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Age Limit
Minimum age limit for this project is 18 years old. The maximum age is dependent on the health of the participant.
The Volunteer Programme
This programme is focused mainly on diving and a conservation project protecting coral reef. There is also an amazing experience of turtle watching for 12 nights during the programme. The programme has three major parts:
- PADI Certificate Course
The first week concentrates solely on attaining either your Open Water or advanced PADI diving certificate. You can take either one of the two courses as part of the total programme cost. If you feel you want more training then it is possible for you to arrange this at a further cost in advance. However if you decide to do the Emergency First Response course, then first aid training should be done before you arrive on the programme.
- Turtle Watch Experience
The turtle conservation site is based on the eastern coast of Tioman. During these 12 nights you will be situated at a resort that has an officially licensed hatchery. You will work alongside a Department of Fisheries official and help them to collect the eggs. Along with a staff member you will at times work at night. You will take part in egg collection to local beaches where the turtles have laid. Your task afterwards will be to monitor the eggs and then release any surviving hatchlings back to the sea.
Your hours during this time will consist of late shifts into the night and early morning sessions. You might for example work until 2am in the morning collecting eggs and then get up at 5am if hatchlings need to be released. This is an awe-inspiring and privileged experience that very few people ever get to enjoy.
- Reef Check Survey
The last section of the programme consists of being trained to reef check, and you will help out with a Reef Check Survey in the fourth and final week. Reef Check is a vital worldwide marine conservation project and if the Reef Check project were abandoned, there wouldn’t be any easy way to assess the status and health of reef coral. Neither could laws and policies be developed to enforce its protection. So it is crucial work and volunteer contributions are invaluable. You will be helping to assemble data on coral health. Afterwards this is passed to the Malaysian Reef Check co-ordinator who produces a report for world-wide universities, Ministries and other scientific institutions. The information is also part of the Annual Report of the world’s Reef Check organisation.
The reports are vastly significant for advising and developing policies on national and global policy for reef protection.
You will have the chance to dive in some of the world’s best underwater sites and to see some of the most extraordinary tropical sea life. Whilst you dive you might also encounter turtles, and if you do, you will have the chance to observe and monitor them.
This is an exceptional opportunity to take some stunning photographs if you own an underwater camera. But much more important is that by the end of the project you will have made a meaningful contribution and have taken part in an important coral conservational project that aims to guarantee Coral Reef survival for future generations.
The Team
You will be working with an excellent team of Reef Check and Turtle Conservationists and a top class diving team. The project is focused on diving and turtle conservation but also emphasises fun and relaxation as much as learning and developing diving skills. You will find it very rewarding and will be personally enriched by working alongside the team. You will very likely make life-long friendships and discover an extraordinarily beautiful part of Malaysia on the spectacular Tioman Island.
Project Support
All during your stay in Malaysia you will have the guidance and support of the project coordinator and the project conservation team. They can help you with any problems or questions that might arise for you. You can also access our 24-hour contact phone number in case of emergencies.
Project Orientation
During the first night at Kuala Lumpur you will receive a welcome dinner and then an orientation session.
During the orientation session you will be given information on the programme including:
- An induction to Malaysian culture and values
- Safety and health issues whilst you are in Malaysia
- Workplace ethics & etiquettes and any other information before beginning your project
- Money and Transportation matters in Malaysia
- An induction to the region you will be working in
- Local food and practices
- Places to visit in Malaysia during your free time
Accommodation
In Kuala Lumpur you will be spending the first evening in a dorm-style room at a local hostel. Once you are on the island, your accommodation will be situated at a long stretch of a sandy, uninhabited, golden beach on the West Coast of the Tioman Island. It has incredibly clear, blue waters and you will be able to see the coral a short distance from the shore. Your accommodation is a wooden chalet that takes a maximum capacity of three people sharing. The rooms have fans and the bathroom is equipped with a cold-water shower, as the climate can be very hot and sticky. The toilets are western style and attached to the chalet.
We advise that you bring with you a mosquito net, and towels, sleeping bag, as volunteers often enjoy sleeping on the beach.
During your 12 nights at the hatchery you will live in dormitory style chalet accommodation. This resort is just off the beach and provides snorkelling equipment and kayaks. It’s also just a 10-minute walk from the village where you will find a shop and restaurant.
Meals
Breakfast is usually toast, coffee and tea. A meal and food allowance will be given to you to cover lunch and dinner whilst on Tioman Island. The local food is very tasty and based on Malay, Indian, and Chinese dishes or a mixture of all three! Examples might include fish head curry, nyonya cuisine, popiah, Nasi Lemak, dim sum, wan tan mee, ais kacang, Mee goring, roti canai, tandoori chicken, rending (beef or chicken) sate, dahl and sambal curries, as well as fresh fruit juices, and local Indonesian coffee. Dishes of noodles, vegetables and rice are major parts of the Malayan diets and the food is generally very spicy and oily. Vegetarian food is quite difficult to find here but more easily available in Kuala Lumpur.
Free Time
During your free time, you have the chance to sample food at local restaurants and food stalls, play volleyball or beach Frisbee, hire or borrow a bike to explore the island, take part in a night dive, meet the locals, trek through the nearby rain forest with a local guide, or just relax on the beach. You will be able to snorkel for free and discover even more of the beautiful spectrum of coral and marine life.
The island has a spectacular backdrop of crystal blue sea, glistening sandy beaches and an unspoiled and substantial primary rain forest that covers most of the island. There are a number of small mountain ranges - the Twin Peaks based on the southwest side of Tioman Island are incredibly distinctive.
You will have the chance to pay a visit the batik shop at the local village, and there you can paint and make your own batik garments such as a sarong, or even a wall hanging as a memento of your time on the project; you can trek through stunning rainforest, or take a boat to visit other island villages, visit an authentic Malay village that has old houses built on stilts, with an abundant supply of fruit laden trees. If you crave a bit of nightlife whilst on the project, then Selong is a lively and fun evening out.
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