Reducing underwater pollution and conserving marine life is largely an issue that’s overlooked in Portugal. Volunteers on the Environmental Scuba Diving project have the opportunity to help with underwater clean-up efforts focused on the protection of the marine ecosystem off the coast of Portugal in Cascais.
Volunteers are based in a local diving school that has an emphasis on local environmental protection. You’ll help to clean rubbish off the sea floor, learn more about the marine ecosystem and how to protect it, observe and identify fish and collect data on fish numbers. You’ll always be supervised by an experienced dive instructor and will receive on-site training.
As part of the Environmental Scuba Diving project you will complete internationally recognized SSI (Scuba Schools International) diving certifications. The certifications you complete will depend on your current diving experience as well as your program duration and the weather conditions. The courses range from Open Water Diver through to Advanced Adventurer. Specialties such as Buoyancy, Marine Ecology and Fish Identification are also available once you’ve completed the Open Water and Advanced certification courses.
The Program Fee covers the cost of the required SSI online and in-person training, full scuba equipment hire and supervision from an experienced dive instructor. The program is open to beginners without any diving experience, however volunteers will have to learn the fundamentals and safety measures before engaging in any type of conservation activities.
Please note in your application when you apply for the program if you have any current dive certifications. If you do have certifications already, you will need to send a copy of these, as well as your diving log book, through to our local team in Portugal prior to your program starting. If you are under the age of 18 at the time you are volunteering, you will need to provide a signed statement from your parents outlining that they give you permission to dive. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring a medical certificate which clears you for diving to ensure you can jump straight into volunteering.
Apply now