Reviews + ADD REVIEW
Our trips are one-of-a-kind, life changing adventures. But don’t just take our word for it.
- Jake's group straggled slowly but identifiably out of customs and into ...
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“Jake's group straggled slowly but identifiably out of customs and into the terminal at JFK. Though parents were eagerly awaiting them, each of them stayed behind the barrier ,waiting until all of the group was present. They spontaneously formed a circle and put their arms around one another and spoke quietly, then closed their eyes and "passed a squeeze" around. Only then did they exit together and greet the waiting parents. It was beautiful to watch - and it was Broadreach!”— Meg F from New York, NY
- My daughter started Broadreach after her ninth grade year and has been ...
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“My daughter started Broadreach after her ninth grade year and has been back every year since then. I feel safe with Broadreach. She feels exhilarated! ”— Elizabeth D from Fairview, NC
- Everything about the Sinai Experience – the diving, the Bedouin children, ...
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“Everything about the Sinai Experience – the diving, the Bedouin children, the Mt. Sinai hike, visits to St. Catherine’s and the colored canyons, the camel trek, even the hagglers – contributed to her desire to return to (and possibly live in) Egypt one day. Everyone on staff at Broadreach is always professional, informative, warm, and helpful.”— Laurie M from Hanover, NH
- Merry's trip to Egypt allowed her explore a different culture and bond ...
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“Merry's trip to Egypt allowed her explore a different culture and bond with a dynamic group of teens while the intense scuba program really upped her skill level and diving experience in the amazing Red Sea.”— Cheryl C from Delray Beach, FL
- The program leaders were all very supportive. I liked the fact that I ...
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“The program leaders were all very supportive. I liked the fact that I could do things at my own pace and never felt unsafe. I have gained more from this experience than I ever imagined I would.”— Mary K from Greensboro, NC
- I highly recommend the Broadreach programs to any family. There was not ...
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“I highly recommend the Broadreach programs to any family. There was not one time when I felt Broadreach did not perform at its best. Safety and security are always top concerns. My son participated in a Broadreach program for the second year in a row and would do it again. We are definitely going to "spread the word" about your awesome programs!”— Christina A from Hilton Head Island, SC
- I have and will continue to be a tremendous supporter of Broadreach! ...
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“I have and will continue to be a tremendous supporter of Broadreach! Broadreach has taken all three of my children on various trips over the past seven years. They have each come home absolutely thrilled from their travels and demonstrating tremendous growth and appreciation. Broadreach is an incredible group and I would highly recommend them to all.”— Wendy R from Sea Cliff, NY
- The trips were real growing experience for Dillon and helped him develop ...
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“The trips were real growing experience for Dillon and helped him develop more confidence, awareness, and a greater global perspective… A big thanks to all of you at Broadreach for putting together such enriching life experiences for our youth!”— Kathleen S from Calgary AB
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Florence Bienvenu
After a whole, long year of waiting since my last Broadreach trip, I finally was on the plane from Montreal to Paris. I tried to watch the action movie or to speak to the people next to me, ...
After a whole, long year of waiting since my last Broadreach trip, I finally was on the plane from Montreal to Paris. I tried to watch the action movie or to speak to the people next to me, but all I could think about was the far away country that I would soon discover. I flipped through a travel book on Egypt and landed on a picture of a colorful coral reef in the Red Sea. In a few hours, I thought, staring at the breathtaking marine life on the page, that’s where I’ll be.In Paris, I met up with my group our instructors, Tucker and Kurt. As we waited to board our flight, we introduced ourselves and it was obvious that I was about to make great friends. After our flight to Cairo, we recovered our luggage and dragged ourselves onto a bus that would take us to Marsa Alam, far down the eastern coast of Egypt. With interfering stray limbs and back-packs, we tried to put our tired bodies to sleep but some of us couldn’t resist chatting away with what would be our family for the next three weeks.
When we walked off the bus at a roadside hotel to call our parents, we stumbled into a typical Egyptian wedding procession! The bride and groom paraded through the lobby, followed by men, women and children dressed in brightly colored traditional robes along with dozens of musicians playing loud, joyful music. Welcome to Egypt, Broadreachers!
Ten hours later, as morning broke, fourteen sleepy but eager pairs of eyes watched as Egyptians bicycled to work over the sand dunes as the sun rose. We had finally arrived at the Deep South eco-lodge - a handful of seaside huts along the coast of the Red Sea: an ideal setting for the week of diving that awaited us. After a tour of the area with the hospitable staff, we had the privilege of playing a game of soccer with some local children who taught us our first words of Arabic. After the match we all said ‘shokran!’ (thankyou!) and that we’d play tomorrow. ‘Enshaallah!’, screamed the children, ‘if God is willing!’. Then at last, we unpacked our regulators and wetsuits and set off on our first dive in the Red Sea. This first dive was short, but such a sweet introduction to the huge Red Sea we would be discovering during our Sinai experience.
