Established in 1986, ActionQuest has spent nearly 40 years refining summer adventure, offering sailing, scuba diving, marine biology, and community service experiences for teenagers who want more than a typical camp. Backed by a proven safety culture where risk management is our first promise and growth is our purpose, students step into a world that feels both exciting and reassuring.

Our co-ed, non-competitive programs welcome students ages 11–18 from across the United States and around the world. No prior sailing or diving experience is required. From first-time adventurers to more seasoned sailors, students join small crews of about twelve per boat and explore some of the world’s best training grounds, with our core programs based in the British Virgin Islands and select global adventures in destinations such as Australia and the Mediterranean.

Life aboard is where the real learning happens. Under the guidance of professional skippers, diving instructors, and marine educators, students rotate through real roles like skipper, navigator, chef, mate, and more, so there are no passengers aboard. They earn internationally recognized sailing and scuba certifications, build practical seamanship skills, and discover what it means to be a true crewmember above and below the waterline.

The tone is lighthearted and fun, yet intentionally designed for growth. With phones put away, students lean into face-to-face connection, teamwork, and problem-solving. Daily briefings, checklists, and shared responsibilities foster judgment, resilience, and a strong sense of personal accountability, while the laughter, inside jokes, and shared adventures create a tight-knit community that feels like family by the end of the voyage.

ActionQuest is more than a voyage with instruction; it is a total life experience. Alumni return home more confident, independent, and self-reliant, with new friends from around the globe and a deeper understanding of themselves and the ocean world. Many go on to Sea|mester, our college-accredited blue-water study abroad program, continuing a seamanship journey that often becomes a defining chapter in their lives.