Scuba Diving for gap year and career break divers

Overview

Based on Roatan Island (the largest of the Bay Islands), the programme focuses on diver training through a range of PADI courses whilst assisting with educational projects, water sampling, beach clean-ups, patrols and the maintenance of mooring buoys for the Roatan Marine Park.

There are three options for this programme - the longer stay the more diving qualifications and experience you get! If you go for 3 or 6 weeks you can expect to earn PADI qualifications up to Rescue Diver. Go for 12 weeks and you can leave with a professional Divemaster licence. All programmes include unlinited diving, marine conservation with the Roatan Marine Parks and work experience on the 12 week programme.

Details

The first part of this programme focuses on the PADI Open Water qualfication. Throughout the course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of scuba diving techniques and how to handle dive equipment. You will also earn a PADI Open Water Diver certificate which is recognised world-wide. You earn this rating by completing five pool dives, attending knowledge development sessions and by making four open water dives. It is the pre-requisite course for any further training.

By week two you are starting your PADI Advanced Open Water course. This exciting programme includes a total of five adventure dives including deep diver and navigation diver. Three are elective, taken from a choice which includes night diver, drift diver, underwater photographer, peak performance buoyancy, underwater navigator and search & recovery amongst others. After successfully completing this course, you’ll receive the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification. This is a pre-requisite for the marine conservation and it allows you to participate in more advanced diving activities with a maximum recommended depth of 30 metres/100 feet.

Week three is dedicated to the marine conservation. The owner of the dive centre is the President of the Marine Park. He is vary passionate about the marine environment and is keen for GYD customers to assist with marine projects in the area. The work is on-going but you will be called upon for at least 7 days of helping out with whatever projects are underway. This could include assisting with educational projects in schools and with the general public, water sampling, beach clean-ups, reef patrols and maintenance of mooring buoys. It's not formally taught in anyway but it's real hands-on experience doing pro-active work to conserve the reefs and marine environment. A certifcate of your involvement will be signed by the President and will be supported by a covering letter detailing what you have been doing - a nice thing to have for your CV!

(Your involvement with projects will continue after week three if you stay on for the 6 or 12 week programme).

If you stay-on for the 6 or 12 week programme then your PADI training continues after the marine conservation module. Emphasis is placed on more marine conservation work the Marine Parks, first aid skills and the PADI Rescue Diver course. As a Rescue Diver you learn to look beyond themselves and consider the safety and well being of other divers. It's an important course and individuals acquire skills to prevent problems and, if necessary, manage dive emergencies. Many divers say this is the best course and it is a pre-requisite for Divemaster and professional level training.

Weeks 6 to 12 are dedicated for Divemaster training and the core focus is on the Divemaster course and work experience. The course itself is dynamic and rewarding. You learn so much more about buoyancy, rescue mapping, navigation, physiology, physics and so much more. For the work experience you can expect to get experience with everyday operational aspects of a dive centre...you'll help load the boat, assist customers, work behind the counter, fill tanks, operate the compressor and guide some dives. The work experience also spans into the Marine Park projects. During your stay you can expect to spend time in the classrooms educating pupils,guiding snorkeling tripsand assisting Instructors with Discover Scuba Diving Experiences for school pupils. It's great hands-on experience!

Whichever option you choose, you get unlimited diving during your stay. Wrecks, reefs, caves, caverns and drop-offs surround this idyllic island and your time in Honduras will be well-spent getting as much in-water experience as possible!

The Roatan Marine Park

The Roatán Marine Park (RMP) is a non-profit community-based organisation. Established in 2005, the RMP has worked on a number of projects to reduce the alarming rate of reef degradation in the Sandy Bay-West End Marine Reserve (SBWEMR), which encompasses 13km of coastline. Due to the efforts of everyone involved in the projects since its inception, the RMP is now recognised as an official Honduran non-governmental organisation.

Previous and Current Projects

The Roatán Marine Parks has been actively involved in protecting the SBWEMR since 2005. Conservation initiatives are on-going and these are just some of the projects you will be involved with during your stay:

Patrols and infrastructure
An extensive marine infrastructure programme has been implemented over the last 5 years. The RMP now maintains over 60 dive moorings, 14 yacht moorings, channel markers and fishing moorings within the Reserve. Volunteers can expect to be involved with daily patrols within the reserve to maintain the marine infrastructure.

Education & Public Awareness:
Long-term sustainability can only be achieved through improved education and community participation. Educating children to take responsibility for the protection of their reef is paramount and a core component of the conservation initiatives.

The educational programme operates in the classroom and at the reefs! During your stay you can expect to spend time in the classrooms educating pupils but also participating in school snorkeling trips, beach clean ups, glass-bottom boat rides and Discover Scuba Diving Experiences*. These practical experiences allow children to develop a deeper understanding of the value of their coral reef as well as the immediate and long-term threats to its survival.
* Only availble on Divemaster placements

Research
There are many visiting marine biologists, volunteering or furthering their studies with the RMP and there is a fully equipped laboratory. During your time at the marine park you can get involved with any research occurring at the time. Subjects include the spread of lion fish in the area, coral bleaching, coral diseases, fish spawning and aggregation, water contamination, impact of run-off, algae blooms, turtle protection etc.

Additional Projects
The Roatán Marine Park runs many other programmes alongside its core projects. Past volunteers have assisted in establishing the first ever plastic bottle recycling programme. This was actually very successful and the RMP are currently working on re-implementing the programme for 2010. Volunteers have also carried out mangrove re-plantation schemes, assisted with governmental environmental damage inspections and conducted environmental impact assessments.

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Flights

There are no direct flights from the UK to Honduras. There are direct flights from Atlanta to Roatan on weekends with Delta airlines and direct flights from Houston on Continental. Both require an overnight stop on the way out from the UK but connect when returning home. You will find many direct flights to San Pedro Sula, on the Honduran mainland, from the US but please be aware that the small planes that connect with these to bring you to the island are quite expensive and very unreliable.

Transfers

All customers / volunteers are met at Roatan International Airport and taken to the West End village.

Accommodation

The accommodation is on-site adjacent to the dive centre. The rooms are either part of the main house or garden cabins. You will share a room with others from the GYD program and bathroom and kitchen facilities are also shared. The property is on the beach in Half Moon Bay with the dive centre at the front and the rooms and cabins in the garden behind.

Meals

It is self-catering in Roatan. At the lodges there are shared kitchen facilities so you can cook your own meals or you can eat out in the West End. Food prices vary from $2 and upwards for local food (simple baleadas) to around $5-10 a meal.

Requirements

Medically fit for scuba diving - complete a PADI medical form prior to departure.

PADI Materials and fees

All fees and materials have been included in the programme price. If you do the Divemaster course then you will have to pay your Divemaster Application fee on completion of the course. This is made between you and PADI.

Standard Prices

2010 Start Dates

06th March 2010 for 3, 6 and 12 week trips
09th May 2010 for 3 and 6 week trips
08th August 2010 for 3, 6 and 12 week trips
03rd October 2010 for 3, 6 and 12 week trips