Please Note: This program is temporarily unavailable. Check out our alternative programs in Africa or schedule a one-on-one call with one of our expert volunteer advisors.
Join GoEco on the tropical, African island of Madagascar to conduct vital marine research and collect data on various ecosystems!
Program Highlights:
Program Schedule:
Arrival Day, Monday: Arrive into Nosy Be Airport (NOS). The local team will be waiting to pick you up from the airport and taken to the project site. Other arrivals will take a taxi to the project site.
Days 1-6, Monday-Sunday: A typical morning will begin with an on-land survey before breakfast. Volunteers who are already both PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water certified will join a diving survey, while non-divers will begin their dive course following breakfast. Following this, volunteers will have lunch and head out on another survey. Volunteers will debrief, have a presentation or take a quiz before dinner. Volunteers will work six days per week, and have one day free. Please note that this is a sample schedule and is subject to change.
Weeks 2-10: The remaining weeks will keep the same schedule of six days of volunteering work and one free day. Departure is on a Monday for all volunteers.
Please note: It is highly recommended if you are participating in the project for your studies or future career interests that you stay for a minimum of six weeks. Those staying four weeks or less will be trained in identification and methods including in water practice, but usually full surveying does not commence until Week 4 or 5. If you are able to join the project for only three weeks, your involvement in the surveys and conservation work will be limited. Volunteers who do not have PADI Open Water and PADI Advanced Open Water certifications must join these certification courses for an additional fee of $1156 USD and must join the program for a minimum of three weeks. Volunteers who are only PADI Open Water certified must join for a minimum of two weeks and take the Advanced certification course for an additional fee of $561 USD. Mask, snorkel, booties, westsuit, dive compass and fins not included.
What’s Included
What’s not Included
Flights, visa (if required), travel health insurance, mask, snorkel, booties, westsuit, dive compass, fins, personal expenses
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, comprising an area as large as Spain and Portugal combined. There are rainforests on the island’s eastern coast , although many of them are disappearing and turning into agricultural land or Savanna grasslands.
Madagascar is considered one of the world’s most ecologically rich countries, with a landscape that varies significantly. The island has many species of flora and fauna not found anywhere else in the world, mainly due to the fact that the island has been inaccessible and cut off from the African continent for millions of years.
This project is located on the island of Nosy Be, in the village of Ambalahonko, which is in northwest Madagascar. Ambalahonko is a peaceful village with 40 households. They just recently welcomed the project team into their community and the relationship is growing strong. The project team (staff and volunteers) enjoys occasional Saturday night parties with the locals, attends occasional church or ceremonial gatherings, learns the local language and is even taught how to cook local dishes.
The local weather varies by season. The wet season is November to April and the climate will be very hot and humid. At the end of the rainy season, May to October, typical temperatures are 20-25°C at night, which can feel a bit chilly at times once you’ve acclimatized, and 25-30°C during the day.
During your placement you will be performing scuba and snorkel surveys, in which you will map coral, identify reef fish and invertebrates, study the behavior of fish and possibly see whale sharks. The data you collect will help create future management plans. Further project activities include surveying mangroves, which provide a vital buffer against storm surges caused by cyclones, and are an important part of the coastal ecosystem.
For the first couple of days on the project, you will be settling into camp, familiarizing yourself with the running of a remote field research station and you will be assigned various camp responsibilities.
The nature of our research requires you to identify a range of aquatic life, therefore, your first three weeks will follow a structured learning plan, including various tests, in order to get you qualified in survey techniques. Be prepared to put in a lot of work at this stage. On arrival to the camp you will undergo concurrent periods of dive training (if necessary) or basic surveying (for those trained in diving) and science training where you will have an intensive course learning fish, coral, algae and invertebrate species.
It is highly recommended if you are participating in the project for your studies or future career interests that you stay for a minimum of six weeks. Those staying four weeks or less will be trained in identification and methods including in water practice, but usually full surveying does not commence until Week 4 or 5. If you are able to join the project for only three weeks, your involvement in the surveys and conservation work will be limited.
Below is a basic list of activities and research techniques you will be using:
Your days as a part of this project will be busy. The work will be challenging, rewarding and fun. Your help will be of great benefit to the conservation of the fabulous coral reefs and you will gain immense satisfaction from knowing that you have helped protect these precious natural resources for future generations.
Please take note of this project’s minimum requirements:
For experienced divers, there are further dive courses available: PADI Emergency First Response, PADI Rescue Diver and PADI Divemaster qualifications. Prices for these courses are also available upon request.
Madagascar has spectacular natural beauty; it is home to thousands of plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world.
If you have time before or after your project, there are many travel opportunities, both near and far from Nosy Be.
Some suggestions include:
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