Marine Biology
Community Service
Scuba
12-18
21
Catamaran
Passionate about marine science? Our instructors present an amazing hands-on learning experience. Challenge yourself to think and work like a scientist as you develop and conduct a research project. You’ll live onboard and learn to sail a catamaran—both your home and classroom during the trip. You and the rest of your crew will work together to run the boat! Our staff will guide you as you take over all the responsibilities of boat life, from making dinner to setting the anchor. Whether it’s learning about the sleep cycle of a shark or enjoying some watersports in idyllic tropical surroundings, the Sierra program is guaranteed to be an unforgettable adventure.
Get firsthand experience as you explore a lionfish’s internal anatomy, measure the carapace of a sea turtle, and observe creatures that emerge after nightfall right from the comfort of your living space and mobile wet lab. With prior approval, you can even earn academic credit while getting up close and personal with the environment you’re studying when you explore some of the best dive sites in the Caribbean. If you’re not a certified diver, you can give scuba diving a try with our Discover Scuba program. Open Water and Advanced certifications are available for those looking to begin or enhance their dive education!
Connect with the international scientific community while you monitor reef health and conduct surveys on tropical species abundance. The data you collect will be submitted to global environmental conservation initiatives such as Coral Watch and the REEF project. You’ll develop your field skills while becoming a good steward of the seas.
Earn Independent Study credits through your school. Pending approval from your academic advisor, you can earn independent study credit in Marine Biology from your high school as an Optional Course. Choose a research projects that allows you to delve deeper into Sierra’s marine science curriculum. Topics may be diurnal and nocturnal marine ecosystems, species diversity in fringing reefs and sea grass beds, or environmental impact assessments. More projects may be identified as each summer nears, based on current events and the research of local marine experts. Our highly experienced marine science staff will support you in your work.
Ready for a little exploring with a friend? With all the beautiful anchorages and coves we visit there’s much to explore by paddle power.
Meet the creatures below the waves. Swim alongside a friendly sea turtle, join a school of Blue Tang fish, and explore the reefs!
Get your footing and you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to maneuver with perfect balance. You’ll have terrific views above, as well as below the waves.
Our Number 1 watersports toy is nicknamed “Papa”. You’ll be hanging on so tight you won't even be able to give a thumbs-up.
Once you’re up it’s a thrill every single second, especially if you get airborne. No wonder this is a Sail Caribbean one-handed favorite!
Get up, get steady! Then you’ll be zipping back and forth across the wake for a ride you’ll remember.
After you’ve learned to read the wind, you’re sure to take full advantage of it on your rig. Time to hook in and hold on!
You’ll learn so much on your big yacht. Try applying your seamanship skills to smaller boats and feel how swiftly they respond.
Dance with Moko-Jumbie stilt walkers at our Fireball Party, win the famous Chili Cookoff, and compete for glory at the SC Olympics.
Team up for a spirited game of volleyball or a fast-paced soccer tournament, then cool off rehearsing a synchronized swim.
The islands we visit are mountainous. Reaching the best vantage points provides challenges, but the pay offs are breathtaking vistas!
Whether your interest is in cultural heritage, marine biology, or environmental conservation, you’ll have opportunities to roll up your sleeves and pitch in!
Topics include: behaviors and ecological functions of reef fish, coral reef conservation, coastal restorations, turtle tagging, species diversity, and diurnal and nocturnal marine ecosystems.
Hike through a rainforest, travel mountainous hillside roads, learn about the art of glassblowing, visit an organic farm, and discover different cultures.
If you've never set foot aboard a 50' sloop, it's OK with us – No Experience Necessary! You’ll learn by doing and we’ll be by your side all the way. If you’re already a sailor, build on your knowledge!
If you choose scuba, it doesn't matter if you're a seasoned diver or if you're taking your very first scuba lesson. You're in for the ultimate dive experience.
Work your way up from Advanced Open Water to Rescue Diver with Specialty certifications along the way. If you're 18, you can even 'Go Pro' and become a PADI Divemaster.
Ready for a little exploring with a friend? With all the beautiful anchorages and coves we visit there’s much to explore by paddle power.
Meet the creatures below the waves. Swim alongside a friendly sea turtle, join a school of Blue Tang fish, and explore the reefs!
Get your footing and you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to maneuver with perfect balance. You’ll have terrific views above, as well as below the waves.
Our Number 1 watersports toy is nicknamed “Papa”. You’ll be hanging on so tight you won't even be able to give a thumbs-up.
Once you’re up it’s a thrill every single second, especially if you get airborne. No wonder this is a Sail Caribbean one-handed favorite!
Get up, get steady! Then you’ll be zipping back and forth across the wake for a ride you’ll remember.
