US$5100 Per Volunteer
*Tax deductible in the US. Eligible for employer matching to reduce participant cost.
Single supplement $525
25% due upon booking
*Tax deductible in the US. Eligible for employer matching to reduce participant cost.
Single supplement $525
25% due upon booking
MarAlliance invites you to immerse yourself in a once-in-a-lifetime experience on the northern barrier reef of Belize in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. Join our team of marine biologists, guides, and fishers for an unforgettable week, helping to research sharks, rays, and turtles (marine megafauna). During this trip, you will experience the life of a tropical marine biologist while helping us to collect invaluable data on populations, abundance, density, and habitat preference of a range of species of sharks, rays, turtles, and large predatory fish such as snappers and groupers.
We will train you to be directly involved in each aspect of our fieldwork, in which you will experience an unparalleled underwater world. Snorkel surveys will bring you one on one with the Caribbean’s most exhilarating marine animals, including turtles, groupers, stingrays, and sharks. You will learn how to set longlines and Baited Remote Underwater Videos, with hands-on work tagging and measuring sharks, rays and turtles.
We are excited to have the opportunity to share our findings with you and the field work will be complemented by presentations by our research team during the course of the week.
MarAlliance is a dynamic NGO whose staff collectively has more than 100 years of experience with marine megafauna. Working with the government and other stakeholders we seek to promote thriving populations of sharks, rays, turtles and piscivorous fish by undertaking annual monitoring of populations, age and growth, and assessing the effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs).
While Belize still possesses much of the habitat considered essential for sharks and rays, their local populations are rapidly being damaged by overfishing and uncontrolled development in their nursery habitats. The overfishing of sharks, for example, can lead to an overabundance of secondary consumers and a scarcity of prey, both symptoms of ecosystem imbalance.
MPAs are a key means of stemming the decline of commercial fish species and Belize boasts 14 of them, seven of which are World Heritage Sites. Conservation targets urge governments to set aside 10% of the world’s seas under MPA management by 2020. This has made the need to assess MPAs’ effectiveness all the more urgent yet their benefits for highly mobile species have yet to be fully understood.
You will arrive via Tropic Air to Ambergris Caye, Belize where you will enjoy one night in the vibrant town of San Pedro. You will be greeted by MarAlliance staff who will walk you to your accommodations at seafront Sunbreeze Hotel located directly across the street from the airport. In the evening enjoy a traditional Belizean dinner with the expedition team and Dr. Rachel Graham (Executive Director of MarAlliance) who will prepare you for your coming days at Hol Chan Marine Reserve on the barrier reef opposite San Pedro.
Your rooms at Sunbreeze Hotel are spacious and comfortable seafront accommodations with a pool and sundeck next to the famous Blue Water Grill restaurant. Your stay in San Pedro includes breakfast, lunch and dinner for 4 of the 7 nights. Because there are so many wonderful dining choices in San Pedro, we wanted to offer you the opportunity to explore and choose your own dining experience for 3 nights. For 4 nights you will dine as a group with the team and enjoy good company discussing the amazing things you experienced during the days’ work.
Hotel room accommodations charges are based on couples in a room. Should you want a room to yourself, a single supplement charge of $525 is applied.
Your objective is to assist MarAlliance’s Belize-based shark and ray research team to undertake the annual monitoring of marine megafauna at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve on the Belize Barrier Reef. To prepare for your trip and help us collect the most valuable data we will provide you with materials in advance to assist you with species identification and size/distance estimation. On your first days in San Pedro and at Hol Chan Marine Reserve we will hold training sessions to review the methods and fine-tune your size and distance estimation skills (on land and in the water).
Identifying marine megafauna by species is an important part of assessing biodiversity. Species ID will be used during in-water visual transects and in analyzing Baited Remote Underwater Video recordings. We will further ask you to familiarize yourself with species prior to the trip to improve species identification in the field.
Transects are a non-invasive method for assessing diversity and relative abundance of marine megafauna.
Each transect involves four swimmers positioned in the water and spaced 15 meters apart. Each transect is 1km in length and throughout the transect each swimmer is responsible for recording species, quantity, distance estimation, and size estimation for the sharks, rays, turtles, and piscivorous fish they see within their area.
