Why BV?

If you are interested in joining an expedition or volunteer conservation project, it is worth doing some research, as there are a number of excellent organisations offering unique and - we believe - potentially life-changing experiences working in the field of environmental conservation.

Different projects are suitable for different people. However, the quality of projects varies considerably amongst different organisations, and you should make sure that you ask a number of important questions before deciding which is the right trip for you.

Remember that an attractive website and appealing marketing do not necessarily mean that the expedition itself will meet your expectations, or give you the experience and training that you are looking for.

There are many considerations beyond the destination and accommodation. You may want to consider some of the following questions when deciding if a particular project is right for you:

• What are the aims of the project and research and how will you contribute to these aims?
• If you wish to join a conservation or research project that claims to be achieving conservation goals. Ask what results and research have been published from the project and were volunteers involved in that work?
• What is the status of the organisation: charity, not-for-profit, private company?
• How many staff does the project employ to provide training, support and guidance for volunteers?
• What will my responsibilities be on the conservation project?
• Can I talk to ex-volunteers?
• What health and safety measures are in place for the project and volunteers?
• What are the sleeping arrangements for volunteers at the site? Some expeditions house volunteers in dormitories while others can offer private rooms.
• Will you be expected to cater for yourself and the group or are there local chefs employed to feed you?

We firmly believe that our award-winning, socially and environmentally responsible, volunteer programmes offer some of the most rewarding and productive marine conservation and educational experiences available today.

- National Geographic Adventure magazine has twice featured a Blue Ventures Expedition as "one of the world's top adventure trips" in 2005 and 2007.

- Read about us in "Ecotourism: Traveling the World to Help Save It", a travel feature by the New York Times.

- For more information on our Responsible approach, please click here.

Volunteer numbers

We limit the number of volunteers on each expedition to a maximum of 3 per staff member, with an average of 12 volunteers per 6-week expedition on our Madagascar project. Volunteer numbers do vary during the year with departures from June to September being the busiest expeditions.

We believe by ensuring that staff to volunteer ratios are kept low, volunteers receive a high standard of scientific training and support, no matter what their backgrounds.

Many organisations offering volunteer research opportunities and expeditions work with a volunteer to staff ratio several times greater on similar programmes.

We feel that this can limit the learning experience, the availability of facilities, and the activities and training that the volunteer can participate in.

Our Madagascar expedition is run by highly experienced teams of at least 8 international staff members working alongside at least 8 local staff members. In Belize, where our expedition groups are smaller, we have 4 international staff members and 3 local staff members.

In addition, there will be local scientists and visiting researchers and students, all of whom are on hand to assist in volunteer training and support.

We believe that this ensures that volunteers have adequate guidance for expedition activities at all times. The experience and training of the staff that manage your expedition and projects are important factors in ensuring that you receive a good experience, relevant training and take part in a safe and enjoyable expedition. You can find out about our field staff by going to the Our Team section of the website, or if you would like to learn more about staff overseas please feel free to contact us via phone or e mail. 

Talk to past volunteers

Nobody will be able to give you a better idea of whether you will enjoy the project more than a past volunteer.

When choosing your expedition, ask whether it is possible to speak to people who have participated in the project that you are interested in.

Make sure that these are recent volunteers and don’t be afraid to ask them detailed questions about life in the field. If you are considering participating in a diving or marine research-focused expedition, ask how often you will be diving.

We offer a variety of ways to contact our past volunteers to find out more:

• Firstly, check out our "a day in the life of a BV volunteer" page, all written by previous volunteers & field staff members;
• You can visit us on and ask previous volunteers about their experiences;
• Or you can contact us and we'll put you in touch with previous volunteers.

