Volunteer
Our Volunteer Divers program is vitally important to the work being undertaken by Reef Restoration Foundation. Our Volunteers are motivated, passionate and an inspiring bunch of amazing people who are committed to making a positive difference to the Great Barrier Reef.
Presently we have a total of 30 coral trees, installed in two coral nurseries, with 20 coral trees at Fitzroy Island and 10 coral trees at Hastings Reef. They are visited every 7-10 days for maintenance and monitoring. Tasks involve cleaning the coral tree frames to remove the settlement of algae and encrusting organisms and measuring and monitoring coral health, which involves identifying diseases, bleaching, predations and the general condition of the coral. We also need support to establish new nurseries, plant coral and support the scientists who are monitoring the coral nurseries.
We have received the permits to install a new coral nursery at Moore Reef in 2020. To support this expansion we need to increase our Volunteer program.
Due to covid-19 we are currently running a special covid-19 maintenance program from April - September 2020 and are unable to accept new Volunteer applications. When things return back to normal, we will seeking experienced divers that are able to volunteer regularly to help us establish, maintain and monitor our coral nurseries.
Our Volunteer Coordinator sets out a schedule approximately a month in advance requesting availability on the days required. The days selected are chosen depending on the weather, number of volunteers, other events and availability of Dive Leaders.
Typically there will be a total of six volunteers per outing and we endeavour to rotate the volunteers to provide everyone with an opportunity to be involved. Usually it will be a full day activity and you will depart Cairns at 8am and return by 6pm. If you met the above and wish to register your interest, please fill out the following form and email it to us with a scanned copy of your diver’s card. - Due to our covid-19 program - New applications will only be considered from September 2020!
“I like working with Reef Restoration Foundation because it is well organised, the people behind it are professional and the volunteers I work with are so dedicated and really believe in this project,"
- Ian Prescott, Reef Restoration Foundation Volunteer.
Requirements:
- Minimum of a Rescue Diver Certification
- Be able to commit to volunteering a minimum of 6 times per year from Cairns.
- Minimum 50 hours of logged dives outside training dive
- Volunteers ideally need to provide their own gear including, fins, stinger suit/wet suit, mask & snorkel, B.C.D.
- Want to work in a collegiate environment and be prepared to get involved and get the job done.
Usually it will be a full day activity. You are required to be on the Fitzroy Flyer departing Cairns at 8am and returning to Cairns at 6pm. If you met the above and wish to register your interest, please fill out the following form and email it to us with a scanned copy of your diver’s card.
If you are passionate about making a positive difference to the Great Barrier Reef, want to volunteer with an amazing bunch of people and can meet the above criteria, please register now.