10 Best Programs for Volunteering with Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are unique creatures, however, such fantastic creatures require plenty of support in today's climate. Given the fact that many of the beautiful turtle species are on the endangered list, largely due to human activity, volunteers are required to help support the wellbeing of sea turtles all over the world.

Read on to find out the best programs around the world for volunteering with sea turtles.

• Locations: Costa Rica, Galapagos
• Length: 1 - 2 weeks
• Starting price: $2999
• What’s included: Accommodation, activities, airport transfers, meals, transportation

Global Leadership Adventures has experience in combining wildlife initiatives with adventure travel, providing teenagers and young adults a fantastic sea turtle volunteering experience in enthralling destinations. Whether you want to volunteer in lucious Costa Rica or the Galapagos which inspired the theory of evolution, GLA sea turtle volunteers can gain hands-on experience locations which boast of fascinating biodiversity.

GLA’s Costa Rica program allows volunteers to become a valuable team member of a tight knight community in Costa Rica. When they aren’t working alongside local organizations and assisting with ongoing environmental initiatives, they can spend their time snorkeling and learning Spanish with their new teammates. Their Galapagos program - although involving sea turtle conservation indirectly - allows volunteers to support wildlife initiatives as well as snorkeling among thriving marine life.

• Locations: Hawaii, Nicaragua
• Length: 1 to 2 weeks
• Starting price: $2695
• What’s included: Accommodation, meals, transportation

Since 2011, GIVE Volunteers has provided thousands of adventurous volunteers with all-inclusive, award-winning, & life-changing group trips around the world.

In GIVE’s Hawaii Big Island: Environmental Conservation, Cultural Preservation & Snorkeling program, participants volunteered at the Kumuola Marine Science Education Center and helped with native fishpond restoration projects. If you sign up for the scuba diving add-on, you’ll have the opportunity to get PADI certified, learn how to conduct marine debris surveys, and get the chance to dive and snorkel with sea turtles, dolphins, and other marine life!

GIVE’s Nicaragua program offers a comprehensive and diverse conservation volunteering experience. Volunteers will have opportunities to not only volunteer with sea turtles, but to get involved with wider community objectives such as building homes, teaching English, and much more.

• Locations: Costa Rica, Guatemala
• Length: 1 - 52 weeks
• Starting price: $665
• What’s included: Airport pick-up, accommodation, meals, certificate of volunteer service & letter of recommendation

Maximo Nivel is an award winning institute with sea turtle volunteering opportunities in dreamlike locations such as Costa Rica and Guatemala. As a sea turtle volunteer with Maximo Nivel, you’ll get involved with hatchery and nest management, beach patrols and cleanup, data collection, and community outreach in an effort to facilitate growth in the local sea turtle population.

What’s more, start dates are every Monday, all year round, allowing volunteers to start their volunteering adventures whenever is most convenient for them. You’ll work Monday-Friday, but weekends are totally up to you, plus tours and additional opportunities are available for you to make the most of your free time volunteering with sea turtles!

• Locations: Malaysia
• Length: 1 to 8 weeks
• Starting price: $350
• What’s included: Accommodation, activities, meals, transportation

FUZE Ecoteer’s marine and sea turtle conservation program takes volunteers to the stunning Perhentian islands of Malaysia. Here, volunteers not only facilitate change and growth in marine life, but can inspire future generations and drive community objectives through teaching at local schools, observing coral growth, kayak patrols, recycling initiatives, and much more.

The sea turtle volunteering program with FUZE offers volunteers to experience different facets of marine conservation. Volunteers can gain direct experience at nesting sites which will involve hands-on experience with supporting sea turtles, or work at a local village to photo ID foraging turtles while immersing themselves culturally. In addition to the valuable work and insight sea turtle volunteers will gain, they can learn to scuba dive during their free time.

• Locations: Indonesia, Galapagos, Costa Rica, Australia, Belize, Croatia, Greece, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Tanzania, Trinidad
• Length: Minimum 1 week
• Starting price: $605
• What’s included: Accommodation, meals, airport pick-up, orientation

IVHQ offers experience and reliability in abundance when it comes to volunteering with sea turtles. With years of extensive experience around the world, IVHQ consistently ranks among the best volunteering program providers here on GO, winning the Top Volunteer Abroad Provider Award consecutively.