After you’ve learned to read the wind, you’re sure to take full advantage of it on your rig. Time to hook in and hold on!
You’ll learn so much on your big yacht. Try applying your seamanship skills to smaller boats and feel how swiftly they respond.
Dance with Moko-Jumbie stilt walkers at our Fireball Party, win the famous Chili Cookoff, and compete for glory at the SC Olympics.
Team up for a spirited game of volleyball or a fast-paced soccer tournament, then cool off rehearsing a synchronized swim.
The islands we visit are mountainous. Reaching the best vantage points provides challenges, but the pay offs are breathtaking vistas!
Whether your interest is in cultural heritage, marine biology, or environmental conservation, you’ll have opportunities to roll up your sleeves and pitch in!
Topics include: behaviors and ecological functions of reef fish, coral reef conservation, coastal restorations, turtle tagging, species diversity, and diurnal and nocturnal marine ecosystems.
Hike through a rainforest, travel mountainous hillside roads, learn about the art of glassblowing, visit an organic farm, and discover different cultures.
If you've never set foot aboard a 50' sloop, it's OK with us – No Experience Necessary! You’ll learn by doing and we’ll be by your side all the way. If you’re already a sailor, build on your knowledge!
If you choose scuba, it doesn't matter if you're a seasoned diver or if you're taking your very first scuba lesson. You're in for the ultimate dive experience.
Work your way up from Advanced Open Water to Rescue Diver with Specialty certifications along the way. If you're 18, you can even 'Go Pro' and become a PADI Divemaster.
Sail Caribbean offers ten different adventure groups with 30 different sessions in the British Virgin and Leeward Islands of the Caribbean. You live aboard a modern 50′ monohull yacht or 45′ catamaran with other teens in your age group and learn to sail. No experience is necessary. Every adventure focuses on an activity, but each offers scuba, marine biology, community service, cultural exchange, watersports, friendships, personal growth and lifelong memories.
Want to compare adventures? Download our 2023 Schedule (PDF)!
Get acquainted with our beautiful home base. Meet your Captain and everyone on your program. You have your first boat meeting over delicious chicken, rice and slaw to set the course for the rest of your adventures to come.
Before you embark on your first sail as a crew, your captain will walk you through some preparations and brief you about how to be safe onboard and at sea. After a lesson on de-docking, the skipper of the day will assign positions and get on the helm to lead you and your crew out into the Sir Francis Drake Channel. As soon as the sea breeze hits your face for the first time, you’ll be hooked!
By the end of the first week, you and your friends will be working together smoothly like a seasoned crew. Open Water Divers will complete their certifications and have the option to move on to advanced certifications or specialties. Get up close and personal with fish anatomy when you dissect a Lionfish and learn about the effect of invasive species in the Caribbean.
Learn about turtle ecology and assist our trained instructors in spotting, tagging, and recording data on the endangered turtle species of the BVI. You’ll measure its carapace and look for signs of sickness or predation. By the end of the first week, you and your crew will really know your way around a catamaran! Our staff will challenge you to take more responsibility and initiative onboard.
You and your crew will face your biggest test yet as you approach Challenge Day. You and your crew will take control of the boat and sail us to our destination. Your Captain and Mate are only along for the ride, so you’ll have to rely on each other and make decisions as a team. You’ll be well-rewarded for your efforts when you go ashore at the Bitter End Yacht Club.
This morning you and your research team will take a short RIB ride over to the Beef Island Cut. Here you will have the chance to conduct a habitat study in the mangroves and learn about their importance to wildlife. Compare the mangrove environment to the hustle and bustle of Diamond Reef at Marina Cay. Survey the coral there and keep your eyes open for a Hawksbill turtle!
After a night of celebrating your accomplishments and sharing your final presentations, you’ll exchange fond farewells and airplane letters before parting ways!
06/25/2023
07/15/2023
$5795
15-20
8-12
07/17/2023
08/06/2023
$5795
15-20
8-12
Prerequisites: None
This certification is bestowed on any crew member who demonstrates the ability to fully participate in the daily sailing tasks on board and passes a written test proving that they’ve mastered fundamental information on safety, seamanship, navigation and boat handling skills.
Prerequisites: SC Crew
Proving you have an understanding of some of the more advanced sailing theories and demonstrating the ability to participate in sail reefing, timed tacking and jibing, island crossing, advanced navigation, anchoring, docking and de-docking skills along with racing tactics and proper safety techniques will earn you our Bosun certification.
Prerequisites: SC Crew & Bosun
A focus on leadership while underway is the core of this certification. You’ll earn Mate certification if you succeed at assigning crew positions, directing most phases of seamanship and safety drills, demonstrate proper engine, dinghy and equipment use and maintenance, keep an accurate ship’s log and monitor the weather all skills that make you a capable second in command.
