Conserve and swim with whale sharks in Mozambique
Conserve and swim with whale sharks in Mozambique
Duration: from 2 Weeks to 3 Weeks
Countries: Mozambique
Ever fancied swimming with whale sharks? Well on this project you will be able to do just that as you monitor their behaviour for valuable research. If you haven’t dived before you will also be gaining your Padi certificate during a minimum three week duration in this tropical paradise!Call: 0845 344 7592
The project is located in the city of Inhambane, a historical town full of colonial architecture, which lies 470kms northeast of Maputo in Southern Mozambique. Whale sharks are the oceans largest fish and are harmless to humans as they only feed on plankton, however their existence is threatened due to the increasing number of boats and activities causing injury and possible disruptions to their feeding and breeding grounds. With valuable monitoring of this and other species including coral reefs, recommendations can be made to improve the marine life of the area not to mention increasing the general awareness of the marine environment.
You will be able to board the launch boats and go out into the open sea to monitor the whale sharks by snorkelling with them, taking underwater photographs to aid in recognition by identifying any distinctive features or scars and also recording other important information. If you haven`t dived previously then you will gain your PADI certificate during your first three weeks on the project which is an added bonus on taking this trip! If you are already a certified diver then you will be able to take part from a minimum of two weeks. Depending on the season you will also be monitoring hump back whales during their seasonal migration up and down the coast and will be based either from the boat or from the beach making observations of the pods and the numbers of whales involved.
Not only working with whales but you may also be working alongside local representatives checking the numbers of turtles laying their eggs and the number of turtle nests on the beaches. The numbers of nesting turtles has declined dramatically due to poachers but with additional education it is hoped that these numbers will increase.
During your time at the project you will be staying in a volunteer house about a 30 minute taxi or ‘chappa’ journey from the project, located 5 minutes from the beach near the village of Tofo. The centre of Tofo is 200m away where you will find a market, some basic shops, a few restaurants and a few bars plus plenty of beach activities!
Inclusions
accommodation, food, airport pickup
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i-to-i
At i-to-i Volunteering we pride ourselves in a high level of service to ensure that all our gap year travellers get the most out of their travel. With Teaching, Community Development, Conservation, Sports placements in 21 countries, we can offer you the worthwhile gap year (or shorter gap stint) that you want.