You will learn species identification and size estimation techniques to accurately record data. Following field work you can help to transcribe data to provide indices of species diversity, abundance, demographics, and size frequencies according to the different habitats sampled.
BRUVs are structures made out of PVC pipe or metal that contain a GoPro camera and an extended arm with a bait cage.
BRUVs are deployed at various sites around the archipelago for at least 60 mins at a time in order to record species that are attracted to the bait. These videos are later analyzed to record the species and relative number of individuals and assess diversity and relative abundance.
We will collectively review videos taken during the day and annotate these to record target species and frequency of occurrence.
Scientific longlining is another method to assess shark and ray diversity and abundance, especially over long periods of time.
This technique involves setting a line of 50 baited hooks in order to capture individuals and collect more specific measurements, tag the animal with a marker that will identify them in future captures or sightings, and collect a tissue sample for DNA and contaminant analysis.
You will assist with baiting and setting the longline, collecting environmental data, and will learn proper handling techniques for safely tagging and releasing sharks and rays.
Ambergris Caye is the dive and snorkel mecca of Belize and runs parallel to the world’s second longest coral barrier reef. This island hosts one of the world’s oldest provisioned shark and ray aggregations and encompasses Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize’s first marine reserve. Several species of turtles, rays, reef and nurse sharks are often seen with the possibility of sighting hammerhead and bull sharks. Our long-term wildlife monitoring focuses on assessing the populations and distribution of these threatened species to inform tourism, protected area and fisheries management, using a blend of tech, skills-building, and education which we conduct using snorkelling and/or scuba diving.
Arrive in Belize City at Philip Goldson Intl Airport. Go to Tropic Air Counter for transfer flight to San Pedro which we have booked for you. Pay for the flight at the counter.
Safety is our top concern and MarAlliance has an emergency plan for all of our field work sites throughout Belize. All boats carry basic first aid kits and a more comprehensive kit will be held at the field base.
There is cell phone signal at the barrier reef opposite San Pedro. For safety we have a satellite telephone and a Delorme InReach satellite messenger for use in the event of an emergency.
Because travel requirements for COVID vaccinations and testing are changing frequently, we ask that you consult us about the latest requirements for specific Expedition locations and dates. Email us at expeditions@maralliance.org
Hospital: Belize City 223-1548 / San Pedro Polyclinic 226-2536
Police: Tel. 206-2022
In the unlikely event of medical air evacuation, the Belize Emergency Response Team can be reached by dialing 223-3292.
If you need any of the below items, you can help sharks and rays by choosing MarAlliance as your nonprofit on Amazon Smile. Amazon donates a few cents from each purchase to help us to conduct research, education and conservation for sharks and rays and fight for these awesome animals. It all adds up and it really makes a difference. Thank you for your support!
* Make sure your sunscreen is coral/reef safe and doesn’t contain oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-MBC and the common preservative butylparaben, all of which kill coral.
** Polarized are recommended as they cut down the glare on the water.
*** We will have these for sale too (The tropical sun is strong; full coverage is important)
* To take out on the water in case you start getting too much sun
‡ Always good to have following the snorkel transects
**Bring a supply of Dramamine or meclizine to ensure you are comfortable while out at sea.
IMPORTANT: Enough money to cover your time in San Pedro. $300-$400USD is more than enough if you won’t be staying in Belize after the expedition. ATMs are available in San Pedro that issue Belize dollars.
All Expeditions:
Yes, these fees/donations are tax deductible in the US.
Isla Mujeres, Mexico Expedition:
Yes, $500 of the total fees/donations are tax deductible in the US for MarAlliance for whale sharks and manta ray research and conservation work.
Yes! Note, however, that if you benefit from employer matching, the quoted trip cost is reduced by half made possible by your company’s 100% donation matching. Non-company employees would pay the quoted trip cost which is tax deductible.
*A prospective volunteer pointed out that if he pays for both himself and his +1, then the entire payment is a donation and should be eligible for matching.
The prices quoted are the prices that you would pay. MarAlliance is relying on your company’s gift match to cover its total costs, so if you were to sign up for a trip, you would pay 50% of the total cost, and your company’s matching gift would be the other 50%.