That night, while we began daily rituals, I remembered why glums, glows, the squeeze and the toast had been some favourite aspects of my previous Broadreach trip. We discussed and reviewed the day’s events and set goals for the trip. Under the starry sky, despite exhaustion and jetlag, we spoke and laughed until we couldn’t keep our eyes open. Although we had only spent one day together, the group of RS11 had already grown very close. As I fell asleep in my sleeping bag on an Egyptian rug laid over the dirt floor with the sound of the wind in my ears, I knew we had fallen under the Broadreach spell.
The next seven days were a week out of heaven for any scuba diver. While half the group worked on their Emergency First Responder and Rescue Diver certification, the rest of us focused on making the best of the breathtaking dives that were offered to us. As we twirled and flipped underwater, I identified some of the worlds most impressive and beautiful sea creatures. It was common for us to come across lion fish, schools of barracuda, giant stingray, nudibranch, rockfish and Spanish dancer fish, most of which I had only seen on television or in pictures. Often, we would spot a couple four-foot sea turtles, out for an afternoon swim and we were even lucky enough to swim with a huge manatee that was about four times my size! What never ceased to blow me away, every time I poked my head out of the water after a dive, was the contrast between the endless turquoise water and the giant sand dunes as far as the eye could see.
Everyday, each of us had to attempt, sometimes through sing language, to learn from locals about an aspect of Egyptian culture and then teach the rest of us, so that we all became somewhat knowledgeable about local festivities, holidays, religious beliefs and expressions. But even after the first 48 hours, I had already fallen in love with everything around me, on land and underwater.
Despite our busy schedule, we were pleased to do a couple hours of community service. We all shared a sense of pride as we contributed to keeping this amazing place a cleaner environment by doing simple things such as ridding the beaches of empty plastic containers and dirty cans. Our days started early and ended late, and I was never bored: at the Deep South eco-lodge, there was always another site to dive, another local to meet, new food to discover or another game of beach volleyball to win.
***
As if it wasn’t hard enough to just leave the lodge, we had to say our last goodbyes to the fabulous staff who had taken such good care of us during the past week, at 1:30 am! But as sad as I was to leave, I was excited to embark upon the second part of the trip: the Sinai desert.
A bus, a ferry ride and a few hours of sleep later, we were already preparing to hike Mount Sinai – just as Moses once did, centuries ago. The hike up was long and strenuous but we later agreed that witnessing the day begin in silence, as the sun rose from behind the surrounding rocky mountains, was awe-inspiring. After hiking down alongside camels and tourists, we visited the famous St. Catherine’s monastery. We were taken through the library which holds one of the most important collections of books and manuscripts in the world. And, of course, we also got to see the famous ‘Burning Bush’, which to my surprise was more of a tree than a bush – and with no fire extinguisher in sight!
As we climbed into our ‘desert-mobiles’ (two super jeeps), we were all eager for the long-awaited camel trek. During the bumpy jeep ride over the sandy desert’s high dunes, we were anxious to meet and name our camels. Among the RS11 camels were Hercules, Rufus, Gladys and Egor. Riding Hercules with my Bedouin scarf on my head was a highlight of the trip and, needless to say, our destination was too: a beautiful oasis in the middle of the Sinai desert was our dining area for the day. We were greeted by Bedouins who graciously served us a scrumptious meal of rice, fruit and vegetables.
Well nourished, we climbed back into our desert mobiles and drove into the mountains until we came upon the perfect sand dune. We then barrelled out of the jeeps and ran up to the summit of the dune. Linking arms, we looked up to the sun and prepared ourselves for the thrill: ‘one, two three, go!’ and we tumbled down the mound of sand at record speed, filling the barren landscape with contagious laughter.
For the next few days, we lived Bedouin-style in remote spots of the Sinai Peninsula, drinking desert tea, eating desert food and hiking under the desert sun. I was taken aback by the Colour Canyon, where red, orange, yellow and brown sand stripe the canyon walls due to silt erosion throughout centuries. While we hiked through the famous canyon, I felt as though I was an ant in a massive block of sand, squeezing through narrow holes and jumping over sandy obstacles. Hiking skills, however, were not all I acquired as we explored the desert: we all got a chance to work on our haggling skills in a nearby town where many of us purchased traditional rugs and trinkets to bring back to the world we had left behind.
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On the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula, we slept soundly on the beach of Nuweiba under bright constellations. The next morning we prepared for yet another long jeep ride all the way down the coast of the Golf of Aqaba to the very tip of Sinai, to Sharm el-Skeikh. But a long ride huddled in the back of a jeep only meant more jokes, laughs and quality time spent with close friends and time to discover more of this beautiful country.
