Here’s an idea for your next trip… combine your RYA sail training vacation with volunteer work placement at Grenada’s turtle conservation project. Awesome!
Turtle Conservation in Grenada
Photo Credit: www.gogrenada.gd
Grenada Bluewater Sailing will introduce you to the natural beauty of the Grenadines on your sail training course. Snorkel over coral reefs, swim with endangered sea turtles, and visit secluded tropical islands. If you are looking to stay longer in Grenada, then why not become a Research Assistant for Ocean Spirits to help to our precious sea turtles in the Caribbean.
Staying in the beautiful north-east and working on Levera beach, you’ll experience everyday Grenadian culture and get to see the REAL Caribbean. Eat organic local produce, explore windswept beaches and offshore islets, and observe the Caribbean’s finest sea turtles.
Volunteer in Grenada
www.oceanspirits.org
Volunteers will assist with critical research, community outreach programmes, and sea turtle monitoring. YOU can make a difference to our endangered species of leatherback turtles that visit Grenada annually to lay their eggs. Ocean Spirits says:
As we move into the 21st Century, marine turtles continue to face the foreboding prospect of extinction. Legal and illegal fisheries, incidental by-catch, loss of habitat and the harvesting of eggs have all contributed to the demise of sea turtle species throughout the Caribbean region and the entire globe. Working together with local communities, government departments and international and regional organisations, Ocean Spirits are working to ensure that the spectacle of a nesting or foraging turtle remains a key component of Grenada’s uniquely vibrant biodiversity.
Your experience as a Research Assistant sea turtle volunteer will:
- Provide hands-on field experience with the world’s largest sea turtle – Research Assistants are not just observers but active members of the research team.
- Directly help the reduction of illegal egg poaching activities – the presence of nightly research patrols has reduced this threat by more than 60%.
- Contribute to the preservation of Grenada’s turtles through local educational events.
- Increase community participation – The very presence of Research Assistants coming to Grenada to volunteer with sea turtles generates local interest in marine turtles and the significance of Grenada’s coastline to these species.
About Ocean Spirits
Ocean Spirits is a registered, non-profit marine conservation organisation based in Grenada. Established in 1999, Ocean Spirits focused on the conservation of endangered sea turtles that live and breed around Grenada. They work closely with the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network (WIDECAST) and on national and regional levels to supply international scientific communities with valuable research.
Ocean Spirits have a sea turtle tagging program which started in 2002. Key research stemming from this has proven that Levera beach is one of the top 5 nesting areas for leatherback turtles in this region. Join their Facebook Group here.
Research Assistant Information
You can book for either 3,6,9 or 12 week volunteer placements from March to August each year. Prices start from GBP 895 per person and include accommodation, food, airport transfer, training and supervision, project t-shirts, and Working Abroad backup and placement support. Research Assistant duties will include:
Photo Credit: Ocean Spirits Inc
- Night patrols of the main leatherback sea turtle nesting site
- Flipper tagging of unmarked females
- Data collection – carapace (shell) measurements, egg counts, nest relocation
- Morning surveys (on foot) of adjacent beaches
- Nest excavations
- Maintenance and preparation of research equipment
- Summer camp organisation and participation
- Carnival ‘Turtle Mas’ camp – costume design and creation
- Assisting with organised sea turtle watches for school/community groups & tourists
- Camp maintenance and cleaning
- Cooking
So what are you waiting for?!
- Book your RYA sail training course in the Grenadines and then…
- Submit your application for work placement with Ocean Spirits.