Gap Year Australia
Join Flying Fish down under in fabulous Sydney, Australia, for a life-changing gap year sailing adventure.
Make the most of your Australian gap year by earning globally recognised RYA qualifications, including Yachtmaster Offshore, Dinghy Sailing, and Windsurfing Instructor.
Train in sunny Sydney, one of the world’s best sailing destinations, while Europe freezes — then go back into European summer ready to work in dream hotspots like the Greek Islands, Croatia, or the South of France.
Make lifelong friends as you turn your gap year in Australia into an unforgettable journey of travel, training, personal growth, adventure, and sailing.
Yachtmaster Gap Year
If a life on the ocean wave is for you then our 12 week Yachtmaster Offshore Fast Track is the course to set. This is the ultimate sailing adventure!
Watersports Gap Year
Make your gap year count by training as a Dinghy Sailing or Windsurfing Instructor in Australia — gain real skills, have fun, and work the Mediterranean summer!
Yachtmaster Gap Year
Getting qualified to skipper a yacht is a brilliant way to start your gap year.
A Flying Fish Yachtmaster Fast Track course in Sydney, Australia offers the perfect combination of travel, professional training, and teamwork — and gives you the opportunity to add impressive, globally recognised qualifications to your CV or résumé.
Learn to navigate the iconic Sydney Harbour and build your experience cruising along Australia’s spectacular East Coast.
Teach sailing
Once you have your Yachtmaster certificate, you can complete a short course to qualify as an RYA Cruising Instructor. This enables you to teach Competent Crew and Day Skipper Practical courses at any RYA centre or sailing school around the world.
An instructor qualification is your passport to year-round employment, allowing you to teach the sport you love while developing your own sailing skills.
Work on yachts
If you want to work as a skipper or crew on yachts and superyachts during your gap year — or plan to build a career in the yachting industry — find out more about the options here.
Yachtmaster Fast Track courses
Professional Yachtmaster / Cruising Instructor Internship
This internship offers seasoned watersports instructors an unparalleled chance to embark on a comprehensive two-year work-study journey, culminating in certifications as a Yachtmaster Offshore and RYA Cruising Instructor. Set in an idyllic location, this program promises an enriching, career-enhancing experience in an inspiring environment. It is also a highly cost effective way of training.
2 years
Enquire for details
Yachtmaster / Dinghy Sailing Instructor Fast Track
Become an RYA Dinghy Sailing Instructor and RYA Yachtmaster Coastal (or Offshore with suitable prior experience) in just 12 weeks. This intensive Sydney-based programme takes you from beginner to professional, combining high-quality training, hands-on sailing, and instructor certification. Ideal for gap-year adventurers and anyone seeking a fast-track route to global jobs in the yachting and watersports industry.
12 weeks
A$17,890.00
Yachtmaster Ocean Fast Track
The Yachtmaster Ocean Fast Track in Sydney begins with comprehensive training for your RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate and AMSA Sailing Master Offshore. You then, you go on to learn celestial navigation and complete an ocean-qualifying passage in preparation for the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean oral exam.
16 weeks
A$28,990.00
Yachtmaster Offshore Fast Track
This dynamic and comprehensive vocational program combines practical on-water training with theoretical shore-based instruction and leads to the internationally recognized RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence and AMSA Sailing Master Offshore certification. These globally respected qualifications provide graduates with the essential credentials for a professional yachting career, opening doors to employment opportunities in Australia, the UK, Europe, and the Caribbean.
12 weeks
A$19,990.00
Yachtmaster Coastal Fast Track
The Yachtmaster Coastal Fast-Track in Sydney is a 9-week program that takes you from novice to the RYA Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence. Train with expert instructors, sail iconic Sydney Harbour and gain hands-on experience on a well-equipped fleet. A perfect blend of adventure and professional training!
9 weeks
A$15,590.00
Watersports Gap Year
After a few weeks of professional training, you will have the qualifications to start earning money from the sport you love.
First, we guarantee to improve your performance on the water. Next, if you are looking for a personal challenge, you won’t find one more satisfying than learning the skills of an instructor: technical knowledge, safety awareness, communication skills, people management, and motivation.
These are important soft skills and transferable to any career, so the Flying Fish experience makes a great addition to your CV or resume.
Once you’re qualified?
Now it’s up to you. You can get an instructor job, go traveling or continue training.
Many Flying Fish students combine windsurfing with another sport – dinghy sailing, scuba diving, mountain biking, or a snow sport. If you can teach more than one sport, employers will be chasing you around the world.
Get a job
If you want to work as an instructor during your gap year we can give you some top tips about working in the water sports industry and put you in touch with lots of employers for whom Flying Fish has been a steady supplier of staff for more than twenty years.
Watersports gap year courses
Dinghy Sailing / Windsurf Instructor Fast Track
The programme is for water sports enthusiasts who want to join an inspiring training adventure in a superb location and fast-track their progress to RYA instructor level in two sports.
8 weeks
A$9,590.00
Dinghy Sailing Instructor Fast Track
The Dinghy Sail Instructor Fast-track programme is designed for basic intermediate sailors who want to fast-track their skills in a stunning location and progress to become an RYA-qualified Dinghy Sailing instructor quickly. This widely respected qualification opens global job opportunities in sailing instruction and watersports at sailing schools and clubs in Australia, the UK, and Europe.
4 weeks
A$4,990.00
Windsurf Instructor Fast Track
The Windsurf Instructor Fast-Track is a fun and intensive four-week course for windsurfers looking to turn their passion into a career. Based in Sydney’s beautiful Middle Harbour, the programme combines expert coaching, plenty of time on the water, and focused instructor training to take you from basic skills to a confident, qualified RYA Windsurf Instructor in just four weeks.
4 weeks
A$4,990.00
Yachtmaster / Dinghy Sailing Instructor Fast Track
Become an RYA Dinghy Sailing Instructor and RYA Yachtmaster Coastal (or Offshore with suitable prior experience) in just 12 weeks. This intensive Sydney-based programme takes you from beginner to professional, combining high-quality training, hands-on sailing, and instructor certification. Ideal for gap-year adventurers and anyone seeking a fast-track route to global jobs in the yachting and watersports industry.
12 weeks
A$17,890.00
Gap year: time out, not burnout
Every Flying Fish course includes students taking time out for a gap year.
Universities increasingly value applicants who have broadened their horizons, developed independence, and gained practical life skills. A break from formal education gives students the chance to reset, grow, and build real-world experience.
Completing an accredited sailing gap year course – such as the programs we run in Sydney – demonstrates maturity, resilience, and determination. It also adds recognised qualifications and international experience to your CV or résumé.
Australia is one of the most popular destinations for gap year sailing programs thanks to its safe environment, warm climate, and outstanding opportunities for water sports and maritime training.
American universities
Major American universities now support the idea of taking time out before freshman year.
Harvard’s admissions team famously recognises that it’s often a case of “time out or burn out,” and they officially encourage students to take a year out before starting at Harvard.