The Coral Reef Restoration Volunteer will contribute to an ongoing initiative to improve and monitor coral reef health off the southern coast of the Isle of Youth, Cuba. Volunteers will conduct work in the following areas based on the community’s needs:

• Coral reef monitoring

• Coral gardening

• Fish surveying

• Seagrass surveying

• Lionfish monitoring and capture

Volunteers will snorkel to conduct this work, expect for Coral Gardening and Lionfish Monitoring, which require volunteers to scuba dive. Data collected will help support the environmental planning of the protected area.

Volunteers will also have the opportunity to conduct sea turtle monitoring on a nesting beach near Cocodrilo during sea turtle season (May-October).

Schedule

6 hours every day: 7am-1pm

Requirements

• Ability to work independently as well as on a team

• Physically ability to work outdoors with potentially high sun, element, and temperature exposure

• Physical ability to spend many hours in the ocean

• Ability to independently collect and register data

• Must be experienced snorkeler (or certified diver if you plan on diving)

• Intermediate level of Spanish

Term 

We encourage all volunteers to stay as long as possible to maximize local and personal benefit. Minimum stay is 1 week. We encourage longer commitments by discounting each additional week stayed. Maximum stay is 1 month. 

Accommodation 

Accommodation is provided at Villa Arrecife, our volunteer house and dive center. The house has two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and back patio and is located only a short walk away from the ocean and town center. You will share the house only with other volunteers. A private chef comes daily to the house to cook all meals. The best food in all of Cuba!