Volunteer in scientific scuba diving
Highlights
- Free scuba lessons, and do 10-12 scuba dives every week
- Help protect coral reefs and mangroves
- Meet new friends from all over the World
- Explore neighbor islands and cliff dive into amazing azure blue lagoons
Overview
The Visayas region of the Philippines, in the centre of the coral triangle, is the very heart of marine biodiversity. Join us as a volunteer, learn scientific diving, study marine biology and see breathtaking reefs. As a volunteer you help with crucial work to protect the coral reefs and provide critical data to authorities who rely on our help. While volunteering you'll meet passionate and like minded people from all over the world who may end up as your lifelong friends.
Many program participants are already certified scuba divers before joining us, but the program is open for non-divers too. (If this is the case for you, we'll be very happy to teach you) The cost is 450 USD weekly. The volunteer fee covers three daily meals and free water, tea and coffee plus seasonal fruits and snacks for the whole period. The fee also covers basic accommodation. (We live in a lovely old botanical garden on a hill close by the sea, with the huts nestled under big mango and nara trees) Also covered are all scuba diving, including scuba gear rental, marine park fees and transportation. Progressive discounts are available for volunteers staying longer than twelve weeks.
- Accommodation
- Three daily meals, + free snacks, fruits, tea, coffee
- Rental of complete SCUBA gear (you need not bring anything)
- Lessons on marine biology and ecology
- Scuba lessons
- Transport to and from airport
- Marine park fees
- Flights and insurance
- Carbonated beverages (can be bought on site)
Important Information
If you are not certified as a diver already, you will start your participation on the program by getting licensed through the PADI system of education. All scuba courses are offered for free (except the manual which is yours to keep, and the certification we pay to PADI. This, combined, is usually around 65-85 USD, depending on which course)
As the work we carry out on fragile reefs require divers with excellent skills, we add additional practice and excursion dives until you’re ready for the task. The diver training, taking you through the PADI open water course as well as the PADI advanced open water typically takes two weeks, with a lot of marine biology lessons added. Volunteer who stay ten weeks or more, can do multiple courses or even complete their dive master training. However the project is not a dive shop and people come here to take part in conservation. Everyone who's ever volunteered would agree, that taking your open water course through a demanding environmental organization instead of a lax commercial dive shop, makes you a truly badass diver!