Some feedback from past volunteers

"Challenging, exciting, rewarding... An expedition to Madagascar with BV will change your life." Nick Hayes, Australia, Madagascar research volunteer, 2011

"Blue Ventures provides volunteers the opportunity to take a meaningful part in an innovative and uniquely integrated conservation effort." Lauren Bailey, US, Madagascar research volunteer, 2011

"I enjoyed the experience and hope that the funds will continue rolling in with more volunteers for further reef monitoring at the Blue Ventures project in Belize. I would also like to say that the level of diving expertise of the Blue Ventures staff is excellent and I now feel more confident in the water." - Jodi Burley, Australia, Belize research volunteer, 2011

"I would highly recommend a BV expedition - it was one of the best experiences I have had. The diving was awesome and I met some fabulous people. The locals in Belize made me feel so welcome and I was very sad to leave." - Sandra Cheung, UK, Belize research volunteer, 2010

"I'm not sure that much could be improved, the lifestyle is simple and laid back and (in a positive way) BVs approach reflects that."
Andrew Smith, UK, Madagascar research volunteer, 2010

"An experience which was not only extremely enjoyable but also gratifying knowing that you're contributing to research that will hopefully aid in the improvement/conservation of the area."
Chris Coupland, UK, Malaysia research volunteer 2010

"Amazing!"
James Burton, UK, Madagascar research volunteer, 2010

"The staff is always available to help with any questions or concerns or just have fun with you"
Max Appelman, US, Madagascar research volunteer 2009

"It is a once in a life time experience"
Flora Galbraith, UK, Madagascar research volunteer, 2009

"A thoroughly well run project, especially when compared to others I have taken part in the past.One of the best months of my life!"
Gavin Gowlett, UK, Madagascar research volunteer, 2009

"I could talk about it for hours and so I can only summarise by saying it was worth it, it was brilliant and everyone should do it!"
Christian Gunning, UK, Malaysia research volunteer 2009

"I long to be with such an inspiring dedicated bunch of people again."
Nell Bennett, UK, Madagascar research volunteer 2009

" My BV Expedition was one of the most memorable and important experiences of my life. There are very few places in the world where you can still disappear for a while, where there is no cell phone reception and no e-mail, no television or radio, Andavadoaka, for now is such a place. Here you just are. You apply yourself to gathering data for marine conservation, assisting in research and outreach projects and taking in the breathtaking beauty of Madagascar. Your ideas are valued, your assistance is appreciated and English teaching at the local school is received with great enthusiasm"
Monika Calitz, research volunteer March '08

"I had a truly amazing, life changing experience in Madagascar. I'd like to thank BV for giving me the chance to do something that has had such a huge effect on my life, it was brilliant."
Nikki Clargo, research volunteer August '05

"An adventure of a life time. I found it an incredibly rewarding experience being able to contribute to the local community, teaching the locals English and learning all about marine life. It gave me a real buzz being able to identify so many fish and has opened up an entirely new underwater world to me."
Suzie Nott, research volunteer November '05

“I very much appreciated the dynamic research approach that Blue Ventures undertook in Madagascar, and I was thoroughly impressed by the way the project allowed volunteers to integrate themselves into the complex web of conservation and use of Andavadoaka’s natural environment.”
Leda Smith, research volunteer November '04

Cost

One of the most important issues for a potential volunteer is the cost of the project and what that cost includes. No matter how remote the environment or location of your expedition, your living conditions should be appropriate to your needs and should give you a comfortable and healthy environment in which to work. Whilst working as a conservation volunteer, if you are expected to sleep in tented accommodation and cook your own food, the price of your project should reflect this. You may want to consider the accommodation and meals that are offered to you when comparing expeditions, and the price that you are asked to pay should reflect these differences.

On a Blue Ventures expedition, some days you will work long hours in a remote and challenging environment. Consequently, we believe that volunteers need comfortable accommodation and an excellent balanced diet in order to be able to enjoy the project fully. Your accommodation will be in locally built eco-cabins and all your meals are cooked by trained local staff using fresh local ingredients. At Blue Ventures we understand that our volunteers need comfortable accommodation and fresh meals to be productive and happy. Being on an expedition doesn’t mean that you have to suffer!

When conducting your research about which organisation to join for your expedition, make sure that you ask what the costs include.

• Will you need to provide your own SCUBA equipment or rent it in the field?

SCUBA diving equipment can be very expensive, so to make SCUBA diving more accessible, Blue Ventures has all the expensive equipment that you require available at our research site at no extra cost to our volunteers.

The only items that you will need to bring are:

• wetsuit
• mask
• snorkel
• fins
• watch or dive computer
• dive torch
• underwater slate
• dive knife

We can advise you on where to buy these items and also help you find the best prices with discounts from specialist retailers.

