Eco-tourism

8 million metric tons of plastic waste are dumped into our oceans every year. This amount weighs 17.6 billion pounds, which is the same as nearly 57,000 blue whales. If this continues, it’s been said that by 2050, ocean plastic will outweigh all of the ocean’s fish.

Lauren Sparks offers an insider’s guide to volunteering on marine conservation projects, and explains what is available and what to expect, along with advice on finding – and funding –the ideal trip for you

As explorers of the underwater world,

Marine conservation volunteering holidays and internship opportunities are growing around the globe, and represent an unparalleled opportunity for anyone that loves the oceans to travel the world while giving back. We’ve put together a guide that covers all you need to know about marine conservation volunteering, including the types of opportunities available, what to expect from the experience, and tips on finding and funding your perfect trip.

Marine conservation volunteer and internship opportunities are the ultimate way to combine travel with your passion for the ocean. As the name suggests, these projects allow people to volunteer their time and labour to help experienced researchers, conservationists and scientists with on-going research. By joining a marine conservation programme, everyday people can contribute to and advance the understanding and protection of the world’s oceans and marine life. And, as these projects are often based in beautiful parts of the world, it can also double up as the holiday of a lifetime.

Every project is different, depending on the location and the work being done. Whether you’re volunteering or doing an internship, there are many common reasons to join a marine conservation programme. From meeting new dive buddies or steering you through a change of career, to simply travelling the world in a more-sustainable way, joining a marine conservation project is the perfect way to enhance your next dive holiday.

There’s no one-size-fits-all description when it comes to marine conservation volunteering opportunities and, as projects are often run on very limited resources, you’ll often find you get involved in many different areas. But don’t worry, this just makes them all the more interesting.

A programme is a long-term project with ongoing research that might offer flexible start dates and a steady-stream of volunteers, making it easy to tailor the duration of your stay to better fit your availability. An expedition, on the other hand, is generally a shorter project with specific research goals and a fixed duration. Expeditions can be either liveaboard or land-based with scheduled start and end dates.

Covering over 70% of the Earth’s surface, and plunging to many kilometres in depth, it’s an understatement to say the marine environment is massive. Needless to say, the potential for research is nearly limitless. From marine ecological assessments, and megafauna conservation, marine debris and oceanography, the fields of study are varied and many conservation projects use multiple methodologies to achieve their conservation goals.

Run by passionate ocean-enthusiasts, most programmes will employ a variety of conservation techniques at their disposal - and you’ll have many different ways to get involved with and help protect the environments you love to dive. We’ve outlined a few of the ways you might get involved below.

If your project involves field surveys, you’ll be getting out and in the thick of it, collecting data from different habitats such as coral reefs or mangroves. You’ll have a chance to get hands-on with a bunch of scientific monitoring equipment, including quadrats and transects while you observe, take notes, or photograph your surroundings and the species found within them.

Frequently used while studying marine mammals and other large marine species, opportunistic sightings are pretty much exactly what it sounds like. When certain species are encountered, often by chance, the sighting is recorded - either in a logbook, by phoning a hotline, or through mobile applications like Whale Alert or Whale Report.

While technology has helped to advance many research processes, they still often require plenty of man-hours to extract the data. Analysis of images and camera recordings is a time-consuming yet vital process that is easily done online or in-house by volunteers.

Collecting samples is one of the more-obvious tasks that can be done by volunteers and interns. Samples could include anything from sea water and sediment, to seagrass, algae and marine organisms - helping researchers study an almost endless list of topics.

Tagging marine life is one of the most-exhilarating fields of marine research you can get involved in, and is critical to learning more about elusive migratory species. The tags gather data such as location, depth and more, providing valuable insight into species behaviours and population health. During tagging projects, volunteers can get involved in many different ways, including helping to catch and release the animals.

Reef restoration and coral replanting projects have become common in many dive destinations around the world. There are different techniques in use, but most involve collecting broken fragments and attaching them to an artificial reef. Coral reef conservation volunteers and interns can easily learn the techniques needed to collect, attach, and even maintain these corals as they slowly develop towards a healthy reef.

