Marine Conservation & PADI Training for Teens
Coordinator | Graeme
Coordinator | Graeme
Book with Flex Option!
Choose new departure dates or change to a different volunteer program at no extra costs.
Highlights
Find out if a career in marine conservation is for you.
Get your PADI Open Water certification.
Contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, #14, Life Below Water.
Make new friends with teens from all over the world.
Earn your GVI Young Leaders award, a qualification recognised by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).
Learn about ocean conservation and receive your PADI Open Water Diver certification in Mexico.
This volunteer program is especially suitable for:
Age 15+
Singles
Couples
Join other teens between the ages of 15 and 17 from around the world to get a taste of what life might be like if you choose to pursue a career in marine conservation while experiencing the natural beauty of Mexico’s Riviera Maya, home to the resort destination, Cancun. Earn a professional diving certificate, a key requirement for all marine biologists, while learning to dive in the warm waters of the Carribean among the vibrant tropical marine life. On this program you will be working with real marine conservationists learning about their ongoing projects.
Some of the projects you might get involved include Coral Watch, a coral monitoring program set up by the University of Queensland. It allows recreational divers to monitor the health of corals and submit the data to an online platform. This data base assists researchers with monitoring the effects of environmental events including climate change on reefs around the world. You might also visit a laboratory where coral fragments are grown and then transplanted onto the reef to assist with reef recovery. Other projects include contributing to endangered sea turtle research by patrolling the beach and recording the number of mother sea turtle tracks, nests created, and eggs laid. You will also be participating in plastic pollution research by collecting debris from local beaches and submitting a record of debris collected to the Ocean Conservancy, a US-based nonprofit that helps governments make decisions about environmental policies.
Visits to Mexico’s famously magical cenotes and colossal Mayan ruins are also included. Throughout their stay, teens will be dining on Mexican cuisine and have a chance to practice their conversational Spanish. Teens with less time on their hands can also choose to book onto the program for one week. This allows them to complete volunteering projects included in the two-week program, but not the adventure activities. Although all teen participants are greeted by GVI staff at their arrival destination, flight chaperoning services are also available upon request. Chaperones provide on-flight accompaniment and in-airport assistance. To book this service please contact one of our enrollment managers.
Some of the projects you might get involved include Coral Watch, a coral monitoring program set up by the University of Queensland. It allows recreational divers to monitor the health of corals and submit the data to an online platform. This data base assists researchers with monitoring the effects of environmental events including climate change on reefs around the world. You might also visit a laboratory where coral fragments are grown and then transplanted onto the reef to assist with reef recovery. Other projects include contributing to endangered sea turtle research by patrolling the beach and recording the number of mother sea turtle tracks, nests created, and eggs laid. You will also be participating in plastic pollution research by collecting debris from local beaches and submitting a record of debris collected to the Ocean Conservancy, a US-based nonprofit that helps governments make decisions about environmental policies.
Visits to Mexico’s famously magical cenotes and colossal Mayan ruins are also included. Throughout their stay, teens will be dining on Mexican cuisine and have a chance to practice their conversational Spanish. Teens with less time on their hands can also choose to book onto the program for one week. This allows them to complete volunteering projects included in the two-week program, but not the adventure activities. Although all teen participants are greeted by GVI staff at their arrival destination, flight chaperoning services are also available upon request. Chaperones provide on-flight accompaniment and in-airport assistance. To book this service please contact one of our enrollment managers.
Activities
Waste Reduction
Sea Turtle Conservation
Marine Conservation
Diving
Ocean Cleaning
Plastic Reduction
Diving certificate
Olive Ridley Turtle
Coral Reef
Green Sea Turtle
Hawksbill Turtle
Typical day
Typical Itinerary:
Day 1: Saturday
Say “hola” to the Mexican Carribean. A GVI staff member will be waiting for you. Travel with your new friends to your accommodation where you’ll enjoy a traditional Mexican meal.
Day 2: Sunday
Start your PADI dive training. Complete the Knowledge Review portion of your PADI Open Water Diver or PADI Advanced Open Water course.
Day 3: Monday
Meet your diving instructors. Participate in dive exercises and planning and finish off the theoretical part of your diving course.
Day 4: Tuesday
Suit up in your diving gear and practice key diving skills in the pool. Practice important underwater skills like buoyancy and underwater breathing.
