Tobago marine conservation project
| country: | Trinidad & Tobago |
| departures: | 2009: 3 Dec, 31 Dec 2010: 28 Jan, 25 Feb, 25 Mar, 22 Apr, 20 May, 17 Jun, 15 Jul, 12 Aug, 9 Sep, 7 Oct, 4 Nov, 2 Dec |
| price: | From £1350 (4 weeks) excluding flights (divers). From £1450 for dive trainees. Prices start at £650 for 2 weeks. Placements available for 2-12 weeks. Price includes UK administration, accommodation, food, equipment and training. Group discounts available up to 10% |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Expedition life on the Tobago project is pretty hard work but an extremely satisfying experience. It's the kind of place where you'll get to know people really well, whether it's local scholars or international volunteers – it’s a place where you'll make life-long friendships.
In Tobago's waters lie some spectacular reef systems, home to a variety of impressive creatures, ranging from Manta Rays and Dolphins to the smaller but equally spectacular Frogfish. Unfortunately in 2005 there was a mass-bleaching event that affected reefs throughout the Caribbean. The bleaching was caused by elevated sea-surface-temperatures coupled with a record number of hurricanes. This left the reef in bad state!
Action was badly needed and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – the Tobago Coastal Ecosystem Mapping Project (TCEMP) was established to:
Please note: Departure dates listed above are for divers. Dive trainees start a week earlier.
Expedition Site: The expedition site in Charlotteville is made up of several cottages, all overlooking the bay. The main cottage and hub of the expedition operations has 3 mixed dormitories, a kitchen, living room, a science room and, most importantly, a large veranda right on the beach. There is running hot/cold water, electricity and limited Internet access. The veranda overlooking the Bay is where you'll spend most of your time on site, perfecting your species ID skills or catching up on the days diving with fellow volunteers, enjoying a Carib beer as the sunsets over the bay. Just watch out for the pesky parrots dropping almonds on the deck!
The cottages nestled in botanical gardens of natural vegetation and right on the beach, form part of Charlotteville Estate, A 1000-acre estate with a spectacular diversity of flora and fauna. This is a nature lovers and bird watchers paradise. The property was purchased by the estate owners, the Turpin family in 1865 and has a long history of environmental conservation. The nearby reefs at Pirate’s Bay offer a perfect science and SCUBA training ground as well as a wonderful place to 'lime' on the beach or go for a swim in your free time.
Food is highly seasonable and you'll be doing a lot of the cooking yourself (with a little help from your buddy of course!). The surrounding fruit trees provide a plentiful supply of mangos, grapefruits, oranges and bananas. Fresh fish is also readily available and usually goes straight onto the BBQ. Underneath Tobago's waters lie some spectacular reef systems, home to a variety of impressive creatures, ranging from Manta Rays and Dolphins to the smaller but equally spectacular Frogfish. Charlotteville puts us on the forefront of the best diving Tobago has to offer including the spectacular reefs at Speyside and the dramatic drift dives at Sister’s and Brother’s Rocks. A resident pod of dolphins keeps us entertained between dives. Having said all that, expedition life on the Tobago project is pretty hard work; addressing some serious conservation issues but out of all this comes an extremely satisfying and rewarding experience. It's the kind of place where you'll get to know people really well, whether it's local scholars or international volunteers - a place where you'll make life-long friendships.
Monday to Friday: Mondays to Fridays, the focus is on research with a wake-up call at 05.30hrs! After breakfast, volunteers prepare for the mornings survey dive. SCUBA and science kit are put together and the survey boat heads off to one of the survey sites around the island. Whilst a team of local and international staff are on-hand to provide guidance and oversee expedition activities, Volunteers are expected to take an active part in managing all aspects of expedition life, including the more mundane chores such as helping keeping the expedition base clean and tidy and cooking.
Daily Activities: Each working day is a busy but exciting one. Between survey SCUBA dives and lunch (12.00hrs) there are a series of briefings, training exercises and data management sessions, plus the usual daily chores. When this has been done, volunteers can watch the sun set over the Caribbean Sea. Alternatively, the 'Mot mot trail' is a popular 2-hour trek, which follows the north-eastern coastline and provides some spectacular views of the Tobagonian coastline. Dinner at 18.00hrs is followed by a de-briefing session and further training opportunities. A small bar is open from 18.00 to 22.00hrs for the sale of drinks (the sale of alcohol to Volunteers under 18 years of age is not permitted). At 22.00hrs the expedition base is secured for the night and the lights go off. That is, if you're not joining a turtle patrol on one of the nearby beaches! The patrols ensure the protection of vulnerable nesting Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles from illegal poaching as well as allowing for the tagging and monitoring of these endangered giants. The nesting season is between March and August.
