Sample Day
When you are not on the move between countries, most days begin early with a hearty breakfast. After any necessary morning jobs are completed, the first dive group will go out, diving in buddy-pairs and monitoring either fish or coral. Monitoring dives are to a maximum depth of 20 metres (although many sites monitored will be shallower), in the warm waters of the Caribbean. Therefore many dive times may last for around an hour or longer. If you are taking part in the second dive for the day or resting for a night dive, you could spend time after lunch filling tanks or writing up the data obtained from a dive. Some locations you visit will give you the opportunity to visit Mayan ruins in the morning and go on a dive in the afternoon. Generally, you will have a group meal at night in the base or at a local restaurant where you can practice your Spanish!
Sample Week
In all the countries that you visit, a typical week will normally contain approximately 8-10 dives (weather permitting), and various side-trips and activities. However, if you are on an extended trip away from the coast, some weeks may contain one or two days during which you go without dives. An example of this is during the Guatemalan leg, when you will spend two days exploring in and around the magnificent colonial city of Antigua. This trip will include a walk up a live volcano to toast marshmallows over the lava flow, then spending the next day diving at altitude in Lake Atitlan (at 1,900 metres). Each week the data collected will need to be entered into spreadsheets and dive gear and all equipment maintained. Travel arrangements for moving onto the next destination will also be finalized, and we will generally try to find somewhere fun to have a party on Saturday night before you have a well deserved rest and dry-day on each Sunday.