Bailey, Carlos, Henry, and Karina. After this quarantine period, they progressed to hands-on practice sessions, improvised backboard immobilizations, and two major Wilderness First Responder (WFR) scenarios to test their skills in a controlled but challenging environment. Following these scenarios, they received a full debrief and shared their highlights and memorable moments over pizza and popsicles.
The groups then completed their short Recreational Rappel Operator course before heading out to the Pacific Coast for their surf phase. This is a great introduction for students wishing to pursue climbing and rappelling in the future.
Both groups loved surfing. They learned all about wave formations, tides, surfer lingo and etiquette, and all students have caught some spectacular waves! Thanks to the AMAZING weather on the coast, the conditions were fantastic for surf and the groups has been able to finish most days stargazing together on the beach. They were also super lucky with wildlife spotting around their beachfront campsite in the small town of Dominicalito. They saw toucans, howler monkeys and parrots, and even helped a three-toed sloth cross the road!
The groups became really familiar with the local way of life in Costa Rica while completing service projects in the community. They planted 40 almond, mango & guanábana trees (all native to the area) along the river that runs to Dominicalito, which will help protect this major water source for the town. They also completed a town and beach clean-up and, having seen all the hard work the group was doing, the owner of a local artisanal ice cream brand donated a bunch of vegan ice cream as a thank you!
Another important project here has been helping to bring a classroom to life in the Dominicalito’s community education center. This center will provide a much needed after school program for kids and will be a free daycare center for the single moms in the community. The groups painted a room that will be the future computer lounge. Laptops & iPads have already been donated to the project and will be used to teach local kids skills such as robotics, graphic design & basic photo/video editing!
The other half of their surf phase was spent at our Manuel Antonio beach base, where students completed their lifeguard training. They took advantage of the great surf on this part of the coast and headed out on many dawn patrols (surfing at sunrise!). They also took some day trips to Quepos and Jaco (one of the most famous surfing towns in Costa Rica) and their surrounding beaches. There was plenty of time for the group to engage in reflection activities, which is a large part of their personal development on course. As they explored up and down the coast, they also received lessons in Costa Rican culture and learned about sustainable development issues relevant to the locations they’ve visited.
The students then travelled back inland to our rainforest base to get ready for their scuba phase! After crossing the southeastern border, they sped out from the coast on our OBCR powerboat to the islands in Bocas del Toro. This tropical archipelago is a dream location because the waters are so warm and clear, making it a perfect spot for the students to earn their NAUI Scuba Diver Certification (or Advanced if they already had their basic).
The groups settled into their new home under a traditional thatched-roof rustic lodge suspended over the Caribbean waters on Isla Solarte. After setting up their tents, they jumped into their scuba diving training. They started out dock-side, getting familiar with the equipment, cylinders, and regulators. Then, a standing water session to practice regulator breaths, and finally, progressing to roll entries from our OBCR powerboat. The in-water practical sessions are complemented with book and group studies on land to learn how to write out their own dive tables, learning about air pressurization, safety, ecology, marine environments, and more. After learning the technical and academic portions on land, they began taking their skills to greater depths (30 ft for basic) to explore coral reefs, a sunken catamaran, and an additional shipwreck. The advanced students completed additional deep dives (to 60 ft) and navigational dives to progress their certification level.
After every student passed their scuba diving test, they enjoyed a celebratory bioluminescent night dive where they see the marine organisms reacting to movement by emitted light—essentially a light show underwater. The NAUI Diver Card lasts a lifetime, so they will now be able to scuba dive in future travels!
After arriving back to base from Panama, the two groups parted ways to start different phases of their programs. Now, it was time for our Coast to Coast Expedition (C2C) students to begin their Solo! The Solo is a time to reflect. Reflect on all that they’ve already learned so far, their life, where they are headed, and more. They were strategically placed around the rainforest reserve with food, water, a tarp, mosquito net, sleeping mat, mosquito repellent, additional supplies, and methods to call for any assistance needed. It’s always an impactful point, and something that we do with all semester groups either before or during their trek phase to take that next step in their personal growth. The students then started their epic cross-country hike from the Caribbean side of Costa Rica all the way to the Pacific coast (a grand total of 258 km)! Such a huge achievement for these C2C students before they started their next, and final, phase – whitewater rafting!
While C2C were on their hike, our Outdoor Leader Semester (OLS) group had already headed out to Rio Sarapiqui in the northwest of Costa Rica, to start training for their Whitewater Rafting Technician certification and then segwayed into Whitewater Raft Guide training.
The OLS group unanimously agreed that this was their favorite phase of course! They learned to read and guide rapids, perform ferry angles, swift water entry, throw bag rescues, boat flips, and a whole lot more. They swam at Pozo Azul waterfall, completed sessions on effective communication & conflict resolution, and learned to make empanadas and patacones.
Their next location, Rio Pejibaye, challenged their skills with new bends and a fresh river to analyze and navigate. Here, they were joined by our Residential Gap Semester students to act as their “clients” after earning their Whitewater Rafting Technician and Whitewater Raft Guide certifications. OLS did an amazing job guiding Residential and everyone had so much fun on the river. On the way back, they then stopped at Basilica de Nuestro Señora de Los Angeles where OLS and RES switched teaching roles. Residential students taught OLS about this historical site and its significance in Costa Rican culture.
OLS completed their own Solo before heading out on a 5-day hike. They trekked through mountain landscapes, tarp camped, enjoyed an Eco Lodge stay, made it to the beach. They spent their last full day here on a zipline canopy and had a closing ceremony in the evening! Such a huge achievement for these students and we are super proud.
Ready to join us in Costa Rica and Panama? Check out our fall Gap Year & Semester Courses.