Weekends: Upon completion of the various initial training courses provided to Volunteers upon arrival (e.g. the core Skills Development Training Programme - refer to the CCC Expedition Guide for further details), at weekends the expedition team can take life just a little bit easier. Saturdays are reserved for recreational diving and optional advanced SCUBA skills development courses (up to PADI Dive Master certification). Saturday night is party night with a bar extension. Expect fancy dress, trips to the nearest cocktail bar and bbq's on secret beach! Sunday's are reserved for additional training activities, base camp maintenance chores and equipment servicing in preparation for the following weeks survey work. For safety reasons, Sunday is a no diving day. We try and organise trips to the waterfalls or rainforest treks once science and SCUBA training have been completed. Sundays are also used to organise trips to local schools where the younger generation is taught about coral reef ecology and its significance through a series of games, interactive lectures and a puppet show. Coral Cay also partners with several local environmental groups such as Save Our Sea turtles (SOS) and the 2-week Sea Sun and Science course provided by our project partners, the Buccoo Reef Trust. Volunteers are encouraged to get actively involved in these initiatives. You'll find them to be highly rewarding experiences!
Long Weekends: Volunteers spending seven weeks or longer on the expedition will be given the opportunity to take an optional 'long-weekend break' away from the expedition base. This is an ideal opportunity for Volunteers to explore the rest of Tobago or take a ferry over to Trinidad for a bit of shopping and exploration of the island's diverse natural splendour.
In Tobago's waters lie some spectacular reef systems, home to a variety of impressive creatures, ranging from Manta Rays and Dolphins to the smaller but equally spectacular Frogfish. Unfortunately in 2005 there was a mass-bleaching event that affected reefs throughout the Caribbean. The bleaching was caused by elevated sea-surface-temperatures coupled with a record number of hurricanes. This left the reef in bad state!
Action was badly needed and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – the Tobago Coastal Ecosystem Mapping Project (TCEMP) was established to:
Provide baseline info on the current health of the reef and other habitats – Mangrove and Sea grass - Increase the awareness around Tobago’s marine resources through educational programmes
- Train local in order to build in-country capacity for intrinsic management for the future.
Please note: Departure dates listed above are for divers. Dive trainees start a week earlier.
a day in a life of a volunteer
The sleepy fishing village of Charlotteville is on the North East coast of Tobago and has a charming rustic feel to it, thanks to good nature of the local people and all the culture on offer. The expedition site is minutes away from the village nestled in the Man O’War Bay Cottages, which are on the waterfront and surrounded by lush tropical forest giving it an intimate and secluded atmosphere - we're sure you'll feel right at home here. Expedition Site: The expedition site in Charlotteville is made up of several cottages, all overlooking the bay. The main cottage and hub of the expedition operations has 3 mixed dormitories, a kitchen, living room, a science room and, most importantly, a large veranda right on the beach. There is running hot/cold water, electricity and limited Internet access. The veranda overlooking the Bay is where you'll spend most of your time on site, perfecting your species ID skills or catching up on the days diving with fellow volunteers, enjoying a Carib beer as the sunsets over the bay. Just watch out for the pesky parrots dropping almonds on the deck!
The cottages nestled in botanical gardens of natural vegetation and right on the beach, form part of Charlotteville Estate, A 1000-acre estate with a spectacular diversity of flora and fauna. This is a nature lovers and bird watchers paradise. The property was purchased by the estate owners, the Turpin family in 1865 and has a long history of environmental conservation. The nearby reefs at Pirate’s Bay offer a perfect science and SCUBA training ground as well as a wonderful place to 'lime' on the beach or go for a swim in your free time.
Food is highly seasonable and you'll be doing a lot of the cooking yourself (with a little help from your buddy of course!). The surrounding fruit trees provide a plentiful supply of mangos, grapefruits, oranges and bananas. Fresh fish is also readily available and usually goes straight onto the BBQ. Underneath Tobago's waters lie some spectacular reef systems, home to a variety of impressive creatures, ranging from Manta Rays and Dolphins to the smaller but equally spectacular Frogfish. Charlotteville puts us on the forefront of the best diving Tobago has to offer including the spectacular reefs at Speyside and the dramatic drift dives at Sister’s and Brother’s Rocks. A resident pod of dolphins keeps us entertained between dives. Having said all that, expedition life on the Tobago project is pretty hard work; addressing some serious conservation issues but out of all this comes an extremely satisfying and rewarding experience. It's the kind of place where you'll get to know people really well, whether it's local scholars or international volunteers - a place where you'll make life-long friendships.