Discover a whole new world beneath the waves!
You will experience the thrill of scuba diving under the close supervision of a qualified PADI Instructor in ideal conditions. Under the palm trees on the beach, we’ll begin with an orientation and skills session – you’ll be introduced to the basic concepts of scuba diving. Next you’ll learn about equipment, basic skills and safety procedures. Afterwards, you’ll practice those important scuba skills in three to five feet of calm, clear water right off the beach. You’ll continue with your first dive experience off that same beach in 20-30 feet of calm water. Once you’re comfortable with the basic skills, one of our custom dive boats will take you to enjoy your first open water dive. It will be no deeper than 30ft, and you’ll be able to explore one of our amazing reefs with your instructor.
The DSD course is available on all of our programs except Charlie. Students will spend 2-3 sessions with our PADI instructors. In the future, if you decide to become certified, these skills and the open water dives may be credited towards your PADI Open Water Diver course.
Prerequisite: Must be Open Water certified or equivalent
Non-certification recreational diving is available as an option on all of our adventures. Ever imagine diving on a coral garden, drifting through a rainbow canyon, or exploring a sunken wreck? You will enjoy recreational diving in the BVI with our own Sail Caribbean Divers Instructors and Divemasters. On Delta in the Leeward Islands, professional dive instructors from each island along with our dive staff take you to gorgeous dive sites. You’ll gain expert knowledge from each local instructor and get the most out of every dive site you visit. You must provide proof of certification from a recognized agency like PADI, NAUI, YMCA, or NASDS.
You may be able to earn multiple dive specialty certifications. The particular specialties offered will depend on the adventure chosen and our diving schedule. You will decide which specialties you’d like to do when you are in the Caribbean.
All below are available on Charlie Advanced Scuba adventures. Availability on other adventures is shown.
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent
Also available on Sierra
Practice techniques for improving buoyancy and decreasing air consumption resulting in better under water control and more enjoyment/preservation of the diving environment. (2 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent
Also available on Foxtrot and Sierra
The impact on marine life of garbage dumped in our oceans is one of the biggest issues of our time. You can help by going on a dive with mash bags to collect the debris that
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent
Also available on Sierra
Study a variety of fish while observing and identifying markings, shapes, and behavior. (2 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent
Also available on Sierra and Ocean
Explore and identify marine life including vertebrates, invertebrates, and plant life. (2 dives)
Prerequisite: None
Familiarize yourself with the plight of worldwide aquatic ecosystems and learn how to protect aquatic resources. (Non-diving specialty)
Prerequisite: None
Also available on Foxtrot
Study the fragile Coral Reef system, and how to preserve it, while observing and identifying markings, shapes, and growth. (Non-diving specialty)
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent
Learn the PADI SEA (shoot, examine, adjust) method, principals for getting good photos underwater, plus how to edit and share your shots. (2 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent
Develop skills needed to dive safely from a power or sailboat as well as special procedures for diving in areas with boat traffic. (2 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent
Hone your underwater navigation skills using a compass, natural navigation techniques, and other navigational tools. (3 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent
Explore the intrigue of diving at night while focusing on equipment handling, navigation, nocturnal marine creatures, and day to night contrast. (3 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Advanced or equivalent
Practice search patterns, effective search techniques in various conditions, and raising heavy objects using lifting devices. (4 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Advanced or equivalent
Apply valuable techniques for extending bottom times using the recreational dive planner (wheel format) and diving computers. (2 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent
Learn pertinent safety techniques, how to fine tune your buoyancy and use specialized equipment, as you use the ocean currents and tides as your propulsion. (2 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Advanced or equivalent; 15+ yrs old
The RMS Rhone Diver Specialty, a PADI Distinctive Specialty, is exclusively available at Sail Caribbean. Made famous in the movie, The Deep, this 310-ft cargo ship sank in 1867. She is our most requested dive site and is regularly voted the top wreck dive in the Caribbean.
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent; 15+ yrs old
Learn recreational skills and techniques for diving with different mixes of Oxygen and Nitrogen, for increased bottom time. (2 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Adventure or equivalent; 15+ yrs old
Learn recreational skills and techniques for diving in man-made environments and practice using specialized wreck equipment. (4 dives)
Prerequisite: PADI Adventure or equivalent; 15+ yrs old
Discover deep dive planning, hazards, special equipment, and extra safety precautions. (4 dives)
Prerequisite: 12+ years of age.
This PADI course is the most popular entry-level dive program in the whole world! Throughout our PADI Open Water Diver course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of safe scuba diving, including dive equipment, techniques, and planning. This certification allows you to rent scuba equipment, obtain tank air fills and also enroll in PADI Continuing Education courses (PADI Adventure Diver, PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, or even PADI Specialties).
