Environmental forecasts are painting a bleak picture for the long term health of the ocean, and it’s predicted that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea. Marine Conservation volunteers in Spain have the unique opportunity to provide support to underwater clean-up efforts that reduce ocean pollution and conserve marine life.
As Marine Conservation volunteer, you’ll be based at a local dive club, using and improving your scuba diving skills while being actively involved in restoring the natural state of the marine ecosystem of Catalonia and the wider Mediterranean. You’ll help to collect trash from the sea, log information on items collected, learn more about the marine ecosystem and how to protect it and observe and identify fish. If you’re volunteering in summer, you can also help children from disadvantaged backgrounds to dive and learn about helping the environment.
All volunteer efforts on the project work towards the vision of healthier oceans, thriving ecosystems and a clean coastline. You don’t need to have prior diving experience; however, you will have to gain dive certification before engaging in any underwater conservation activities.
The Program Fee covers the cost of the required online and in-person training, the use of full scuba equipment and volunteer supervision from an experienced dive instructor. For safety, all diving is weather dependant. Volunteers are required to be flexible if diving cannot be carried out due to bad weather.
All volunteers complete internationally-recognised CMAS diving certifications. The diving certification you complete will depend on your current diving experience and the length of your stay. The courses range from Open Water Diver through to Advanced Open Water Diver, and specialties such as marine ecology and fish identification.
When applying for the Marine Conservation project, please note any current dive certifications you have. If you do have certifications already, you will need to send a copy of these along with your diving log book through to our local team in Barcelona prior to your program starting. All volunteers are also required to provide a medical certificate which clears you for diving.
You can choose to give back on this project for 1-12 weeks.
Apply now