Open-Water Whale Research
Non-profit
·
founded in 2011
Book with Flex Option!
Choose new departure dates or change to a different volunteer program at no extra costs.
Highlights
Conserve Whales through conducting important research
Swim with an abundance of sea life including turtles and sharks
Undertake activities used for scientific purposes
Snorkel in the most amazing place in the world
Live aboard a whale research vessel and get as close as you will ever get to these majestic animals
Our organisation teamed up with an Australian marine research organisation to offer volunteers a spectacular and unforgettable opportunity.
This volunteer program is especially suitable for:
Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+
Research assistants are involved across a broad range of tasks that are fundamental to the program. This will be inclusive of marine radio operations, program health, safety and environment protocols, monitoring whale behaviour, data management, GPS operations, genetic sampling, video recordings and photo identification among other activities.
Research assistants are involved across a broad range of tasks that are fundamental to the program. This will be inclusive of marine radio operations, program health, safety and environment protocols, monitoring whale behaviour, data management, GPS operations, genetic sampling, video recordings and photo identification among other activities.
Duration: 6 nights
Work Roster: All day
Age Requirement: 18 years, however, we will take younger if a guardian is present.
The only skills required to be a valued member of the team is a love for marine wildlife, a desire to make a difference and a basic degree of physical fitness.
Typical day
The day will begin with a 7am meeting with the research team before a 7.30am journey aboard the Flying Fish vessel that takes the volunteers to the study site. Having taken in the wonderful marine wildlife and the environment on the shores of the Whitsundays, participants will be sorted into teams before venturing out to the Great Barrier Reef. It will be during inclement weather days when the teams will be focusing on data entry tasks before exploring the reef and enjoying the exotic landscape. The evenings will then see a review of the theory take place where lectures and presetations based on the day’s results will be conducted. No two days with the BPM team will be identical.
Free-time activities
In Airlie Beach there is a range of different activities that are open to travellers. For adrenaline junkies, you can access a variety of skydiving adventures, sailing and cruise opportunities, and helicopter excavations.
For others that want to enjoy some much needed R&R, there is the scenic Cedar Creek Falls and Conway National Park, the tropical delights of the Airlie Beach Lagoon, the local markets at The Esplanade, nearby restaurants and bars, and Cape Gloucester, a luxurious beach beloved by locals and tourists alike.
On the boat there will be free time to explore what the reef and the Whitsundays has to offer. Especially for those who register for consecutive placements, there will be a day off to see the sights. Traveling around the reef to remote hot spots like Whitehaven Beach, there will be ample chance to undertake snorkelling, swimming and sight seeing adventures.
Before or after the project, you may choose to complete a dive course. If you are a certified diver, or not, speak to O2E who can book you into a PADI Dive course to explore more of the Whitsundays and what it has to offer.
Swimming
Sightseeing
Diving/
Snorkling
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