Category: Volunteer Stories

Straight from the (sea)horse’s mouth… Check out these stories from our expedition volunteers in Madagascar and Belize!

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

/ Oct 23, 2019

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

/ Aug 28, 2019
alex-and-the-sun

Becoming a Divemaster

Marine conservation volunteer Aleksander Gakovic shares the personal journey of his time in Timor-Leste.

/ Feb 28, 2019

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...

/ Nov 30, 2018
Spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) | Photo: Joe Sharman

Spider tortoise spotting: monitoring one of Madagascar’s endemic species

Madagascar volunteer Ieva Kazakeviciute recounts her experience monitoring the critically endangered spider tortoise.

/ Jul 26, 2018

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.

/ May 11, 2018

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.

/ Apr 19, 2018

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.

/ Feb 28, 2018

Plastic in the oceans: a volunteer’s perspective

Timor-Leste volunteer Rebecca Loy reflects on what individuals can do about this global problem.

/ Jan 3, 2018
Sea cucumber pens, new structure | Photo: Timothy Klückow

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.

/ Nov 16, 2017
World Mangrove Day 2017

Replanting mangrove forest in the Bay of Assassins

Volunteer Amanda Millin recounts her experience of Madagascar’s annual mangrove festival.

/ Sep 28, 2017
Blue Ventures volunteers and staff on Nosy Vé prior to the opening

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.

/ Sep 15, 2017

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.

/ Aug 31, 2017

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.

/ Aug 3, 2017

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.

/ Jun 28, 2017