South Africa - Great White Shark Conservation

You will be completely involved in the eco-tourism (cage diving) and conservation work throughout your stay. While working alongside marine biologists, you will learn about  the behaviors of the marine species in the area including Southern Right whales, Humpack whales, Bryde's whales and a variety dolphins. You can learn about how researchers track marine life and what data needs to be recorded. You will also assist on the tourist boat by helping cage divers and educating visitors, plus you will have the opportunity to go cage diving yourself  to get up-close and personal with Great White sharks.

Time at Sea:

• Tracking sharks (dependent on weather and not guaranteed)
• Cage diving
• Tourism education and helping tourists on board
• 'Chum' trips - bringing sharks close to the boat to assess populations (also dependent on weather and not guaranteed)
• Some research observation on whales, dolphins, penguins, seals, or sea birds (seasonal)

Daily work includes:

• Photo identification of species
• Assisting in the daily diving operations (including taking part in the dives)
• Assisting the skipper and crew in various duties
• Laying and retrieving of anchors
• Assisting with clients
• Working with local children in education and beach clean-up
• Data input
• Cleaning boats and preparing wetsuits

A typical day: You may find yourself educating cage divers about sharks and ongoing conservation methods before they cage dive or spend the morning on the research boat. In the afternoon, you could be cleaning the boat and wetsuits or working with local children to clean up the beach. You will work every day, weather permitting, for about 5-8 hours per day. During inclement weather, there will be organized excursions, educational lectures, or simply free time to explore the area.

Please note that volunteer activities can change at any time due to the needs of the project.

Please take note of the project's minimum requirements:

• Love for marine animals
• Willingness to get hands dirty
• Work well in a team and take directions from the skipper and crew
• Ability to swim
• Min age 18
• Immunizations (consult your doctor)
• It is highly recommended to bring seasickness tablets, as there is a lot of work to be done at sea.

Volunteer Add-ons (Not Included):

African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary: Volunteers staying 4 or more weeks at the Great White Shark Conservation Project have the option to assist at the sanctuary as well (dependent on availability, number of birds at the sanctuary at any given time, and volunteer skills and experience). Those who choose this add-on may expect to be involved in the following tasks:

• Assisting visitors
• Handling administrative tasks at the reception desk
• General cleaning
• Preparing food for the sanctuary's inhabitants
• Data capturing
• Shadowing the staff  

Whale Conservation: Volunteers will have the option to assist at a local whale tourism and conservation organization, which conducts studies on the biology and behaviors of marine species, with a strong focus on eco-tourism, conservation efforts and education. Please note this project only operates from June-November. Those who choose this add-on may expect to be involved in the following tasks:

• Assisting clients with life jackets on the eco-trip vessel
• Data Capturing
• Boat preparation and cleaning

Please notify us prior to registering if you would like to assist at the sanctuary and/or the Whale Conservation Project. 

Please note: This project is completely weather dependent and there will be days when the weather is too bad to go to sea. On these days, volunteers will have excursions or lectures arranged for them by the volunteer coordinators.