The PADI Open Water Diver certification is recognized worldwide. To earn this rating, we’ll introduce you to eLearning:
During five confined water training dives, your instructor will demonstrate, and then you’ll practice and master, important diving skills. Finally, applying everything you have learned, you will make four open water dives at favorite dive sites around the British Virgin Islands.
For Open Water divers who want to earn the next certification.
Divers who are already certified can go to the next level and improve their skills. You will receive your PADI textbook upon arrival in the islands. During the course you will complete interesting and informative knowledge reviews along with navigation, night and deep dives, plus two other dives of your choice in assorted specialty areas for a total of five dives. After the course, you can use your skills to enjoy recreational dives during the remainder of your adventure.
Prerequisites: None
This certification is bestowed on any crew member who demonstrates the ability to fully participate in the daily sailing tasks on board and passes a written test proving that they’ve mastered fundamental information on safety, seamanship, navigation and boat handling skills.
No experience is necessary, but you should be comfortable on and in the water, have a spirit of adventure, the ability to take on responsibility, and a desire to be challenged. While everyone is involved with sailing instruction, scuba is an option on Sierra. (The snorkeling alone is amazing!)
During the Sierra program you have the option to earn both sailing and scuba certifications. In sailing, as part of our core curriculum, you can earn the SC Crew, Bosun & Mate certifications based on your level of experience.
Non-certified scuba divers have the option to try scuba diving through PADI’s Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) course and experience the beautiful life in the underwater world, or earn PADI’s Open Water (OW) and go on to earn your Advanced Open Water. (AOW)
If you are a certified diver, you’ll have the option of earning your AOW or you can just opt to dive for fun and earn Specialties by signing up for Recreational Diving.
You’ll earn 15-20 hours on Sierra 21-day. You’ll help restore and protect beaches, wetlands, marine and land habitats, often working with local youth groups. Together, your participation will have a lasting effect on preserving the land, and in turn, the livelihood of the people who inhabit these beautiful islands.
The Sierra program is an exciting hands-on course focusing on tropical marine science, service-learning and leadership. Course topics include: Ecological Principles, Marine Survey Techniques, Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Geology of the British Virgin Islands. Students seeking academic credit through their schools are required to complete an in-depth research project and presentation. Upon completing the course, you’ll receive a comprehensive evaluation of your academic performance by your course instructors. Those students wishing to receive academic credit at their school for their achievements on the Sierra program must have a faculty sponsor at their school review and approve our curriculum. Students seeking academic credit will receive a course description to provide to your academic advisor or science teacher. He or she must approve the Sierra Tropical Marine Science course and determine how much credit you will receive. Sail Caribbean cannot guarantee that you will receive credit from your school but will assist you as necessary to obtain credit.
Students join us from all over the country and from around the world. Their ages range from 14 (finishing eighth grade) to 18. Each co-ed boat has 10-12 students of similar age with a balance of girls and boys. On Sierra, our fleet size is 24-36 teenagers. Each day offers sailing and meals with your crew and then activities, electives, and socializing with the entire group.
You’ll live and sleep on a modern 43’-46’ foot catamaran which is the ideal platform to accommodate our community and environmental service activities. Each boat has five cabins plus a main salon that can convert to a 6th cabin, four to five heads (bathrooms), and a fully equipped galley. Cabins are mainly used to store your belongings and to change clothes. Most nights the stars are so beautiful and the breeze so refreshing that you’ll set up your hammock or sleeping bag and decide to sleep on deck with the rest of the crew.
“I’ve grown in a sense that I don’t take as many things for granted. Like a warm fresh water shower or being able to flush toilet paper in the toilet, random things like that. But also I have grown in many other small ways, I just feel like I’ve bettered myself since leaving and being on the trip, and coming back.”
Jaiden B., age 14, Portland, OR
“The marine biology aspect of Sail Caribbean allowed our son to tag turtles, dissect a lion fish, and learn about preserving reefs….all in a hands-on class room. He forged friendships with students from around the world and continues to keep in touch with them. Sail Caribbean taught Cole that not everyone is going to pull their fair share on board a boat…or in life. He found himself leading and motivating others at times he didn’t think he would have to. From sailing the boat to cooking the food, he discovered the value of team work.”
Danice G., parent of 18 yr old son, Graham, TX
“Sail Caribbean was absolutely life changing. I got to sail the BVIs with my best friends, get bosun certified without having any prior sailing before the trip, learn so much about the ocean and marine bio, and swim with turtles for the first time. I was actually given the chance to perform a lion fish dissection and actually teach others about fish systems and how cool they are. My greatest challenge was probably realizing that a lot of your participation and efforts on board affect others so you should really try to be involved and promote positive behavior.”
Catrina S., age 16, Hastings on Hudson, NY