Monday to Friday: Mondays to Fridays, the focus is on research with a wake-up call at 05.30hrs! After breakfast, volunteers prepare for the mornings survey dive. SCUBA and science kit are put together and the survey boat heads off to one of the survey sites around the island. Whilst a team of local and international staff are on-hand to provide guidance and oversee expedition activities, Volunteers are expected to take an active part in managing all aspects of expedition life, including the more mundane chores such as helping keeping the expedition base clean and tidy and cooking.
Daily Activities: Each working day is a busy but exciting one. Between survey SCUBA dives and lunch (12.00hrs) there are a series of briefings, training exercises and data management sessions, plus the usual daily chores. When this has been done, volunteers can watch the sun set over the Caribbean Sea. Alternatively, the 'Mot mot trail' is a popular 2-hour trek, which follows the north-eastern coastline and provides some spectacular views of the Tobagonian coastline. Dinner at 18.00hrs is followed by a de-briefing session and further training opportunities. A small bar is open from 18.00 to 22.00hrs for the sale of drinks (the sale of alcohol to Volunteers under 18 years of age is not permitted). At 22.00hrs the expedition base is secured for the night and the lights go off. That is, if you're not joining a turtle patrol on one of the nearby beaches! The patrols ensure the protection of vulnerable nesting Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles from illegal poaching as well as allowing for the tagging and monitoring of these endangered giants. The nesting season is between March and August. Weekends: Upon completion of the various initial training courses provided to Volunteers upon arrival (e.g. the core Skills Development Training Programme - refer to the CCC Expedition Guide for further details), at weekends the expedition team can take life just a little bit easier. Saturdays are reserved for recreational diving and optional advanced SCUBA skills development courses (up to PADI Dive Master certification). Saturday night is party night with a bar extension. Expect fancy dress, trips to the nearest cocktail bar and bbq's on secret beach! Sunday's are reserved for additional training activities, base camp maintenance chores and equipment servicing in preparation for the following weeks survey work. For safety reasons, Sunday is a no diving day. We try and organise trips to the waterfalls or rainforest treks once science and SCUBA training have been completed. Sundays are also used to organise trips to local schools where the younger generation is taught about coral reef ecology and its significance through a series of games, interactive lectures and a puppet show. Coral Cay also partners with several local environmental groups such as Save Our Sea turtles (SOS) and the 2-week Sea Sun and Science course provided by our project partners, the Buccoo Reef Trust. Volunteers are encouraged to get actively involved in these initiatives. You'll find them to be highly rewarding experiences!
Long Weekends: Volunteers spending seven weeks or longer on the expedition will be given the opportunity to take an optional 'long-weekend break' away from the expedition base. This is an ideal opportunity for Volunteers to explore the rest of Tobago or take a ferry over to Trinidad for a bit of shopping and exploration of the island's diverse natural splendour.
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society. Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Tobago's coral reefs are being threatened by both global and local impacts. After the 2005 mass bleaching event in the Caribbean, these fragile ecosystems are now under attack from a variety of coral diseases and anthropogenic impacts, all of which are threatening the very existence of coral reefs in Tobago. It is essential to collect scientifically sound data on coastal habitats in order to develop effective management plans for the island's marine resources.
Dive tourism is an effective means of creating alternative livelihoods and just the presence of NGO’s and other business can really generate revenue for the local economy. We employ local staff in various positions within our company including Community Liaison Officers, Medical Officers, Boat Marshals, Site Maintenance Officers, Chefs and Compressor Mechanics. All the accommodation we use is locally owned and food is sourced locally to plough money back into the economy. We use rainwater for many tasks around the expedition site e.g. cleaning and showering. We recycle glass and other material; use composting on expedition sites and recycle paper/plastics/cans at HO in London. Successful projects in the past: Environmental
Four community-managed Marine Protected Areas established in Southern Leyte – Philippines. Our project sites now have a community liaison officer whose activities are critical to the success of the expedition as they are able to act as interpreters and bridges any gaps that may exist between us and neighbouring local communities. They also carry out socio-economic survey of the region in order to further establish the main issues hindering the process of coastal resource management. They work with local communities to better the understanding of our purpose, run environmental awareness workshops and increase the number of local scholars involved in the three local programmes were are currently running, which are:
General
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