Scuba Diving and Marine Conservation in Mexico

Our marine conservation projects abroad in Mexico are incredibly versatile in that they meet the needs of different people. If you are a:

• College student of Biology, Biodiversity Studies, or Marine Studies looking for a marine conservation internship abroad that offers practical field experience
• High School student with a strong or casual interest in working with animals outdoors during summer break
• Working professional interested in doing more than just relaxing at a Cancun resort on their next vacation

This project can work for you!

You’ll live and work in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, surrounded by people who share the same sense of passion for protecting threatened wildlife and the environment. The activities we offer are hands-on, so you’ll always be involved in something. This could be participating in marine surveys during a dive or identifying and monitoring birdlife. You’ll constantly be learning from our staff, who’ll show you why coastal areas are an important focus of conservation efforts in a real-world context.

If you’re joining this project as a student in a related field with experience under your belt, you’ll build your knowledge and add relevant fieldwork to your resume. We can facilitate marine conservation internships tailored to meet your school’s requirements, you just need to discuss this with us when you apply.

Joining us with no previous experience? Don’t worry! This is an educational experience as well as an adventure, and we’ll teach you everything you need to know to do the work. If you’re unable to dive, there are plenty of land-based and other marine activities to get involved with. And no matter your level of experience, our staff will be available 24/7 to assist you when you need help or guidance.

Our marine conservation volunteer abroad program in Mexico runs year-round, so you can join whenever it fits your schedule. The minimum duration is one week.

You’ll find it useful to speak some Spanish, but it’s not required as our staff speak English. You can also use this project as an opportunity to learn Spanish or practice your conversational skills!

In Mexico, you’ll work Monday to Friday, for around six hours a day in the mornings and afternoons. At the weekends you can dive recreationally around Espiritu Santo island or snorkel with whale sharks (seasonal October – March).

Wondering what a working typical week would look like? It could go a little like this:

Monday: Join a workshop where we teach you how to identify the fish you’ll see during dives. In the afternoon, you’ll help monitor species around Isla Espirtu Santo and go diving.

Tuesday: Take a field trip to places outside the Bay of La Paz. Take part in snorkelling divesto learn about the impact global warming and human activity has on marine species.

Wednesday: An early departure to the dive site where you will take part in a couple of surveys for environmental impact signs.  This will typically involve snorkelling for two to three hours*.

*If you don’t have a diving certification or experience, we’ll make sure you get this training before you do a proper dive. A SNSI dive certification is included in the price of the project!

Thursday: Take part in a fish identification workshop in the morning and a snorkelling survey in shallow waters in the afternoon.

Friday: Attend a morning workshop to learn how to identify birds living in coastal areas, and do field practice or a trip into the desert for an interpretive hike exploring the ecosystem.

These activities could change depending on various factors, like the weather/season. Most activities are available during the summer months, but we also have some winter-specific activities such as monitoring land birds.

In a typical week, you’ll take part in water-based survey activities – two diving and three or four snorkeling.

The main goal of this project is to protect the threatened natural resources of Baja California. We also aim to counteract the encroachment of human expansion and its effects on the surrounding environment.

In Baja California, there are several urgent issues affecting the environment, namely:

• Pollution
• Overfishing
• Environmental changes due to global warming (like harmful algae blooms)

The work you do on collecting valuable data on marine populations contributes directly to mitigating the impact of these problems. We also share the data we collect with local universities, to support studies and research efforts.