*Due to the purely volunteer nature of the trip (not a tourist venture), the price you pay for the trip can be considered a donation to MarAlliance (a nonprofit) and is thus (a) tax deductible; and (b) eligible for 100% gift matching.
**Non-company employees whose companies do not offer 100% gift matching would pay the full, tax-deductible. If you’re bringing a +1 and elect to pay for both trips yourself, the full donation should be eligible for gift matching.
Yes, you can either elect to forego gift matching (and make a separate donation to cover the incremental match price). Or, you can work with MarAlliance to reserve a spot on your trip of choice and hold payment until the following year, when you’ll once again be eligible for gift matching. Email expeditions@maralliance.org.
Belize, Lighthouse Reef – Very remote, on a small island with no cell service or internet. Glamping accommodations in yurt style tents, private cooks, and the focus is on sharks and turtles.
Belize, San Pedro – On the barrier reef island of Ambergris Caye. Full services of cell, internet, banking, etc are available. Accommodations are in the ocean front Sunbreeze Hotel, and the focus is on sharks, rays, and turtles.
Panama – All-inclusive (except alcohol) hotel accommodations in a remote area of Isla Bastimentos. Our primary focus is on sharks, rays and fish.
Cabo Verde – Accommodations will be Guest house style with field work completed on a mix of large and small boats. Our primary focus will be Whale sharks, Manta Rays and small to medium coastal sharks.
Mexico – Accommodations will be in a more luxurious hotel by the beach with trips out to the whale shark aggregation zone on a medium sized power boat. Our primary focus will be Whale sharks and Manta Rays.
Volunteers will spend most of their days in boats, out on the water participating in one of three activities; typically, from 8am until sunset. Data entry & presentations will follow in the evenings.
To work side-by-side with MarAlliance staff and local fishermen as part of the expedition team
To contribute to critical marine conservation and monitoring/research efforts
To learn new skills
Learn about marine animals, the reef, the countries culture, politics, and about the local fishermen’s livelihoods
Enjoy tropical island life for a week
To be well fed and enjoy good company!
The only way we can measure and tag sharks is if we catch them. We minimize our handling time and sharks have little to no feeling in their dorsal fins where we place the tag. By comparison millions of sharks are killed yearly and we are trying to reduce these deaths.
No! However, if you would like to extend your stay, we would be happy to arrange your diving excursions. For optional diving, one must possess a certification card.
No, evenings comprise of data entry and presentations.
Yes! Most dietary needs can be accommodated.
Belize, Honduras, and Panama have 10 spots allocated to each. Cabo Verde and Mexico have 8 spots.
18+ years for week-long expeditions and 10+ for the Mexico expeditions.
Yes, MarAlliance requires participants to have travel insurance, however if your company provides travel insurance you may consider whether coverage is sufficient. We will request proof of insurance once the expedition is booked.
Note: Company provided travel insurance-things to consider
Does it cover medical (including evacuation)?
Does it provide trip cancellation insurance?
Does is cover me on paid leave?
Does it cover me on unpaid leave?
Yes! Whether you join one of the expeditions or not, MarAlliance is always looking for volunteers with special skill sets that can help us to meet our mission or donors to fund our operational, education and field costs including the purchase of satellite tags that help us to track the migration patterns of sharks, rays and turtles.
Amount $3500 (covers 1 sat tag and a portion of the satellite transmission time). You’re welcome to go in on a tag with a group of friends!
Donors who fund tags will get to choose a name for the animal tagged and receive daily updates on its movements (tags may remain with animal for weeks, months, even years).
Donated tags may be deployed by MarAlliance and expedition volunteers during this years’ expedition.
Receive weekly updates
*Donated tags are also tax deductible
BOOKING POLICY
$ – 25% deposit to secure your reservation upon booking.
$ – 40% payable prior to 90 days before the arrival date.
$ – 35% payable prior to 30 days before the arrival date.
CANCELLATION POLICY
– For cancellations after a deposit of 25%, the deposit is forfeited.
– For cancellations 61 days prior to arrival date, 50% of the total trip cost is forfeited.
– For cancellations after 60 days prior to arrival date, all payments are forfeited.