When we finally arrived at the docks in Sharm el-Sheikh, we were overjoyed at the sight of the Enigma, the yacht we would be living on for the next week. In comparison with the modest lifestyle we’d gotten used to in the desert, the live-aboard was extremely lavish, with air-conditioning, three floors, and a friendly crew of five. The sumptuous platters of juicy fruit they had prepared to welcome us seemed at first like a mirage.
Although it was already late and the sun was setting on the beach, I simply could not wait until the morning for what I had heard was the best diving on the planet. And I wasn’t alone! So we dropped our desert sandals and brimmed hats into bins, unpacked our dive gear and slipped into our wetsuits. The smell of the salty water reminded us all of the treat that would follow. I wasn’t frightened of the pitch black water thanks to the many glow sticks and flashlights we had clipped all over our bodies, but the dark, calm water was deliciously eerie and mysterious. Under the stars, 70 feet below sea level, lion fish were hunting their dinner, Spanish dancer fish were twirling their colourful skirts of red and orange. Without a doubt, this was one of the most exciting dives on which I had ever been.
Throughout the next week, diving as much as four times a day and led by Catherine, our awesome dive master, we toured the Big Red in our multicoloured wetsuits. Among my favourite dives were the wreck dives to the SS Dunraven, a sunken ship filled with decades of history, and to the SS Thislegorm, a sunken military ship carrying motorcycles, military trucks, Wellington boots and riffles. While diving these and other impressive wrecks, I couldn’t decide what was more impressive: the gigantic structures of rusty steal, mounds of toilets and war ammunition 80 feet below, or the diversity of the marine life that had made all these man-made items their homes.
It seemed I was pushing my luck to hope I would see a shark in the Red Sea, but sure enough, after waiting and searching, the group spotted one and I met eyes with my first hammerhead! Watching the shark bolt in our direction was a moment I’ll never forget - but as you see, I have lived to tell the tale!
During surface intervals, the Enigma was a place of constant joy and fun, where our group tightened its bonds. We always discussed whatever was on our minds, whether it was joking nonsense while dancing to music, or exchanging political views or learning about our backgrounds. All 16 of us, including our stupendous instructors, got along beautifully and I know that as a group, each of us was able to get the most out of every day we spent in Egypt.
As our week on the Enigma came to its end, we filled the last day with crazy tubing, wakeboarding behind speedy motorboats and a very last dive. The current was so strong that I felt like superman, speeding through the blue without even using my fins. Once we stopped moving, we spotted an octopus in a crevice, its tentacles waving goodbye to us! Though satisfied with our last dive in the Red Sea, we reluctantly rose to the surface, and our masks glistened as the hot sun welcomed us back. We slowly packed away our dive gear and wetsuits, all covered with the familiar smell of salty water and bade farewell to the Enigma and the secrets it let us discover.
That night, before dragging our tanned bodies back into the charter bus, we reminisced about all we had experienced. We will always remember watching the sun rise over the mountains from the summit of Mount Sinai, and riding camels through the desert with Bedouin scarves shielding our heads from the hot sun. We’ll remember how much fun we had practicing rescue scenarios underwater or in the sand with our amazing instructors who made the trip all it could be. We’ll never forget the hammerhead we finally saw after waiting and waiting, or watching glow worms mate three days after the full moon. I’ll forever treasure these memories, from witnessing the joy of an Egyptian bride and our first nights bonding under the stars, all the way to our very last drift dive.
We have since gone our separate ways and are all back to school and our bustling urban schedules, but the friendships we made on our Sinai trip and all we experienced there will stay with us forever. Needless to say, those three weeks were among the best of my life. We lived the Sinai experience - the experience of a lifetime.
‘Shokran Broadreach!’
Jake Minevitz
Dark Water We are talking now of nights spent diving off Ras Mohamed National Park, where plains of packed sand and rock jut up from the water line and run for miles into mountains and plateaus. ...
Dark WaterWe are talking now of nights spent diving off Ras Mohamed National Park, where plains of packed sand and rock jut up from the water line and run for miles into mountains and plateaus. Along the coast, enormous hotels and hustling dive boats can be seen; smaller towns and villages are scattered in the distance. Saudi Arabia floats just miles away. The tired sun begins to sink behind ancient sand as small fishing vessels scramble back to port, red sky fades to dark as stars are lit and the moon readies itself just beyond the horizon.
