from 2,472€

Outstanding 4.9rating (209)
  • Life Below Water

Open-Water Whale Research

location
1 - 1 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
rating  Outstanding 4.9  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

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

Especially suitable

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+

About the program

Our organisation teamed up with an Australian marine research organisation to offer volunteers a spectacular and unforgettable opportunity.

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 ...

About the program

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 ...

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 ...

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.

Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (basic level)

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

Spending days and nights on the research vessel out at sea can be physically and mentally taxing for some individuals across the duration of the placement. Venturing a sizeable distance offshore will necessitate a degree of patience and persistence, as well as a basic degree of physical fitness to undertake some general tasks.

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 07:00 - 17:00

What's Included

What's Included

Services by Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers

Pre-departure support

Project Information Booklet

Project orientation

Training

Field equipment and materials

Reef taxes and levies

1 nights hostel accommodation in Airlie Beach

6 nights accommodation on a whale research vessel

All meals & snacks

T-shirt

Participant certificate

24-hour in-country support

24-hour O2E emergency phone


All project fees are payable in Australian Dollars (AUD).

Prices include 10% Australian Goods & Services Tax (GST).

Accommodation

Spend the first night in Airlie Beach at a hostel meeting the group. The next morning you will depart from Abell Point Marina to the primary study site based within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. 

Volunteers spend 7 nights on a research vessel equipped with all of the necessary tools and guidance available for the planned activities. Volunteers are free to make their own accommodation arrangements after arriving back into the Abell Point Marina. 

Fly or take a bus to Proserpine, Australia, then a bus to Airlie Beach.

Food & Beverages

All meals are provided for on the boat. All dietary requirements are catered for by the full-time chef onboard. Volunteers are required to purchase their own meal on arrival into Airlie Beach on the first night.

Internet Access

Good access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Airport Pickup at Queenstown

An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Queenstown (UEE) in Queenstown. We assist you to find cheap flights to Australia. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Australia provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Australia you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Australia. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

Volunteers spend the first night at a hostel in Airlie Beach before embarking upon the whale research vessel for the next 5 nights. 
Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

1 week 2,472€
Average fees 2,472€/week

Program fees

2,472€ per week 1 - 1 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES

Duration

1 - 1 weeks

Deposit

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.

Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

Meet your organization

Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers

Outstanding 4.9 rating (209 reviews)

Non-profit - founded in 2011

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Tracy

Spoken languages: English

About the project

Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers is a non-profit organisation that was founded for the purpose of providing resources and financial assistance to animal welfare and conservation

Meet your organization

The O2E Founders are animal lovers and committed volunteers. They founded and established the organisation in Melbourne, Australia, having seen firsthand that volunteer recruitment agencies were not always aware if the projects they supported had the best interests of animals and environment in mind. Instead, unethical and harmful behaviour including elephant riding, unsustainable tree nursery projects and the consumption of scarce community resources by the presence of volunteers were often the result. Local wildlife communities and the animals’ environments were also clearly disadvantaged. For this reason, we created our Oceans 2 Earth Ethical Standards and the Wildlife Code and measure all potential projects by these policies prior to partnering with them.

Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers offers volunteering and adventure travel experiences for ethically minded animal and conservation lovers looking for the trip of a lifetime.

In creating Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers, the O2E founders challenge and engage individuals to contribute to meaningful animal welfare and conservation projects. As wildlife carers and avid animal welfare and rights campaigners, they uphold a vision to promote ethical volunteering as an advisable travel alternative.

We believe the way to solve the issues of animal mistreatment and environmental destruction and degradation is to provide people with the opportunity to contribute and interact so that they may develop their own personal culture of responsibility and global conservation. People exposed first hand to challenging bio diverse environmental issues are more likely to draw on those experiences and continue to make a positive impact once they arrive home. 

Oceans 2 Earth recognise that individuals really can make a difference. However small the work effort is from one person, if you combine the actions of many people as a whole, the result can become quite significant. By bringing like-minded and ethically conscious animal lovers together, Oceans 2 Earth believe that there is no limit to what we can achieve. 

Our Mission

Promote environmental sustainability and to be accountable for our impact on the environment.

Take action and find solutions to improve the natural, bio-diverse way of life for all. Promote the ethical treatment and natural living ecology of all animals.

Expose and educate volunteers to the plight of animals ill-affected by conflict or interaction with man, encouraging them to take action and find solutions to these global issues. 

209 reviews · rating4.9

This is my 3rd time with O2E and I have thoroughly enjoyed each experience. Tracy in the office has always been extremely helpful and quick to answer my questions. I have done the Marine Conservation twice now and Helen and Tim are great leaders. My first Marine Conservation involved doing my Rescue ...
Oceans 2 Earth is a great organization for anyone looking to volunteer and have some fun while doing it. The program is very well organized and it is clear how you are making an impact. Helen, Amy, and Tim are all great group leaders. You are able to see all sorts of different marine life while ...
Sienna Scouter rating5

2024 at Great Barrier Reef Marine Conservation

Helen, Amy, and Sam were wonderful project leaders. They always showed up with lots of enthusiasm and were excited to teach us throughout the day. Overall, the snorkeling activities were enjoyable and the surveys were ...
Charlotte Pierce rating5

2024 at Great Barrier Reef Marine Conservation

O2E has been great. O2E has been such a great experience, all the staff were so friendly and helpful. I loved learning about how we can observe and conserve the ...
Amylyn Mortimer rating5

2024 at Great Barrier Reef Marine Conservation

Helen, Amy and Timmy were awesome! I learned a lot and enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with the members of our group. Fitzroy and Green island are absolutely beautiful. There’s a lot of down time in the afternoon to freely snorkel or walk around the islands. They were very inclusive of my ...
Emmy Christiansen rating5

2024 at Great Barrier Reef Marine Conservation

I have had one of the best weeks of my life. Not only Australia, but the team here has been wonderful! We learned so many interesting things about the indigenous culture. And I had never seen so many beautiful marine creatures. I’ll never forget this adventure. Thank ...

Location

Oceania > Australia and New Zealand > Australia > Whitsundays

You might also be interested in

Volunteer Abroad  >  Animals  >  Marine Life in Australia
Contact Tracy
  Very high response rate
English

Most volunteers ask about

Do you have any more questions? Send a message to Tracy
Please do not share personal contact details for your privacy