CRB Ethical Impact: Marine Conservation Volunteering in Carriacou

I was doing 4 weeks of volunteering with CRB. First I got the possibility to improve my diving skills in a training week in order to get my advanced openwater certification. This was followed by 3 program weeks, in which we worked on coral nurseries, performed reef checks to get data about the health of local reefs and were hunting lionfish. The staff aswell as the other volunteers were really nice and at the weekend non project related activities were taking place. I had a great time and can highly recommend the program to everyone who's up for diving and cares about the ocean.

From the moment I got here, both the other volunteers and the staff at CRB have been incredibly welcoming and kind. It’s not often you find people who are extremely knowledgeable and dedicated, but also a lot of fun to be around. I love scuba diving, so having the opportunity to simultaneously help the environment and dive has been so much fun. All the projects that CRB is running have very tangible results, so the work feels impactful. I’ve had an incredible experience, and I will be coming back the first chance I get.

A very fulfilling week tending to the care of our oceans by collecting data and measuring the health of the corals and marine life. Plenty of time to both work and relax in a beautiful environment.

Nora and the team are wonderful and very familiar with all the dive spots. Location is ideal as we were just steps away from the ocean and boat for our dives. The longest boat ride was 10 minutes.

Was able to find several fun restaurants with tasty food. The locals a very friendly and helpful.

Highly recommend!

The four weeks I spent in Carriacou were life changing. I completed two courses in my time here, advanced open water and open water. I logged 40 dives in four weeks. The team I worked with, the volunteers I met, and the work I did all left a meaningful impact on my life.
I learned about how to protect reefs in the Caribbean region. I got to swim with sharks, turtles, and stingrays! I learned to look for the macro species hiding all over the reef. I wouldn’t change one moment of my time here.

My experience with Caribbean Reef Buddy was nothing short of incredible. Everything about this program was incredible to me and I could not recommend it enough to those seeking to get involved with the underwater world. I applied to this program as a Freshman studying Marine Biology in college and was a bit anxious about spending three weeks in Grenada. However this anxiety quickly faded as I got to know everyone involved with the program. Everyone involved is unbelievably welcoming, knowledgeable and truly want you to enjoy your time working with them. Speaking of which, the work I did with CRB was truly rewarding and I felt as though I was truly helping to protect Carriacou's local reefs. In addition, I gained invaluable field experience in the realm of marine science which has and will continue to aid in future endeavors with work. I also went into this program as an open water diver and while partaking in this program received my advanced open water scuba certification as well as deep diver specialty certification. Gary is an incredible dive instructor, the best I have ever had, and puts safety as an utmost priority. He taught me invaluable skills in the water and I am a more confident diver than ever thanks to his guidance. For those wondering about the diving itself, the reefs in Carriacou are gorgeous and were full of photography opportunities for those interested in the field. I will say that much of the marine life there is on the smaller size so macro photographers should be excited. I got to see so many incredible creatures and experience so much during my time with CRB. I truly could not recommend it enough.

As a 19 year old single female I was a little apprehensive about traveling to a Caribbean island I had never heard of. Talking to the team before I arrived they assured me it was safe and explained the travel plans. When on the island and meeting the crew and the other volunteers it was brilliant. Safe, fun and very very informative. I learned so much in a hand on way. Not too much study and no heavy lectures. Plenty of time to party and socialise.... although to be honest we were typically too tired after diving to do too much party.

The team at CRB are fantastic too. Very knowledgeable, very passionate, and very real. Good vibes all round.

I wrote a review but realized I only spoke about Deefer Diving, the dive shop that works with Caribbean Reef Buddy. But I wanted to make sure I wrote a review about them too because they are an amazing organization! When looking for a program and where I wanted to volunteer, I read reviews about other places that didn't really offer any educational value. This is not the case here! I learned SO much and really felt like I made an impact helping their marine conservation work! They are very organized too!

After some planes, planes and more planes you arrive at this tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean that is filled with amazing people and nature that is a must visit. Everyone at the dive shop is professional, knowledgable and friendly making for a great and worthwhile experience. I stayed for 2 weeks in July for Lionfish management and reef monitoring and learnt so much about the local reef environment and its challenges. The diving was top tier with so much beautiful marine life. I cannot wait to go back!!