Squeamish about Fishing but signed up for SeaBase Bahamas Adventure

[goodkidsmom]

How much fishing do the scouts do on the Bahamas Adventure? Do they have to kill, gut, cook, and eat their own fish the whole time? What about scouts who are really squeamish about this??

 

Thanks,

Goodkidsmom

[Prairie_Scouter]

gkm,

Our troop went on the Sea Exploring adventure in 2004. Although not the same as the Bahamas adventures, they share common traits. We also had fishing as part of the trip, but fresh fish is considered a "nice addition" to the diet for the week. They fully stock the boat with food; you never know if you're actually going to catch any fish. We didn't catch anything during our trip, but only a couple of the guys were really interested in fishing; ours was primarily a snorkling trip. My guess would be that if your Scouts did catch fish, the cooks for that day would be expected to do what work needed to be done, and that would include cleaning the fish. I's also expect that they won't know how to do it, so they'll have a good deal of guidance from the adults on board ship. I'd suggest that you just talk to the adult trip leaders, inform them of the situation, and see what kind of response you get. Most leaders are sensitive to these kinds of things and will make arrangements such that it's a good experience for your Scout.

 

Also, if your son has a sensitive stomach, you might consider starting him on the seasickness medicine the day before he leaves. Our experience is that it takes a day or so to kick in, but after that, you're fine as long as you keep taking it each day.

[resqman]

It has been a few years since I went on the Bahamas adventure. I went twice in the late 70's.

 

We had scouts who were advid fisherman. We had scouts who could have cared less. The adult leaders were split on their interest level.

 

The first day the crew (scouts and leaders) meet with the captain. He offers ideas of things that he can do and the crew suggests things they would like to do. Between them they work out the agenda.

 

We went swimming in a blue hole. A deep water swimming hole in the middle of un-inhabited island. We went swinging on the jib sail. A swing seat is attached to the bottom two edges of the triangular sail and the wind blows you up. You can hang on or jump off into the water.

 

We went snorkling at John Pennekamp Park. Make sure they ask for this. Listed as one of the 10 best places to dive or snorkel in the world!

 

We went fishing. We had people dropping hooks off one side of the boat while we had people snorkling on the other scaring fish towards the hooks.

 

We had scouts who did not want to fish, did not want to eat fish, and did not want to hear the word fish. Those times when we ate fresh seafood, they made PBJ's. But I can tell you there is nothing quite as good as fresh red snapper. Fresh as in 1 hr from hook to table.

 

We also made conch hushpuppies. You remove the conch meat from the shells, grind it up and mix into the hushpuppies. Tasty.

 

The adventure is not just about fishing. It is mostly about crewing a boat. Pulling shifts to maintain a course, raising and lowering sails, kitchen duty, maintaining the boat, having fun with your buddies in a new and different place.

 

One time we had stormy weather and had to deal with heavy seas. One time we had very little wind and had to motor around. Each time was very different depending on the boat, captain, and crew. My dad went seven times. He fishes once a year when he went on the trip. He otherwise could go years without fishing. If you have a sqeamish scout, there are plenty of other things that need to be done while the cleaning and cooking is going on.

[goodkidsmom]

Thanks for the info. He isn't allergic, but is just grossed out by the whole idea of fishing, seeing squirmy fish, and touching and cleaning fish. I read him your posts and he's perked up about going on the trip. I would LOVE to eat super-fresh red-snapper, and if he prefers to go for PBJs, it'll be his loss.

 

I really appreciate all the other info about the trip - I just wish I could go too!

 

GKM