My favorite part of the program would obviously have to be the diving aspect. I got scuba diving certified in Lawrence, Kansas and did my open-water training in Stockton Lake, Missouri. Diving in the ocean is such a surreal experience, I do not know how to explain it. The reefs, the diversity of organisms, it is awe inducing. At first I was terrified to get into the water, but towards the end of the program when I finally found my rhythm, I did not want to get out of the water.

My favorite part of this program was the diving. We had the chance to participate in as many as 5 dives per day, and we visited different dive sites every single day. The reefs and abundant marine life we saw were absolutely beautiful, and it was fun identifying everything we saw at the end of the day. In addition, all the divemasters and boat captains at CoCo View were extremely kind, helpful, and knowledgeable, and they really helped make the diving experience even better.

The most rewarding part of the program was diving everyday with my group. We all built such a strong bond together and experienced a whole new world 60 ft down.

What really helped me on the study abroad was the lectures after our dives, being able to discuss what we saw, working directly with the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences, and that the professor brought along an underwater writing pad to write down and point out the specific organisms we were seeing.

One of the most rewarding aspects was getting to personally witness the huge reef ecosystems, which I have learned about only in classrooms until now, teeming with all kinds of life. It was also very eye-opening to firsthand see coral bleaching and be reminded of how humans are impacting the ocean. Another rewarding aspect, although not the exact purpose of the program, was getting to learn about the culture and history of Roatan.

Learning the types of marine life and being able to identify them. Diving by itself was amazing, but the added ability to identify what I saw and learn about it later added a new dimension to the experience.

Since Roatan is on a barrier reef, getting to the dive sites required short boat trips; if you get sea sick easily, I would make sure to stock up on some anti-nausea/ motion sickness medication. We also created a group google drive photo in order to share our photos with each other, so that is something to think about too.

I learned a lot about the diving community, culture, and lifestyle. At first, the diving was a little bit harder than expected--sea conditions were sometimes rough, which led some people to become seasick, and doing many dives per day can get tiring. I learned how to be resilient, to take care of my body, and to appreciate the experience even when it got hard.

Start your scuba training early before it gets cold, and go to Dave and the Scuba Shop for everything.