Marine Conservation Cambodia

My experience with Marine Conservation Cambodia was truly amazing, both professionally and personally.

From the very beginning, I felt welcomed and genuinely integrated into the team. Everyone was incredibly kind, supportive, and always willing to share their knowledge with us. What I especially appreciated was how much the team adapted to us as volunteers, while always trying their best to understand and meet our expectations.

During my time at MCC, I had the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of activities, from seahorse and marine mammal surveys to underwater and beach cleanups, educational outreach, and scientific data collection. I also had the chance to work on the Benthic Catalogue, which allowed me to develop new skills and gain valuable practical experience in marine conservation.

Beyond the professional experience, what made my stay truly special was the people. I felt like a real part of the team rather than simply a volunteer passing through. I learned a lot, discovered a different way of working, and met amazing people who made the experience even more memorable.

I am extremely grateful to everyone at MCC for their kindness, patience, trust, and for giving me the opportunity to contribute to such meaningful work. It was a fantastic experience that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an experience that combines conservation, learning, adventure, and human connection.

Thank you MCC for an unforgettable month!

Honestly one of the best times I’ve had all the people here are welcoming and friendly I wish I could’ve spent longer here as it was that amazing what they do here is so interesting and impactful, and it was really fulfilling to help them towards there goals. The diving here is challenging as there is low visibility sometimes and not much depth but I personally think it has made me a much better diver and I am grateful to the staff that have taught me so much including my rescue course which was really well presented and taught.

Marine Conservation Cambodia was one of the best experiences of my life. I decided to do my three month university internship with MCC after reading many helpful reviews from past volunteers and contacting their very responsive staff (Delphine is incredibly good with emails considering you have to stand on the pier to get the best internet service!)

There is no denying that living on the island takes a lot of adjustment. The bungalows have two barrels of water (fresh and salt) for bucket showers, and squatty potties. You have to save up your laundry all week and then take it with you to mainland to get it washed because there is often not enough freshwater to waste on laundry. It is vital to cooperate with constantly changing volunteers and make sure the living and working environment is beneficial and harmonious for everyone

One thing I think MCC should have volunteers be more aware of is the children and dogs. I, personally, love kids and puppies, but for some volunteers it was more difficult. Paul has four dogs and one had just had eight puppies before I arrived, which was a lot to handle at first. His four kids have to be watched often and are still learning manners and when to give personal space. I brought books and another volunteer brought watercolors and pens which can keep the kids entertained and occupied. I think it’s good to be prepared to work with the two older kids an hour a week so they learn from a variety of different people continuously.

Besides all of this, MCC is generally amazing. The staff is always open to new ideas and so many new protocols and volunteer’s suggestions were implemented just in the short time I was there. A new bungalow was built, two gardens were started, a children’s play was created, and the volunteers began cooking and doing dishes—all while continuing with daily life on the island.

I learned how to dive in a very comprehensive way (I received both my Open Water and Advanced while there). Amick, one of the MCC coordinators, took time out of conducting seahorse research to teach me the basics when they didn’t have a dive instructor. I continued to do practice dives with Brayden, the team scientist, and Ju, a Tech diving volunteer. Once MCC hired a dive instructor, I was already thoroughly prepared and passed easily because of their constant help.

Just while I was here, MCC created an MFMA proposal for the Cambodian government, an EU proposal about oyster reefs, multiple seahorse surveys, tagged seahorses as part of a PhD project, in addition to coral reef assessments and reports for both Koh Seh and nearby islands. The Koh Seh reef has some of the best water quality in the area and by far the largest biodiversity, which really drives volunteers to continue with conservation. I really enjoyed not being forced into daily tedious chores by renowned scientists and instead working closely with trained researchers who had many years of experience to actually fully learn their skills.

Living on the island was definitely a growing experience but I think MCC helped me in every way. Everyone pitched in to teach me how to make spaghetti sauce for Friday dinner. Everyone gathered together to play Fun Fact Friday every week in order to bond and relax after the workweek. Everyone surprised me on my birthday with cake and a party, and did so for the other five people who also had birthdays while I was there. I met people from all over the world (Australia, Holland, Canada, Belgium, UK, Austria, Italy etc.) and of all ages: other people on university internships but there were also older volunteers—one mother even brought her six year old! MCC is a community and a family and one of the best places to stay for marine conservation and learning.

If you want to be part of a young, inexperienced crowd who's OK with the idea of island beautification physical work as much as the possibility of data collection, and you love the idea of living adventurously with the bare necessities, this could be the place for you.