Day 5: Wednesday
Head out into the vibrant underwater world of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world. Practice your diving skills on four or five open water dives.
Day 6: Thursday
Head out into the vibrant underwater world of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world. Practice your diving skills on four or five open water dives.
Day 7: Friday
Learn the CoralWatch technique, an internationally used method for surveying the health of corals. Find out how to use the coral chart to identify healthy or unhealthy corals.
Day 8: Saturday
Visit a cenote, a turquoise pool, surrounded by limestone walls, skylit from above. You’ll also climb Coba, the tallest Mayan pyramid in the region.
Day 9: Sunday
Clean up a beach, help researchers monitor mother and baby sea turtles, and learn how to identify specific coral species common in the Mexican Carribbean.
Day 10: Monday
Clean up a beach, help researchers monitor mother and baby sea turtles, and learn how to identify specific coral species common in the Mexican Carribbean.
Day 11: Tuesday
Clean up a beach, help researchers monitor mother and baby sea turtles, and learn how to identify specific coral species common in the Mexican Carribbean.
Day 12: Wednesday
Find out how and why marine biologists and conservationists study fish species found on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and even learn to identify some yourself.
Day 13: Thursday
Tour a mangrove forest and learn about the importance of these ecosystems. Then visit a coral growing laboratory to learn about how researchers are helping local reefs recover.
Day 14: Friday
Visit Chichen Itza, a massive Mayan city. Climb the spell-binding pyramid of Kukulcan, a UNESCO world heritage site, and one of the new seven wonders of the world.
Day 15: Saturday
Head back to the airport along with GVI staff and other volunteers. Watch the Carribbean Sea retreat from view and reflect on all you’ve learnt about protecting the world’s oceans.
Free-time activities
Trips will be organized on the weekends to explore the area.
Water Sports
Swimming
Sightseeing
Diving/
Snorkling
Snorkling
Shopping/
Souvenirs
Souvenirs
Hiking
Sports
Requirements
In order to join the program you need to be at least 15 years old on the program start date.
You need to speak English (basic level)
required
No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.
Your helping hand will be required on
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
What's Included
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- 24-hour emergency phone
- 24-hour in-country support
- Access to Alumni Services and Discounts
- Airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated)
- All necessary project equipment and materials
- All necessary project training by experienced staff
- Location orientation
- Long term experienced staff
- Meals while on project (except on work placements for long term internships)
- Safe and basic accommodations (usually shared)
- Welcome meeting
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
- Additional drinks and gratuities
- Extra local excursions
- Flights
- International and domestic airport taxes
- Medical and travel insurance
- Personal dive kit, e.g. mask, fins, wetsuit, timer etc.
- Personal items and toiletries
- Police or background check
- Some equipment is not included
- Visa costs (where necessary)
Volunteers need to arrange their international flights to arrive at Cancun International Airport on the program start date. GVI staff will be at the airport to pick you up. Please ensure field staff are made aware of your arrival plans.
Accommodation is in shared (single sex) rooms with shared bathroom facilities in a hotel, hostel or house. There is bottled water available for cooking and drinking only. Participants share base duties, including cleaning and other chores.
Dorm Room
Volunteers take it in turns to prepare meals for the group. Food is a very basic, mostly vegetarian diet, with meat available twice per week. Breakfast could be porridge, fruit or cereal, lunch is beans, vegetables, pasta and sauce, etc. and a typical evening meal may include lentils, pasta, beans, rice and vegetables.
Limited access at the project site
Visa, flights, travel insurance or vaccinations are NOT included in the program fees.
The nearest airport is Cancun International Airport (CUN) in Cancun. We assist you to find cheap flights to Mexico.
Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Mexico provides security and is a plus to have.
If you are intending to volunteer in Mexico you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Mexico.
Dates & Fees
NO CREDIT CARD FEES
Details on arrival
2022
- 23/07/2022
2023
- 22/07/2023
1 - 2 weeks
Program fees
1 week
(min. stay)
$2,465
2 weeks
(max. stay)
$3,515
Average fees
$2,111
/week
The organization charges its fees in EUR. The price table in USD is subject to currency fluctuation.
GVI
will let you know about the final price during your application process.
The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.
Your final payment will be agreed with GVI during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.
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All program fees are charged directly by GVI.
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Marine Conservation & PADI Training for Teens
Learn about ocean conservation and receive your PADI Open Water Diver certification in Mexico.
$2111/week
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