Depending on which location you choose and the season, your project focus will vary. For example, in their Bali program, participants will work on the island of Nusa Penida and perform duties such as feeding and cleaning turtles, rescuing injured turtles, cleaning trash from the ocean, and more. If you opt for volunteering in their Galapagos Islands program, you may be able to catch nesting season (January-May), and participate in their Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring project.

• Location: Ghana
• Length: 1 week
• Starting price: $180
• What’s included: Accommodation

Atlas Volunteers takes sea turtle volunteers to the wonders of Ghana, where they can work directly alongside the local coastal communities in order to preserve and optimize their wildlife. Sea turtle volunteers with Atlas will directly support conservation tasks which benefit keystone species such as the olive ridley, leatherback, green turtle, and more.

Atlas Volunteers’ programs are a great affordable option for those looking to volunteer and travel. Whether volunteers are on beach patrol, nesting supervision, or sea turtle rescues, they will gain invaluable marine and conservation experience at a low cost.

Outside of making an environmental impact, volunteers can enjoy cultural excursions at safari parks, waterfalls, and dreamy beaches with their newfound teammates and friends.

• Location: Malaysia
• Length: 1 to 10 weeks
• Starting price: $350
• What’s included: Accommodation, orientation, transportation, and leisure activities

Although a small scale conservation operation, Lang Tengah Turtle Watch’s reputation and impact is enormous. Based in the east coast peninsular of Malaysia, Lang Tengah’s sea turtle volunteering program is among the best when it comes to community involvement. While volunteers all over the world come to join Lang Tengah, their team is made up of many who are native to this area. The local team members can help share their extensive insight and knowledge with volunteers.

Sea turtle volunteers with Lang Tengah will join nightly patrols, conduct nest inspections, and much more during their volunteer experience. Afternoons are intentionally free of activities to give volunteers time to themselves. Whether they choose to get involved in more work, or they decide to take part in adventurous activities such as jungle trekking, snorkeling, and cliff jumping, the choice is theirs!

• Locations: Mexico, Sri Lanka, Galapagos
• Length: Minimum 1 week
• Starting price: $2,500
• What’s included: Accommodation, meals, activities

For decades, Projects Abroad have facilitated meaningful travel for inquisitive volunteers around the world. Volunteers can choose to live on the Galapagos island in Ecuador while helping achieve environmental goals, or, they can work with marine biologists, environmental scientists, and people from the local community in Mexico or Sri Lanka.

In addition to the desirable locations offered when it comes to volunteering with sea turtles, Projects Abroad is known for its excellent level of pre-departure and in-country support for young adults, families, solo travelers, and more. Each volunteer is made to feel like an integral team member when it comes to performing environmentalism duties with Projects Abroad.

• Locations: Sri Lanka, Greece, Indonesia
• Length: Minimum 1 week
• Staring price: $500
• What’s included: Accommodation, transportation, activities, meals

Plan My Gap Year not only has extensive experience when it comes to volunteering abroad but it offers accessibility and flexibility for eager volunteers. Their programs are inexpensive when compared to others, and with frequent start dates and multiple locations, volunteers have a range of options when it comes to volunteering with sea turtles.

Their international and local teams provide extensive support for volunteers, in addition to immersive cultural and travel experiences. PMGY’s Sri Lanka sea turtle conservation program allows volunteers to provide care and medication for injured and disabled turtles, raise awareness about endangered species, among other community driven objectives.

Volunteers on the sea turtle conservation program in Greece will monitor nesting beaches, tag turtles, complete hatching rescues, and more. Outside of working, volunteers can visit national parks, snorkel, and take part in many outdoor activities with their new friends.

• Locations: Thailand, Mexico, South Africa, Seychelles, Greece, Madagascar, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Mozambique
• Length: Minimum 1 week
• Starting price: $2,300
• What's included: Accommodation, activities, airport transfers, meals, transportation

Global Visions International, or GVI, is an award-winning organization that emphasizes the importance of education and environmental conservation.

