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Location
  • Grenada
Length
2 to 9 weeks
Project Types
Conservation Marine Conservation Sea Turtle Conservation Wildlife Conservation Education Teaching

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
18
Timeframe
Spring Break Summer
Housing
Hostel
Groups
Small Group (1-15)

Pricing

Price Details
Cost includes quality accommodation, food, airport transfer, training and supervision, project t-shirts, backup and support
What's Included
Accommodation Airport Transfers Meals Some Activities Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Domestic Airfare SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa
Aug 07, 2018
Apr 11, 2013
Wish List
23 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Ocean Spirits is a Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Project based in the Northern Parish of Grenada, West Indies,

Your experience as a Research Assistant volunteer will:

Provide hands-on field experience with the world’s largest sea turtle
Directly help the reduction of illegal egg poaching activities
Contribute to the preservation of Grenada’s turtles
Increase community participation

Duties will include:

Night patrols of the main leatherback nesting site
Flipper tagging of unmarked females
Data collection – carapace (shell) measurements, egg counts, nest relocation
Morning surveys (on foot) of adjacent beaches
Nest excavations
Maintenance and preparation of research equipment
Summer camp organisation and participation
Carnival
Assisting with organised turtle watches for school/community groups
Catch and Release Hawksbill and Green turtle work
Camp maintenance and cleaning
Cooking

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Video and Photos

Play Video
leatherback hatchlings scurrying to the ocean at sunrise
Summer Camp Fieldtrip to Grand Etang rainforest
female leatherback returning to ocean after nesting
day trip to seven sisters waterfalls
Sandy Island - volunteer paradise
Sandy island day trip
Community education outreach
Working with the local school kids
Nesting turtle
Turtle Rescue
Pancake Breakfast
Environmental cleanup

View All Photos

Program Highlights

  • Great opportunity to get hands on field experience with the world largest sea Turtle.
  • Learn about sea turtles from qualified morine biologist and conservationist with over 10 years expreance
  • Dive some of the purest waters in the Caribbean, with the only sculptur park.
  • Day trip to the rain forest and water falls
  • Interaction with the local community

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Program Reviews

4.44 Rating
based on 9 reviews
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  • 5 rating 66.67%
  • 4 rating 22.22%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 11.11%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.25
  • Support 4.35
  • Fun 4
  • Value 4.55
  • Safety 4.7
Showing 9 - 9 of 9 reviews
Default avatar
Jeni
39
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Fantastic Experience

Mar 16, 2013

I traveled to Grenada three years ago and took part as a volunteer with the Ocean Spirits Project. I had an amazing experience and loved every minute of it.

The Island its self is welcoming and spectacularly beautiful. You get a real sense of Grenada not just the holiday parts by staying at Ocean Spirits as you are immersed within local life. All the staff and other volunteers are friendly and will do anything to make your stay enjoyable.

The food was fantastic and accommodation was perfect (be prepared to cook though as everyone gets a go).

The view of Sugar Loaf Island from the balcony is just picture perfect, the local walks and bus rides are very quaint, I think this Island is one of the most stunning places on earth.

The volunteer work with the Leatherbacks is an amazing once in a lifetime opportunity. If I had the time and the money I would love to go back again.
I hope you consider this fantastic volunteer placement as you will have a fabulous fun filled time.

What would you improve about this program?
The only point to improve in my opinion would be some more staff outings or trips as I think this would have made the experience just that little bit more special.
20 people found this review helpful.
Helpful

Questions & Answers

During your time there did you feel safe both working on the project and in Grenadad itself?

Hi Julia, As the project manager I can assure you that volunteer safety is our priority. Day 1 is packed full of safety information and training before beginning in the field. Despite there not being many volunteers at the start of the season. We will not know number of volunteers at the start of the season until nearer the time, but is a mix of staff living on the project, who always eager for...

By Ocean Spirits on January 10, 2016
See all 3 answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Irini Kounoupias

Program
Ocean Spirits: Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Project
Thumbnail

Describe your typical morning as a volunteer with Ocean Spirits in Grenada.

The setup of each morning differed day to day as there was a weekly rota which ensured that work was evenly distributed and that everyone got the opportunity to get involved with all aspects of the project.

Some mornings consisted of a Morning Survey where a couple of volunteers would wake up in the early hours and walk down to the beach to rake over turtle tracks in order to stop poachers from digging up the eggs.

If I wasn't doing morning survey, the morning was spent either relaxing or sleeping if I had been on night duty. Volunteers were also free to go to the beach or into town.

Describe your typical afternoon as a volunteer.

The main afternoon activity was nest excavation where we would be given the coordinates of a nest and had to locate it then dig it up. This was important as we could then look at the success rate of the nest, i.e. how many eggs hatched, at what stage in development the unhatched eggs stopped developing, and the reasons behind this. If we were not on nest excavation then there were often chores to be done like cleaning or doing the shopping.

Some weeks the program ran an environmental awareness summer camp for the local children, so a few afternoons were spent teaching the children and playing games.

What about a typical evening as a volunteer?

Evenings would begin with a meal all together, which was a great opportunity to get to know the other volunteers. If I was on night duty then I would go down to the beach with a group of volunteers and supervisors for night survey.

We would take turns patrolling the beach with a supervisor, and if a turtle was spotted then we would have to wait for it to dig its nest, then one volunteer would catch and count the number of eggs laid while another volunteer documented details like the size of the turtle, the coordinates of the nest, the depth of the nest. We would then check to see if the turtle was tagged.

If I was not on night duty then I was free to relax; this included baking, going to the local bar or watching a film with the other volunteers.

What was the highlight of your trip?

My fondest memory of the trip from a social perspective was the night when the supervisors decided to cancel night survey so that we could all go out to a restaurant to celebrate one of the volunteer's birthdays. This night was special for me as it reinforced how close everyone had become and gave us a good opportunity to sample local food and see the beautiful island at night.

Location

Location:
Grenada
Currency:
Eastern Caribbean Dollar
Weather:
Jan-Mar
88 F / 72 F
Apr-Jun
88 F / 73 F
Jul-Sep
88 F / 75 F
Oct-Dec
88 F / 73 F
Airports:
Maurice Bishop International Airport
( GND )

Grenada is an island in the Caribbean that is well known for its spices. It was renamed many times in its early days; however, was eventually named Grenada because of its greenery that emulated Andalusia so well. Since then, the name has had different renderings depending on the control of the island between France and Great Britain. The tumultuous control of Grenada can be seen in many things; namely, their trades and names of cities. The infrastructure since the mid 1980's has vastly improved and has largely been peaceful.

About Ocean Spirits

Ocean Spirits is a registered, non-profit marine conservation organisation based in Grenada. From its inception in 1999, Ocean Spirits have focused primarily on the conservation of marine turtles found throughout Grenada's coastal waters and beaches. As a member and the Country Co-ordinator of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network (WIDECAST) for...

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