Category: Volunteer Stories
Straight from the (sea)horse’s mouth… Check out these stories from our expedition volunteers in Madagascar and Belize!
![](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2019/08/BCDC_LDG_2017-228-450x300.jpg)
Why I keep coming back to BV
Roger Vaughan has been volunteering with us for over a decade, and says a Blue Ventures expedition is an adventure like no other
![](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2019/08/Adara-Tree-2-450x300.jpg)
An unforgettable medical elective
Nick spent four weeks in Timor-Leste diving the most biodiverse reefs in the world and helping his fellow volunteers stay in good health
![alex-and-the-sun](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2019/02/alex-and-the-sun-450x300.jpg)
Becoming a Divemaster
Marine conservation volunteer Aleksander Gakovic shares the personal journey of his time in Timor-Leste.
![](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2018/11/Mark-Jones-cover-image-450x300.jpg)
Caribbean career break
IT professional Mark Jones decided that he needed to take a break from his day to day and do something completely different for a couple of months...
![Spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) | Photo: Joe Sharman](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2018/07/©-Blue-Ventures-_-Joe-Sharman-3-450x300.jpg)
Spider tortoise spotting: monitoring one of Madagascar’s endemic species
Madagascar volunteer Ieva Kazakeviciute recounts her experience monitoring the critically endangered spider tortoise.
![](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2018/05/IMG_0845-450x300.jpg)
Contributing to conservation in Timor-Leste: a day-in-the-life of one volunteer
Thinking of volunteering in Timor-Leste, but don't know what to expect? Recent volunteer Martin Cloix dives into the details of a day on Ataúro Island.
![](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2018/04/Emre-Erduran-1-450x300.jpg)
The power of education
Rosemary Hartley didn’t expect her Blue Ventures expedition to have such a focus on education, but found it to be one of the most rewarding aspects of her Madagascar experience.
![](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2018/02/P1010822-2-450x300.jpg)
A Medical Elective in Madagascar
Hina Morjaria, a medical student at the University of Exeter, spent her elective learning about community health in remote Madagascar as a Blue Ventures volunteer.
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Plastic in the oceans: a volunteer’s perspective
Timor-Leste volunteer Rebecca Loy reflects on what individuals can do about this global problem.
![Sea cucumber pens, new structure | Photo: Timothy Klückow](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2017/11/DJI_0007-1-450x300.jpg)
An aquaculture adventure: visiting Tampolove’s sea cucumber farms
A group of Blue Ventures volunteers recently visited the village of Tampolove in southwest Madagascar to learn about the sustainable aquaculture initiatives there.
![World Mangrove Day 2017](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2017/09/MG_0384-450x300.jpg)
Replanting mangrove forest in the Bay of Assassins
Volunteer Amanda Millin recounts her experience of Madagascar’s annual mangrove festival.
![Blue Ventures volunteers and staff on Nosy Vé prior to the opening](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2017/09/Jagoda_1-1-450x300.jpg)
A unique opportunity to experience community-based fisheries management
Madagascar volunteer Jessie Skedd shares her insight after witnessing the opening of octopus fishing grounds following a period of temporary closure.
![](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2017/08/Screenshot-2017-07-13-15.16.53-1-450x300.jpg)
Having a whale of a time in Timor-Leste
Volunteer Harrison Root describes his two favourite mornings from his marine conservation expedition on Ataúro Island.
![](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2017/08/IMG_6313-4-450x300.jpg)
Helping Babies Breathe: one year on
Volunteer medic Emily Clark returns to Velondriake to help improve the training and coverage of neonatal resuscitation in public health centres.
![](https://blog.blueventures.org/media/2017/06/Blog-Pic-3-450x300.jpg)
A morning of sand, salt and science
Blue Ventures volunteer, Kaesha Freyaldenhoven, provides a descriptive account of an average morning at Bacalar Chico Dive Camp in Belize.