Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers has teamed up with prominent scuba diving and outer reef operators in Cairns to offer volunteers a Marine Conservation program conducted on the Great Barrier Reef.
With a high commitment to environmental protection and sustainability, this unique dive program falls under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s (GBRMPA) powerful monitoring program ‘Eye on the Reef’ and is designed for volunteers interested in scuba diving, marine conservation and spending time on the reef.
The adventure begins in Cairns, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, where you will become a certified scuba diver by completing the popular 5 Day PADI Open Water Course (Advanced Courses or Nitrox available for participants already certified).
Then volunteers embark upon the reef as certified divers and volunteer marine conservationists where they will join the ‘Eye on the Reef’ program and complete 8-10 underwater Rapid Monitoring surveys monitoring coral health. The information gathered provides managers and researchers of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) with up-to-date information on reef health status and trends, the distribution of protected and iconic species, and early warnings of environmental impacts.
Volunteers will also have the unique opportunity to spend 4 days with a reef expert on the Great Barrier Reef, to learn and experience firsthand, this endangered natural wonder, the Great Barrier Reef.
Volunteers will undertake a minimum of 17 dives for the duration of the project (8 for certified divers).
Your Contribution
Volunteers make a difference to this project by contributing to the Great Barrier Reef’s long-term protection by collecting valuable information about reef health, marine animals and incidents and providing this essential data to the ‘Eye on the Reef’ program, while learning how to dive.
The ‘Eye on the Reef’ program’s success depends highly on the monitoring and data collected by marine biologists, marine park rangers, fishermen, reef tour operators, tourists, volunteers and other reef users. The information is compiled in a single data management and reporting system.
The assessment looks at the marine environment and adjacent coastal zone, examining how natural and heritage values can be protected into the future.
