Nosy Be Conservation

Nosy Be Conservation made my three weeks in Madagascar unforgettable! This is the place if you are serious about volunteering, if you want to contribute to the locals, learn more about corals and diving and have a great time!

From the get go it was clear that Etienne is serious about the project and that he will do everything for a volunteer who is willing to put the effort in. Contacting Etienne and sharing information went super easy. He replies quickly and answers all your questions. He made sure that I had transportation from the airport to his place and back, that I went to the right bank for money with the right transportation, saw the spots I had to see on Nosy Be and basically everything I needed. If I needed something Etienne was there!

The accommodation was really good. It's a warm welcome when you get there. I had a comfy 2 person bed for me alone, hot showers and great food! Etienne's family made food for us volunteers everyday, and it was really nice! Especially since I'm a vegetarian, it can be a pain in the behind at some places. But Etienne and Fam made sure i had enough to eat everyday by preparing food just for me, totally meat free. Big thank you! They were really careful with it so I wouldn't be afraid if you have allergies or a special diet. They'll make sure you're okay.

The work was really cool! Diving everyday to the dive sites, cleaning and planting/searching coral. I also did my PADI advanced there. Etienne is a calm, relaxed and fun teacher who knows a lot about reef restoration and diving. I liked that he is really serious about both, so i never felt unsafe and I always knew what we were doing.
A co-volunteer wrote a nice blog about the work you do as a volunteer. Check it out if you want to know more about how the days will look in the link below.

I could talk for days about my experience there. But to sum it all up: Awesome
The evenings talking with Etienne about everything and anything, the underwater work, the accommodation, traveling around Nosy Be, the view, the people.. everything. I loved it!

Thank you Etienne and family!
https://rieseaufreisen.wordpress.com/2018/09/04/volunteering-at-nosy-be-conservation-review-english-version/?fbclid=IwAR01A-cIaVSKK4RRnGPeyJNceUSjCbBc85ZvavLN86WCsGCua-QRtBkccZU

I stayed at Nosy Be conservation for 2 months (June and July), doing Marine Conservation + Divemaster training. The location is in Nosy Be, near the village of Dzamandzari, just in front of the little island of Nosy Tanikely. The conservation site is next of Nosy Tanikely. We went diving every morning and the afternoon was free for excursions. The water and underwater life was spectacular... unluckily I left just before the whales and whale shark season season which is between August and October :(
Building artificial reef with my bare hands and doing my Divemaster training really gave me a great sense of accomplishment!!! It's amazing how much life came around our reefs... all work done using little brushes to clean the corals and using simple wire to fix corals to cages and cars.
And Nosy Be is really beautiful, must-visit island, so I absolutely recommend going on any excursions there!!!

I discovered Nosy Be Conservation and the marine conservation program for only one week. It was an awesome experience !
First of all, they really take care of me when I arrived. Everything was clean, the food was amasing and all the team was friendly.
During my stay, we been diving in the artificial dive spot, where I discovered all the work they done so far. There is 5 artificial reefs with plenty of corals transplanted on it. I was part of the team and learned how to maintenance artificial reef, why all of that was important and at the end I done myself some corals transplantation. My only regret is, I wasn't able to stay longer because of my work.
One day, promise I will come back. Again, thank you Etienne and all the team of Nosy Be Conservation.

I worked on NGO Marine conservation projects at Scuba Nosy Be as an intern & researcher 📖
We built 6 artificial reefs and transplanted corals on to them and even have fish and invertebrates living inside and on them - I also completed my Rescue diver exam 🏆 🐠
I created Tammy's Point with the help and knowledge of Etienne (The most passionate marine conservationist I have ever met, I'd love to work with you again one day - I have so many plans!) 🐙
(S13° 22' 406" E48° 10' 882")
Our work is now a thriving habitat to many corals and marine life 🐡
Underwater photos never capture the true beauty of what is really down there 📸
I've had cocktails (Rum Cocos) on the most incredible beaches and eaten some amazing vegan food 🍹
I've met some lemurs, crocodiles, birds, dogs, zebu, iguanas, beetles, butterflies, spiders, panther chameleons, geckos, moths, frogs, fossa, snakes, and cats
I've dived in some incredible sites: Shark point, Nosy Tanikely, Area 51, Nosy Mangabe, Tammy's Point, Ship Wreck, Nosy Sakatia, Anjiamarango & many more 🌊
I got to swim along side giant sea turtles, lion fish, leopard sharks, moray eels, scorpion fish, angelfish, damselfish, parrotfish, sea cucumbers, starfish, urchins, rays, giant clams & butterfly fish 🐢
I've cut fishing nets to free trapped turtles & rays ⚓️
I've sunk two cars to turn into reefs and almost achieved everything I wanted to do.
Etienne & Pat were incredibly accommodating, they went above and beyond to make sure I had a fantastic experience. They both organised excursions for me and catered for my special dietary requirements.
The local people as well as Eitenne's family are beautiful and friendly people. Everybody really helps make you feel relaxed and at home. Now I am continuing my journey else where, I still keep in contact with the people i shared my experience with for updates and to share photos.
I highly recommend this conservation project!

As a professional dive instructor I have been diving all over the world and have enjoyed and participated in many aspects of the underwater world. However, this was my first real opportunity to actively participate in a conservation project.
This project allowed me to participate and get involved in the practical aspects of the work rather than just doing data collection.
I was involved in the construction of artificial reefs, fabricating the metalic structure which would host the coral, placing it in the water and attaching the coral. The founders of this project, Etienne and Erwan are really knowledgeable, passionate and always willing to teach. Madagascar is an amazing dive destination.
The coral reefs are pristine, and there is a variety of interesting topography on the dive sites. In addition to the great diving, there is a great atmosphere around the dive center and (very important) the food was amazing. I plan to return next year to see the result of my contribution and to participate in future projects.