So while all the summer course students return home, with awesome tans, to share photos and stories of their adventures in Costa Rica, and fall students start enthusiastically packing for their upcoming semester and adult courses, CRROBS instructors are not so lucky. They are spending 9 straight days, from August 18-26, getting their Wilderness First […]
They come in May with the rain. At times they can drive you insane. They make a loud buzzing sound, then hit the wall and the ground, and this happens over and over again. Meet: the Abejones de Mayo. People in the States call them “June bugs.” Scientific circles know their family name to be […]
“I love the feeling of soaring through the air.” -2010 studentFor some, it’s exhilarating. For others, it’s their worst fear. Both of these types of people would agree: it’s the best way to see the upper canopies of the rainforest. It’s zip-lining. Regardless of how you feel ascending that mountain, gear in hand, awaiting your […]
a-li-men-tar /v./ – to feedAll students who pass through our base in Manuel Antonio love to see the surrounding trees filled with titi monkeys swinging from tree to tree in perfect view from our three-story base windows. Students watch them as they wake up and eat breakfast every morning. But they have to keep that […]
One of the most crucial parts of the scuba certification education process is learning about aquatic wildlife. Why ‘crucial?’ Because a human’s touch can be fatal to an entire species; and on the flip side, marine life, too, can be fatal for humans. The lionfish, while not fatal, does fall in the “danger” category, as […]
“It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be.” This is one of the most typical comments of feedback we hear from students after their first few days learning how to surf. And after Calvin College students head to Manuel Antonio to learn this weekend, they will most likely be in agreement. Physical challenges […]
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – October 21, 2009“Watch out for the eddie line on the other side of that hole once you pass the strainer and the laterals.” Did you catch any of that? Neither do most people, which is why we leave it up to the rafting professionals. Fourteen of Central America’s finest rafting […]
If you are a past student, an instructor, or a wilderness enthusiast, you have been in this situation: the fire won’t build, and you’re hungry. Hopefully, you finally succeeded, or maybe you resulted to eating raw food. In the case of the latter, we have gathered a few tips to help you the next time […]
“Annie! Annie! Are you okay?” Most of us who have ever been in a CPR course are familiar with this emergency questioning. It’s what we say to our appendage-free dummy, nicknamed Annie, when her rubbery plastic face does not respond to our shaking and talking. And when she doesn’t respond to the questioning mentioned above […]
Many of our students leave course, wanting to relive their glory days in Costa Rica when they experienced unique activities, connected with the environment, challenged themselves, practiced Spanish, learned new skills, self-evaluated, stayed in shape, and/or ate incredibly tasty and amazing local food. While we can’t provide solutions for every one of these nostalgic desires, […]
Yesterday was the longest these 13-14-year-olds had ever spent cooking, preparing, and waiting for dinner. That’s what happens when your meal of choice is the Costa Rican tamale. We didn’t know what time it was (because Outward Bound’s policy is that no student wear a watch), but most of the day was devoted to tamale […]
Learning Spanish while zip-lining? Rafting? Surfing? Hiking? Rappelling? Kayaking? Spanish is getting to be a little more fun to learn. Outward Bound Costa Rica created a 30-day Spanish Emphasis course after more and more Spanish high school and college classes (and individual Spanish students) signed up for CRROBS courses to be immersed in […]
If you don’t know what these are, ask a Girl Scout. They’re at the climbing wall today learning terms such as these, before helping other Costa Rican Girl Scouts this weekend. After today’s long training session, they would tell you: grigri (n.) – A belay device designed to be easy to use and safer for […]
This week two of our courses, Leadership and Tri-Country, are in Panama getting SCUBA certified by our very own Executive Director, Jim Rowe, PhD. So what does it take to get SCUBA certified, you might ask (especially if you’re a parent, wondering what your child must go through in order to get such a gold […]
Okay, so appearance doesn’t really matter after your clothes have become caked in mud and covered grass stains, you have begun to smell like a moldy rag, your skin is a darker shade (from dirt, not sun), and your hair no longer resembles that of a human. But, let’s say, near the end of your […]