GVI’s programs collaborate with local organizations in order to maximize community development and sustainability. When it comes to volunteering with sea turtles, volunteers can choose from a range of countries varying from Mexico to the Seychelles, or Greece to Madagascar.

As a volunteer with GVI, you’ll gain valuable experience in monitoring nesting beaches, protecting nests from predation and poaching, reducing plastic pollution, conducting biodiversity surveys, rehabilitating turtles, and more. Plus, advocacy and education is at the forefront of GVI programs. In GVI’s Phang Nga program, volunteers learn about the ethics of sea turtle programs and help run a conservation club to teach elementary students about the volunteer work they are doing and the importance of taking care of the environment.

Not only are they adorable and fascinating, but sea turtles play a vital role in the marine ecosystem, so much so that they are “keystone species”.

They help maintain the world’s oceans and regulate a variety of organisms by feeding on sea plants, preventing them from growing too long and suffocating. The hawksbill turtle, for example, feeds on sponges which keeps coral reefs - the fountain of life for many species - thriving. From the small and nimble hawksbill turtle to the jurassic leatherback turtle, there are many unique sea turtle species which play an important part in marine life.

In addition to creating a sustainable habitat for sea turtles and a range of other underwater species, volunteering with sea turtles allows you to develop valuable skills and knowledge. Some of the key benefits of volunteering with sea turtles include:

• Cultural immersion: Volunteers will be able to integrate and become an active participant of the local community, as well as witnessing how their work is benefitting the area.
• Gaining practical skills and knowledge: Volunteering with sea turtles, whether directly or indirectly, allows volunteers to gain and refine skills related to conservation, community development, administration, and much more.
• Meeting new people and forming connections: Meeting new like-minded and eco conscious individuals will allow you to form lifelong relationships and expand your network which will increase opportunities for the future.
• Travel the world ethically and sustainably: While volunteers will always have the project goals at the forefront of their priorities, it is also an amazing way to see the world ethically and sustainably.

While it is possible to volunteer with sea turtles for free, most ethical and responsible programs will require a fee from volunteers. This is because many of these program providers are charities and they use the fees or donations to sustain their projects and help the local community.

Typically, volunteers will pay a program fee that will cover airport pickup, transportation to the project site, meals and accommodations, program support, and some excursions. Without these fees, program providers would struggle to maintain their facilities, train staff, and the volunteers would have to research and pay for their own accommodation. Ultimately, program fees contribute to creating a greater sea turtle volunteering experience.

While volunteering with sea turtles is a fantastic opportunity to enhance your resume, meet new people, and contribute to a greater cause, there are many things that you should consider before applying.

• Your personal goals: Do your personal goals align with the program’s objectives? You should choose a program which has objectives which resonate with you.
• Job duties: Are you willing to perform a variety of tasks in order to maximize the efficiency of the project? Job duties will vary from handling turtles, patrolling beaches, ro administration and data collection, and so on, so be sure to ask about the roles you’ll be expected to perform.
• Physical commitment: Are you physically able to fulfill many of the duties required when volunteering with sea turtles? Whether you’ll be walking in the heat or rain, digging, doing night shifts, or other, you’ll need a base level of fitness in order to carry out many of the tasks related to sea turtle conservation.
• Affordability: You should set a budget for volunteering with sea turtle experience. Programs vary significantly in their price, and if budget is a concern, you can opt for cheaper programs or even see if you qualify for scholarships and grants which can minimize expenditure.
• Location: Are you happy to be in a more remote, “off-the-grid” location? Many of these programs are based in beautiful locations, however, may lack modern facilities or internet connection, for example.
• Ethics: Is the program ethical? One way you can decide whether or not the program is ethical is by researching how they benefit the lives of sea turtles and other species, and also how they give back to the local community abroad.

Volunteering with sea turtles is a highly rewarding experience. Not only will you enhance your resume, gain new skills, meet new people and travel the world, you’ll be contributing to an amazing cause which pays dividends for endangered sea turtles species and the long term sustainability of a range of marine life.

Read more about volunteering abroad!

• 10 Things I Wish I Had Done Differently as a First-Time Volunteer
• How Do Communities Abroad Benefit from International Volunteers?
• 7 Benefits of Sustainable Tourism & How to Travel Responsibly