Ocean Spirits Leatherback Sea Turtle Project, Grenada

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Take part in leatherback sea turtle monitoring, research, and community outreach programmes on the island of Grenada in the Caribbean. We are looking for people who can volunteer for 3 weeks up to 12 weeks and work with us to help ensure the spectacle of a nesting or foraging turtle remains a key component of Grenada's uniquely vibrant biodiversity.

As a research assistant on the sea turtle volunteer programme you will have the chance to get involved with many duties. These include:

• Night patrols of the main leatherback sea turtle nesting site
• Flipper tagging of unmarked females
• Data collection - carapace (shell) measurements, egg counts, nest relocation
• Morning surveys (on foot) of adjacent beaches
• Nest excavations
• Maintenance and preparation of research equipment
• Summer camp organisation and participation
• Carnival 'Turtle Mas’ camp - costume design and creation
• Assisting with organised sea turtle watches for school/community groups & tourists
• Camp maintenance and cleaning
• Cooking

Volunteering with Ocean Spirits will give you a hands-on field experience with the worlds largest sea turtle. You will also be helping to directly reduce illegal egg poaching activities. The presence of nightly research patrols has reduced this threat by more than 60%.

The nesting period for leatherbacks is from March - July. During this period you will spend the majority of your time conducting field research and assisting with turtle watches.

Those participating in July/August will focus on Morning Surveys, nest excavations and hatchling release, summer camps and Carnival. NB Night patrols will cease once nesting numbers drop at some point in July. Sporadic night patrols may then take place as we also encounter hawksbill turtles nesting at Levera.