According to a 2014 study, a mere 1.1 percent of Americans are certified scuba divers. That’s a pretty exclusive club! Love of the ocean is a driving force behind many people who take that leap into the underwater world, but did you know you can help make a better world through scuba diving? There are many volunteer projects the world over that focus on marine conservation. If you love the water and the creatures that dwell in it, perhaps you should consider becoming a scuba diving volunteer. Here are just a few options to choose from!
Protect Loggerhead Turtles in Greece
Immerse yourself in the rich history and the azure waters of the Mediterranean as you help safeguard turtle nesting sites. Volunteers conduct daily surveys of nesting activity as well as protect those nests against predators, and from being swamped by seawater. You’ll also interact with the local community as well as tourists, providing valuable information about loggerhead turtles.
Quartered in a quiet fishing village, international volunteers work and live together and have the opportunity to see turtles coming ashore to lay eggs as well as hatchlings flopping their adorable flippers as they make their way to the water. Experience Greek culture and save the turtles!
Track Sharks in a Marine Park
Living on a beachfront camp in the Seychelles sounds like an exotic dream, right? Not when you become a scuba diving volunteer! Join up with this program and you can truly live the island life, assisting with conservation projects on land and in the water. Watch over nesting hawksbill and green turtles, or track sicklefin lemon shark pups, collecting population and growth rate information. Assist with animal census collection as well as checking salinity and temperature data in the mangrove forests. After a long day at work, grab your gear and take a dip into the crystalline waters alongside eagle rays, reef sharks, and multicolored tropical fish.
Conduct Underwater Surveys in Fiji
Join an international team of volunteers and the local community to conduct underwater surveys in this tropical paradise. You’ll even have the chance to meet with school children to help teach them about environmentalism. This trip also offers the opportunity to assist with coral farming. In your free time, climb a volcanic mountain, swim through a cave, or just relax on the white sandy beaches.
Learn more about becoming a scuba diving volunteer here. If you’re not living the life you’ve always dreamed, perhaps this is the door that’s been waiting for you to knock!