Health & Safety

There are significant potential dangers associated working both above and below the water in remote environments. At Blue Ventures, safety is one of our top priorities. Starting before arrival on site until after the expedition is over, we provide volunteers with information, advice and support on aspects of working in a tropical environment and diving and expedition safety.

Some of the key points, which are expanded on in our Volunteer Guide are:

• Immunisations and pre-departure checks
• Information about Malaria Prophylaxis
• Guidance about Expedition hygiene and care of minor injuries
• Diving safety

All volunteers are required to visit a Doctor to complete medical forms prior to commencing a project with us, and whilst on site volunteers are expected to adhere to the camp safety and diving protocols. Rest days are provided (decompression days) and conservative dive profiles allow for a large safety margin. There are also onsite briefings, training and scenarios to ensure that each volunteer group is prepared for their expedition.

Communication can be difficult on remote expeditions so our Expedition camp and research boats are connected by VHF radios and portable telephones during all research activities. and our research boats carry medical oxygen on all diving trips.

In the time that we have been organising marine expeditions we have developed a comprehensive Casualty Evacuation Plan (CASEVAC). This is in place for a worst case scenario and our CASEVAC is supported by the Divers Alert Network (DAN). The Divers Alert Network cover all Blue Ventures volunteers with dive insurance. To support the comprehensive plans that we have developed, all of our camp staff are experienced divers with training in first aid and practical rescue management skills and we have medication and medical oxygen at our research sites for all diving activities.

We aim to have a qualified medic on site at all times and create a culture of safety for our staff and volunteers through education, training and sharing information.

As well as the onsite Expedition Medic, medical support is provided from both the UK and in each expedition country, and we continually update our safety support systems through information gathering, communication, contingency plans, protocols, training and internal reviews.

Our expeditions to Madagascar follow the BSI standards and specification of BS8848:2007 for the provision of visits, field work, expeditions and adventurous activities outside the United Kingdom. Self-assessed. This standard provides guidelines that have been developed by industry experts to ensure safety on expeditions. Blue Ventures has chosen to follow this guidance and adhere to the standard for our expeditions in Madagascar. We think that all expedition providers can and should adhere to these standards to protect the welfare of volunteers and expedition participants.

We are a member of the Year Out Group and all of our expeditions abide by their Code of Practice and Charter. The Year Out Group's Expedition Sector Code of Practice provides a standard of service expected of the Group's member organisations. New members are required to demonstrate their ability to adhere to the Code and existing members are required annually to demonstrate that they continue to abide by it.

The Blue Ventures Diving Safety Protocol is available to volunteers upon request.

Our achievements

During the past 8 years Blue Ventures has achieved a number of landmarks, all of which could not have happened without the support of our volunteers and our volunteer programme. Here are some of the achievements that we are most proud of;

• the establishment of the Velondriake community-managed Marine Protected Area (MPA) is ongoing, but the project has now been successfully handed over to a management committee of 24 villages with the continued support of Blue Ventures and our volunteers. For more information on the Velondriake MPA please visit www.livewiththesea.org.
• Blue Ventures has published a number of papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, reports and scientific posters using the data collected through our volunteer programmes and specialist research. Blue Ventures have also won a number of prestigious research grants for beneficial work, such as our sea-cucumber farming project, for the community of Andavadoaka and the surrounding areas. For more information on our research and how this is supported by the volunteer programme please click here.
• Blue Ventures have won a number of awards since 2003, including two United Nations awards for our work in sustainable development. For details of our award please click here.
• Blue Ventures were invited to set up the first family planning clinic in the Velondriake area in 2007 and our first year has been so successful that we have plans to extend our programme to satellite clinics in surrounding villages. A report on the first 12 months of our programme can be downloaded here and the project development plan here.
• Blue Ventures has now provided professional development training for over 20 young marine biologists from the Western Indian Ocean area through our scholarship programme, a programme which we are now extending to other regions.
• Through the generous support of volunteers, staff members and other donors Blue Ventures has been able to provide school fees and materials for over 500 children from the village of Andavadoaka and the surrounding areas.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact us.

For further information about our expeditions can be found in our volunteer guide.