Reef Buddy: Caribbean & Philippines

I had such a good time with Reef Buddy Philippines. Gary, Tom and Romel made the 2 weeks incredibly enjoyable and were great instructors!

After completing my Advanced Open Water, I was able to get straight into coral restoration work, learning so much about the marine environment in Dauin.

My time was spent creating and maintaining coral trees as well as carrying out reef surveys. There were also plenty of fun dives mixed in!

The other volunteers were lovely and the resort was great. The Saturday evening meals with the team were a particular highlight and a great way to get to know everyone.

I would highly recommend this programme to anyone. The project has a great impact on the local environment and I left with new skills and great memories!

I had an amazing time on the project. I started by completing my PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water. After that, I was able to join the project and learn about the coral reefs and the challenges they’re facing as well as which fish, coral and invertebrates are counted during a Reef Check survey. We then practice before conducting the surveys. We also enjoyed our Saturday meals out with the team with some really great food and conversation. I would definitely recommend this project. Dauin is a really beautiful place to dive! Thank you to all the staff on the project and the other volunteers.

Had the best time here! Gary, Tom & Ramel are amazing divers and instructors. Taught us so much about diving as well as the environment. We spend two weeks collecting, planting and cleaning coral and doing reef surveys. It was fun and a great contribution to the environment.

The group of volunteers was really nice as well, and they had a dive puppy who was very cute. Would highly recommend this experience to everyone! The resort you stay at whilst you’re there is also amazing and the saturday night dinners with everyone (including family members) was really nice!

I was going to join Reef Buddy in the Caribbean, but could not make the dates work. So I joined them at their new venture in the Philippines. I was their first volunteer on the program - which was amazing! It meant that once I had my dive training done I was able to see what they were doing and how they were setting up FROM DAY 1. This was an incredible learning experience. One I will never forget. Each day, after breakfast, we would dive. Much of the diving was off the beach as their new coral nursery and regeneration zone is within 100m of the base.

The base? I could not have asked for any more! It was a family operated resort hotel, with 2 pools, pool table, and a lovely little bar and restaurant. Most of the staff were my age, and it was cool to hang with them in an evening or when they were not working. We're a short walk from Dauin town centre too. The food in the restaurant, which was all provided, was really tasty local food. I'm lucky as I'll eat anything! Portions were good sized - as after a day in the water, boy I could eat!

I am a student at Mount Holyoke college studying environmental studies, costal and marine biology, and spanish. After school I hope to work in marine ecology. My time with CRB allowed me to develop my skills as a diver and learn how I can implement diving in my studies.

I worked with Nora to do ecology work such as algae and flamingo tongue removal, hunting and gutting lion fish, performing a coral watch, and propagating soft coral and sponges. I worked with Andrew to get my advanced open water certificate, wreck diving certificate, and rescue diver certificate.

Everyone at the dive shop was so welcoming and enthusiastic to share their knowledge. The instructors made sure that I always understood what was going on and encouraged me to ask questions. This is a fantastic program for anyone who wants to begin their diving journey or has a passion for marine ecology.