Shark & Marine Research Volunteer Institute - South Africa

Participants in the program will assist with data collection and data management for the projects outlined above. Volunteers will gain a considerable amount of sea experience and valuable research skills, both on our cage diving boat and dedicated research vessel.

Daily activities include cage-diving trips, shark tagging trips (from our research boat and from the shoreline), snorkeling for sharks in the kelp forests, beach clean-ups, equipment maintenance, video analysis, data entry, and dorsal fin ID analysis. Volunteers will get to interact daily with our scientists and learn all about Great White Sharks and other marine wildlife in our area. Participants will also have the opportunity to interact with the local community by supporting our shark conservation, education, and outreach projects.

On some days you may have an early start, whilst on others, you may start later in the day depending on the times of our trips to the sea and on weather/tide, etc. A typical day at our program includes one or two trips on our white shark cage diving boat, one trip on our research boat, or a day conducting other fieldwork from land such as snorkeling surveys or shore fishing surveys.

You will generally be involved with the following: assisting with gathering important data on white sharks and other sharks on board our shark cage diving tourist vessel and our research boat. Collected data contributes to our ongoing population monitoring study and growth rate estimation study on white sharks. Volunteers will also learn ethical handling and angling techniques of smaller sharks, and learn how to tag and take genetic samples, all of which is contributing to our baseline study on elasmobranchs. Other activities include participation in community events, such as workshops and presentations for local schools and beach clean-ups. Weather dependent, volunteers can expect to partake in one of these activities every day. Some days you may be at sea all day, whilst other days you may be finished by midday or early afternoon.  Other activities which you may find yourself being involved with during your time here include participation in community events, such as workshops and presentations for local schools, beach clean-ups, dissections, and assisting with our social media pages. Any free time in the afternoons and evenings is generally rest, recovery, or data entry time.

Much of our work is weather dependent, so the timetable/working hours are subject to change, but volunteers should expect to work some long days and some weekends. Outreach and educational activities may require after-hours/weekend work.

• Guests can expect to participate in every research project that is running at that time.

• As much of the work is weather dependent, the timetable/working hours are subject to change, but guests should expect to work some long days and some weekends. Outreach and educational activities may require after-hour/weekend work.

• You will normally have 1-2 days off a week. It will normally be at the weekend but the off days will vary according to the weather and our opportunities to be at sea. The off days are the chance for you to relax, plan your own activities and explore the area, or perhaps take a trip to Cape Town!