However it is not of stars or moonlight that I want to speak of now; but of the deceivingly brisk water beneath. Below the surface, a 10,000 foot coral wall wraps the arid peninsula. Tornados of tuna, packs of barracuda, and hungry hammerhead await their next meal. Aboard a well equipped dive vessel the drone of a compressor will soon die out and dive gear will be divided, a world of wetsuits and weight belts will come alive. There is a rush for fins and flashlights; this world is now guided by glow sticks. Tanks clank and shoulder straps are pulled tight, after sampling a breath from their regulator one waits in wonder. Weight belts are wiggled and flashlights jiggled. Stumbling students are steadied by careful crewmen and sturdier scuba divers, the back of the boat bobs just above the wall, a blazing floodlight illuminates a path to the thousand fathom fall. The captain blasts his horn signaling the dive to begin; creepy-water enthusiasts need no convincing. They splash into the dark, daring to speak the language of the deep.
Following a bold instructor they are led to the lip of the ledge, air is relieved through vital valves in black buoyancy vests. The group of budding adventurers admires amazing Acropora. The delicate white coral stretches far from the solid wall, dancing in the gentle tide. Kicking along there are fantastic brains of yellow spongy matter; extraordinary organisms which have matured for millions of years. A school of sapphire fish flickered sideways surveying the scuba divers; a nervous sea-slug slipped safely between two stones, as sea snakes slithered below.
While continuing to inhale from breathing apparatuses the band beads out and swims steadily, a diver from the middle breaks the string and swims softly toward the open water. Others calmly view this venture; with one flip of his fin he is facing the moon and has removed his mouthpiece, chipmunk cheeks puff out then pop with a perfect circle of air. The sparkling ring lifts itself and expands becoming thinner and thinner before bursting near the surface; the others pause admiring this awesome O.
Soon after, the tally is complete and nobody has strayed, some wrestle wet wetsuits, while others wipe off water. The solid sun is set and the orange moon casts a heavy beam which divides the dark water. A pharos blinks from the island boulders of Taran as boats breeze beneath the stars.
- Jake Minevitz
Daphne Williams
I absolutely loved my Sinai Experience on the Red Sea. From start to finish it exceeded all my expectations and hopes. It was safe, intriguing and gave me an experience I will never forget. ...
I absolutely loved my Sinai Experience on the Red Sea. From start to finish it exceeded all my expectations and hopes. It was safe, intriguing and gave me an experience I will never forget. The trip was a fairytale adventure were I was immersed in the setting of eastern culture, people, diving, sea life, sunken treasures, desert, camels, off-roading adventures, live aboards ,and O yea, did I say diving!I wanted to go Red Sea because I read in Sport Diver Magazine that it was one of the premier diving places in the world. I was overjoyed when I saw that BroadReach had a trip out there. I was so glad I chose this trip. The diving was so unbelievable!! The water was warm and always teeming with little fish, there were huge colorful reefs, sharks, turtles, wrecks and a variety of other breathtaking sea life.
I must admit I was a little apprehensive about going to an Arabic culture not knowing exactly how they were going to treat women. But, it turns out that I had nothing to worry about. Everyone was very nice and would bend over backwards to get you anything you needed. In fact, I didn’t even have to carry any of my dive gear or luggage for an extended period of time at any point in the trip. This trip has definitely changed my view of the Arabic culture and people forever for the better.
Diving was the main purpose of this trip and the diving was fantastic but, there were other memorable experiences worth mentioning that happened in between those awesome dives. I mean, who could forget the mid day naps in the hammocks, the jeep excursions, the camel rides, waking up at midnight to climb Mt.Sinai to see a beautiful sunrise, sledding down sand dunes, or eating the interesting food we were served three times a day. Those things made the trip worth telling to all the non-divers who wouldn’t exactly understand the excitement of just the dive stories themselves.
The highlight and most memorable times of my adventure, by far though, were those shared with Tucker and Kurt, my Broadreach staff, and my fellow Broadreach adventurers. We had so many hilarious moments and inside jokes, and it just amazed me that through everything we all got along. I really can not say enough good things about them, each one of us brought something new and interesting to the group that made everything so much better. I consider them all my friends and they will permanently stay in my memory forever.
Yes, I loved my Sinai adventure---for me it was a wild excursion that surpassed my wildest dreams. The diving was excellent, the people were pleasant, the culture was different and interesting, and the friendships mad will last forever. This adventure was truly exciting and rewarding.
Click here to read more Alumni Journals & College Essays from this trip!
In the News
Sport Diver Magazine
The sharks slowly begin circling, their striking eyes staring right at us. They were so close that I could see my reflection, scuba gear and all, in their eyeballs.
Greenwich Magazine
Whichever direction it takes, Broadreach inspires a sentiment often expressed by the Greenwich contingent: A desire to go back for more adventure.
Sport Diver Magazine
Got an adventurous teen who's too old to want mom and dad around for their entire summer vacation? Pack 'em off to Broadreach. Last year we here at Sport Diver did...
Broadreach in action. Want a glimpse of the freedom of life on a yacht? Or the thrill of diving with sharks in Fiji, surfing in Baja or cresting the ridge above Machu Picchu? Watch our videos to see and hear our adventures firsthand, and start wishing you were there.