Marine Protection and Conservation

Become a PADI Advanced Open Water diver, learn and apply Marine Conservation & Marine Science Survey Techniques and work together with Universities using this data! Our Oceans Need Saving. No matter if you are simply passionate about Marine Conservation or if you want to get a reference or a decision making tool for a future study - in this program you get most valuable insights in this large field and actively engage in protecting our oceans! We will train you in three different areas to make sure you get all tools needed to support us in our work: • Comprehensive dive training to become a PADI Advanced Open Water diver in our 5-Star PADI dive centre • Conservation and research methods to practically help us doing research underwater • PADI speciality courses to learn about selected topics crucial for a healthy ocean A more detailled description please find here: PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water dive training: Your course begins with your entry level PADI Open Water Diver course which will teach you the basic principles of scuba diving through a combination of confined Water Dives to learn basic scuba skills and Open Water Dives to review skills and explore. On successful completion of your Open Water training, you will then move straight onto Advanced Open Water Diver course which helps divers to increase confidence and build scuba skills to become more comfortable in the water. This course builds on what has been learnt and develops new capabilities such as underwater navigation, deeper water diving, buoyancy control fine tuning, and search and recovery practice. During your program you will do between 40 - 45 dives. PADI Conservation and Research: This training serves as an introduction for anyone that has an interest in marine conservation and wants to learn more about how the underwater world works and what we can do to conserve it. The program looks at ecology and identification of reef fish, invertebrates and corals. In addition to that we look at research and survey techniques for the underwater world and then complete four scuba dives, covering these subjects. By the end you will have the opportunity to set up and complete your own survey. PADI Nudibranch Awareness: Nudibranchs are some of the smallest, most fascinating creatures on the coral reef. During this program you will learn all about them including their ecology before heading out onto the reef to survey them. PADI AWARE Shark specialty: Sharks are crucial to marine ecosystems, yet sharks are in a global decline. Learn about the value of sharks and what is causing the rapid loss of shark populations. The course may include two scuba dives or may be presented as a non-diving education program. Running alongside the science training are a number of conservation initiatives that you will be part of so you can put all your new found training into practice. REEF fish surveys Each week, you will take part in REEF fish surveys. REEFs mission is to protect biodiversity and ocean life by actively engaging and inspiring the public. During the course, you will actively take part in Fish Surveys and counts, uploading the data to REEF to be used around the world looking at diversity and numbers of residents on Coral Reefs. Coral Watch surveys As well as that, you will conduct Coral Watch surveys in conjunction with the University of Queensland. Coral Watch is a program that we run on our dives that looks at the health of corals around the world. By looking at colour of individual corals and formations and comparing them we can get an indication of how healthy our marine ecosystem is. Dive for Debris + Whale surveys Additional science projects you may be involved with during your time in Costa Rica include Dive for Debris which are underwater clean-ups and are held every month, humpback whale surveys during whale season in collaboration with a study at the University of Panama. Additional workshops and talks are given every week to include various marine science topics. At the end of your 4 weeks you will be a qualified PADI Scuba diver and also have a deeper understanding of our oceans and the conservation efforts required to protect them for generations to come! During your time in Costa Rica you will be staying with locals in a homestay. This is a great way to get to know people who live there and the way of life authentically. In this homestays you will get two meals a day (breakfast and dinner), WiFi is available and a laundry service. You don`t need to be able to speak Spanish to participate in this program. Our common language in the program and with participants is English - even though the locals are always happy if you learn some words on the way. Costa Rica as a country is the perfect choice for a program like this as it is very active in nature protection. Within a fantastic surrounding it is a true paradise for everyone who loves nature. You will swim with turtles, rays, sharks, dolphins and even whales! In your free time there is plenty to do: visit volcanos, rivers, rain forests, endless beaches or - if you are adventurous - optional activities like surfing or ziplining!