With the beginning of summer comes a wealth of opportunity to engage in outdoor activity, and SCUBA diving is high on that list for many people. Besides taking vacations and diving locally for fun, there are always various ways in which you can keep up your SCUBA skills while providing help to those who need it through volunteer work.
Aquariums are frequently in need of divers to volunteer their skills for a prescribed measure of time. Divers are utilized for everyday maintenance of marine habitats and their staging areas, feeding aquatic creatures, and presenting information to guests. This is a great example of a symbiotic relationship in that you are providing your diving expertise in exchange for learning about marine animals and the sciences behind aquariums. Although it can be a lot of hard work where the manual labor is concerned, the value of the education you receive coupled with an added level of dive experience is generous compensation for volunteer work. You must be an experienced diver to apply for these positions, and each aquarium has their own requirements, such as number of dives completed or cold water dive experience. Most will require that you be at least 18 years of age, and can provide all your own gear and insurance.
You don’t need a degree in marine biology to assist on any number of eco-dives. Eco-dives are taking place in many regions around the world where coral reefs and other marine habitats are endangered or being rebuilt. Volunteer divers are needed to identify plant and animal species and record populations, collect scientific data specific to the area, and rid areas of trash and otherwise obstructive debris. As with aquarium volunteering, the education you will receive on these types of dives will be priceless, and your efforts deeply appreciated by the groups who go the distance to promote awareness and action. There are some that will certify you for open water diving as part of the expedition; others will require that more extensive training be completed beforehand. You will be provided specific training for the type of work you will be doing at every site. These expeditions are different from place to place, so make sure to do plenty of research and know what you want out of the experience before making a commitment.
Perhaps your local dive shop could use an extra hand during the summer months, and would be willing to barter services for discounts or training. Dive shop owners reportedly look for someone who is at least certified as a Dive Master, but you can’t know for sure unless you do the asking yourself. Whether it be maintenance of rental equipment, providing customers with information, or performing small tasks and errands, there could very well be an opportunity for you to get more dive time and experience by offering what you know in exchange.
Volunteering is a commitment that offers little in the way of material compensation, but can bestow the reward of knowing you helped to make a difference somewhere, some way in the world.
Photos via MarthaRiley, tiswango, brizzle born and bred
