About the Reef Buddy Caribbean Diving Volunteer Project

Caribbean Reef Buddy was established on the Caribbean island of Carriacou to provide a sustainable resource that would independently help measure, monitor, and educate the local community, local government and volunteers. The data collected also helps guide the environmental planning of our fishery and marine protected area.

Volunteers will be involved in:

• Coral reef surveys, including assessments of fish, benthic species, and substrate composition
• Coral reef regeneration
• Invasive Lionfish containment
• Macroinvertebrate research and data collection
• Sharks and apex predator surveys using BRUVS.
• Underwater photography to contribute to photographic macroinvertebrate identification (underwater camera required).

Volunteers will also support as researchers in the field, as we look to build back after the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Beryl.

Reef Buddy Volunteer Programme

Our Caribbean diving volunteer programme runs from the first Sunday in May to the end of September each year.  The programme runs on a 4-week cycle, where we dive deep into one project each week. This provides hands-on learning from our experts and valuable research contributions.

Ideally, you will join us for a minimum of 2 weeks to make the most of the foundational training that we provide. However, options exist to tailor-make a programme that fits your aspirations for the summer. This can extend from one week to the whole summer.

Whether you have never dived before or have less than 15 dives, join our initial training week to quickly advance your diving skills and certifications. If you are already ‘Advanced Open Water’ certified with over 15 logged dives, you can either enhance your skills with First Aid and Rescue training or dive straight into our projects.

Reef Buddy volunteer programme options:

Research Buddy (1-4 weeks): Perfect for those new to scuba diving. This option gives you the chance to dive into meaningful conservation activities for 1-4 weeks. You will do coral reef monitoring and data analysis, participate in predator monitoring, and help with lionfish containment efforts. You will also be involved in coral reef regeneration projects, working alongside our experts to learn valuable skills.

Research Assistant (4-12 weeks): You will learn to scuba dive and become an integral part of all our projects. From leading data collection and analysis to actively participating in predator monitoring and lionfish containment. Your role will be crucial. You’ll also get to work on coral reef regeneration projects, gaining in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience.

Research Divemaster (5+ weeks): For those looking to gain a professional diving qualification, this option transitions Research Assistants into the rigorous and rewarding divemaster training (PADI or SSI) from week 5 onwards.

What will you learn as a volunteer?

Volunteers will enhance their marine knowledge through different theoretical and practical workshops. The programme aims to:

• Provide a sound understanding of marine ecosystems
• Enable identification of various coral, fish and benthic species
• Understand the risks and planning considerations for working with apex predators and sharks
• Give you an unforgettable Caribbean diving experience

We are family friendly too!

Our programme welcomes any individuals over 17 years old, but can also support families and groups with younger participants (min 12 years old). We tailor the project specifics and theory to the target audience to make it a thrilling and informative session in which all the family can participate.

We also offer a specific one week coral and snorkelling family package for families with children 7+ years (in July and August) each year. This includes:

• Snorkel training/assessment at Sandy Island – a deserted island off the coast
• Coral Watch training, followed by two days of survey activity
• Visit to Petite Carenage, the most northerly beach on the island and home to Carriacou’s turtle nesting area
• Boat trip to Saline Island, with its salt flats – great fun for mud bathing

If you have any questions, please get in touch for more details.