I’m so glad I found IVHQ everyone was so welcoming and helpful with questions. I will be booking another volunteer trip through them in the future. It was a really nice way to travel as a solo female in a safe way and to be able to meet people and make a difference along the way. The experience was incredible and I learned a lot through my travel and volunteering experience and interaction with questions and other things I wasn’t accustomed to. Everything they had planned for us was safe and well thought out.

While completing marine conservation, it was an amazing experience, the person in charge made it fun and engaging while also productive and teaching us more about the ocean and its marine life. Highly recommend. This is great for people coming as a group and solo travellers it won’t disappoint you. The impact you make will help a lot with saving the habitats at the Great Barrier Reef. Book in now otherwise you will regret it. The weather is also really good and helps the experience. Thanks for allowing me to have such a wonderful experience

IVHQ was a great company to volunteer through and I particularly loved how IVHQ aligns their programs with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals! This meant I was comforted knowing that I was making a genuine difference with my work (which can be a problem with other volunteer organisations). My program manager Scotia was so lovely and I had full support from her the whole way through the process. I emailed her any questions I had and she always followed up my questions or worries. To anyone considering to volunteer IVHQ is definitely a great place to go through! I would suggest to firstly research the organisation you are working with at your destination as I was a little unsure about this during the process, and find out what they suggest to bring compared to your other list as I found I went out to buy things that I didn't actually need. I also found that I had less free time than my 'typical day guide' stated so keep in mind you are doing some work. Thanks IVHQ!!

I loved my experience volunteering with O2E so much that I wish I had stayed longer. I am 54 years old and was a little nervous about volunteering, but Helen and Timmy from O2E were so supportive and helpful with answering all my questions I felt like I was completely in the right place. I think that meeting Helen and Timmy is what made this trip so unique. Timmy was so full of amazing Aboriginal history and Helen's expertise on marine life and coral was amazing. I learned a lot and actually missed them when I got home. I will never forget what I saw and learned on this trip and hope to return again soon.

I could not recommend IVHQ more, they were very organised and kept me up to date with the planning of my programme as well as tips on things to bring with me too. On my programme I had an amazing time, I had never done anything in the field of marine conservation so it was all new to me, but the Oceans2Earth team in Australia were the best! The cultural knowledge that I have gained as well as the approachable and friendly nature of Helen and Timmy could not have been improved. I am so happy to have been able to volunteer my time and efforts to play a small part in keeping the reef healthy. I would definitely consider this programme again in the future.

I volunteered for one week in Cairns Australia. Because IVHQ isn't based in Australia, I worked with one of their partners "Oceans 2 Earth". During my time with O2E, we surveyed coral reefs on two sites, Fitzroy Island and Green Island. (Both are beautiful by the way!) The week was broken down into one day of training, two days of coral surveys, one day of beach cleaning, and one day of sea turtle surveying. I really enjoyed all the days we volunteered but I have to say that surveying sea turtles were by far my favorite part of the trip! I lived in a region of the world that doesn't experience this kind of nature. So surveying sea turtles makes this part of the trip alone worth it.

Amazing experience! I volunteered with Oceans2Earth in Cairns, Australia. The hostel where we stayed was lovely and lively. The program was super informative, fun, and valuable. All of the people were wonderful. I cannot recommend it enough!

The program run in one week increments between 1-6 weeks. Our typical day involved making breakfast in the hostel (food provided), walking down to the marina, and catching a boat to an island. We would then spend a few hours snorkeling, doing coral health surveys and marine life data collection. Lunch was also provided (and impressively good!). We would then get the rest of the day free.

IVHQ provides this decent program to allow me to participate in protecting the ocean in Australia. This is an excellent opportunity to take part in the conservation of Great Barrier Reef and the ocean. I did coral surveys, cleaned marine debris, camped at the Aussie bush and enriched my cultural knowledge. During the weekends, I also got chances to explore Cairns and the natural environment of Queensland. It was also the first time I went diving and I found it awesome. Highly recommended without doubt!