With so many incredible marine conservation holiday opportunities out there, it can be hard to find the right one. Figuring out what you are most interested in is often the best place to start. Perhaps you’re crazy about coral, or keen to do some shark spotting? Do your concerns revolve around ocean plastics, or do you want to engage people through education?

If you have one key research focus, you can’t wait to get your teeth into, then the location of the programme may not matter. But, if you’re all about the beaches, and want to work on your tan while giving back to the environment, then consider starting with your desired destination, and go from there. It’s also worth remembering that some volunteer holidays provide a certification or qualification at the end. These certifications - or even just the experience - can be used to polish your resumé, or count towards university or college requirements. So find out what these requirements are, or what employers might be looking for, before starting your search.

The length of the programme is another key factor in choosing the perfect eco-volunteer trip. Two weeks is often the minimum, but in our opinion, it’s rarely enough. How many new jobs have you started, and been fully-trained,

Work side by side with scientists

within two weeks? Well, volunteering is very similar. As you’re starting a new role, allow yourself time to learn and get comfortable - that’s when the real fun starts.

Finally, you’ll want to take a careful look at what’s included as part of your internship or volunteer opportunity. Make sure you understand what’s expected of you, the sorts of tasks you’ll be performing, and most of all, what you will and won’t have to pay for!

Whether you’re applying for a marine conservation volunteering holiday, or an ocean-based internship abroad, you’ll probably have to pay for the experience. This might sound unfair, but we all know diving and travel can be expensive and, unfortunately, that doesn’t change just because you’re doing it for a good cause. NGOs and nonprofits often work with very small budgets, and while they might receive grants and funding, they also rely on the physical and financial support of their volunteers. In any case, if you’re devoting your time and energy to a particular project, you’ll want as much of its funds spent on research and conservation as possible, right? So it makes sense to pay your way. And most organisations will happily give you a complete breakdown of how your programme fees are used.

Normally, travel, accommodation, food, and diving will

The ocean contains more than 97% of the world’s water, covering around 71% of the planet. That means it’s hugely important that we take care of the ocean. be your responsibility. While the cost might seem a little daunting, it’s a great way to immerse yourself in the local lifestyle. When compared to the cost of a regular dive trip - particularly one that lasts a month or more - an internship or volunteer experience generally offers much more diving for a lot less money.

Once you’ve found the ideal volunteer holiday opportunity, and you’ve got a plan for how to fund it, you can start looking forward to the good time ahead. But, if you’ve never volunteered abroad before, it can be hard to picture what day-to-day life will be like. So let’s take a look at what you can expect.

Much like embarking on a new career, your marine research internship or volunteer opportunity will inevitably involve some training. Dive courses may be on the cards, especially if you have limited prior experience, or if your role will require performing skilled tasks underwater. Activities such as attaching corals to substrate or photographing reefs using quadrats can require perfect buoyancy and composure beneath the waves.

You’ll also have to learn about the different methodologies and techniques you’ll be using, and how to log and analyse your results.

We always recommend shared accommodation during your marine life volunteer programmes. Not only is it the ideal space to meet like-minded people, but you can also create invaluable connections if you’re embarking on a career in conservation. Try to go in with an open mind and you’ll get much more out of the experience - and that applies to food as well. If you’ve done any dive travel in the past, you’ll know one of the best things about heading to a new destination, aside from the diving, is sampling the local cuisine.

During your programme you’ll be expected to work hard, but you’ll have time to yourself as well. When you’re not working, you’re free to do as you please, so sit back, relax, and enjoy. Explore the local communities, learn about their lifestyles and cultures, or embark on land adventures such as hiking in search of native flora and fauna.

It can be difficult to balance our passion for dive travel with a desire to live more sustainably. Luckily, ZuBlu’s Ecoventures puts the power of sustainable tourism in the hands of every diver, with a hand-picked selection of conservation holidays and marine research internships. Using the Ecoventure search tool, environmentally-conscious travellers can discover and book volunteer conservation opportunities from around the world.

What’s more, if you book a trip through ZuBlu they will donate a percentage of the cost back to your chosen Ecoventure. So you can continue supporting the organisation – and the environment – long after your volunteering holiday ends. n