If you're experienced in traveling and don't need to endure more discomfort from living 'native', if you're serious about research and hope to learn from trained Scientists and Researchers, you may wish to choose another venue. If the lack of generated electricity to help cool you down 24/7 may be a problem, or you need internet access for academic or personal reasons, look elsewhere. It's primarily run by less experienced, and fairly disorganised twenty-somethings ..or younger, which can give it a bit of a frat'/sorority "vibe".

The camp is now three years old but still has a way to go to offer adequate accommodation in more durable structures. Probably of greatest importance is the need to implement a policy on health and hygiene due to the potential disease risks from the droppings of nine dogs and innumerable island rats that carry various viruses and bacteria. Currently there isn't one, and it's up to the individual to clean up the fouled common areas ...or not. On a positive note, a hand-washing station was implemented after it was suggested. As there were eight new born puppies being handled by the four resident young children and volunteers alike, there were several cases of sickness which poop scooping, washing of lodge floors and tables, and hand-washing should alleviate. At the suggestion phase are steps to minimise rodent presence in the kitchen and cabins. Notably absent is the lack of an orientation to an emergency plan in the case of severe illness, accident, or fire. This should be of concern, because even if the risk is small, there should be well circulated plans known to all residents, and the fire extinguishers should be dated with their last inspection.

The final safety issue concerns the condition of the dive equipment. Tanks should have an annual inspection stamp, be cleaned, and every 5 years be pressure tested. Dust caps should be in place. Regulators are life support equipment and should be serviced at least annually. The BCDs here are worn and prone to auto inflation. Luckily the risk of rapid ascent from depth is nil in these island conditions (my deepest dive was 5.2m)!

If the above safety measures were seriously addressed I would recommend this programme to those not expecting too much of an academic experience, but wanting a first time away from home adventure.

Traveling alone for the first time to a foreign country can be daunting for some. That was certainly the case with me until I arrived at the Oceanarium at Kep Pier which is too run by Marine Conservation Cambodia. I was met by Paul Ferber and ,the founder of MCC, and his amazing family and I was instantly made feel welcome and at ease. He filled me in about the on-going projects and about my soon to be home for the next three months. With that concluded we made the hour long boat journey to the secluded island of Koh Seh. Upon arrival I was made feel welcome by all- volunteers and staff alike- given a tour of our island, inhabited only by the MCC team and a fisheries police station, and then showed to my bungalow which was shared with another volunteer. Basic? Very, but I soon adjusted to the limited electricity and the bucket showers and it very quickly became my home, one I would hate to leave when the time came.

My first few weeks were split between completing my dive qualifications, snorkeling and Reef Check Survey training which allowed me to to partake in surveys and the monitoring of the well-being of the reefs around Keps' archipelago. I was taught how to correctly identify fish, invertebrates and substrate which allowed me plenty of time in the water to put my ID skills to practice. Once my training was completed along with my dive certifications I participated in Reef Check surveys on numerous reefs and with in a short period of time I could already see a visible improvement upon the reefs due to the decreased amount of illegal fishing in the area which the MCC patrol team works very hard to achieve. After a while the volunteers were also trained to partake in seahorse surveys which involved learning to ID seahorse species in the area, how to take measurements and record the data found on the seahorse to allow the monitoring of populations sizes and distributions. Besides diving and surveys, there were many land-based activities on the to do when the weather wasn't suitable for being in the water such as beach clean-ups, building anti-trawling devices, report writing and data entries.

Even with loads of work to do during the day there was still plenty of time to spend as you pleased during the evening. Playing volleyball, watching films, playing cards and night swims amongst the breathtakingly beautiful bioluminescence were just a few of the many ways to spend your evenings. Every second week or so we got the day off for the 'Island Swim', a swim to a neighboring island for a picnic lunch which was followed by a fun dive. Fridays were commenced with an early boat ride back to the main land to participate in interviews with local fishermen from small scale fishing villages to uncover the impact that illegal fishing was having on their livelihoods. This was always a humbling experience and it made us aware at how truly devastating illegal fishing can be and how imperative it was to try prevent it.

Working with MCC was an experience that I will forever be grateful to have had. For my whole three months I felt that my contribution was truly appreciated, that my efforts were helping to make a difference and contributing to the conservation of the oceans. I met so many amazing people who made feel like part of a team-of a family- and that was inarguable what made my experience so memorable. This is truly one organisation doing what they do for the right reasons and do it with so much passion. If you are looking to have one great time while contributing to a great cause I would recommend MCC without a doubt.