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Marine Biology Intern
Highlights
- Reef Awareness and Ethics - Learn reef care, species ID and ocean respect
- Scuba and Ocean Skills - Gain confidence while diving for conservation
- Wildlife and Conservation work - Join reef surveys, clean-ups and daily support
- Team and Field skills - Collaborate safely on guided conservation tasks
- Certificate of participation - Recognized contribution to marine protection
- Reef Awareness and Ethics - Learn reef care, species ID and ocean respect
- Scuba and Ocean Skills - Gain confidence while diving for conservation
- Wildlife and Conservation work - Join reef surveys, clean-ups and daily support
Especially good for
About the program
Based in the heart of the Zulu Kingdom, this marine biology internship offers adventurous students and volunteers a unique platform to gain hands-on experience.
Overview
The Marine Conservation Volunteer program offers a focused 2-4 week experience introducing participants to marine conservation, field operations, and practical reef monitoring activities. It is designed for those who want to contribute meaningfully to ocean conservation while gaining insight ...
Typical day
A typical day blends reef observations, CoralWatch coral health logging, marine life sighting sheets, beach clean-ups, and basic station support. Activities vary with the weather and tides.
Free-time activities
- The most popular free-time activity is a day trip to the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve. The park is home to Africa's big five: elephant, rhinoceros (black/hook-lipped and white/square-lipped), Cape buffalo, lion, and leopard.
- You can just relax on the pristine beaches of Sodwana Bay.
- There are also ...
Requirements
What's Included
What's NOT included?
Details on arrival
The Marine Conservation Volunteer program runs on a rolling basis, with start dates on the first or third Monday of each month. The standard duration is two weeks, offering a focused, hands-on introduction to marine conservation. During this time, volunteers gain in-water confidence, support structured field routines, and contribute to meaningful conservation activities within the iSimangaliso MPA.
Airport transfersRichards Bay Airport (RCB) is about 200 km (±2 hrs) from our base. To streamline logistics, we provide one group transfer per month to align with program start and end dates:
- Arrivals: please book flights to arrive at Richards Bay Airport by 13:00 on the start day.
- Departures: please book flights to depart after 11:00 on the final day.
- If you cannot make these times, let us know in advance, and we’ll do our best to accommodate alternative arrangements.
You will be met at Richards Bay Airport by a uniformed Sharklife staff member in a Sharklife-branded vehicle. A photo and contact details of your Sharklife representative will be shared in the Arrival WhatsApp group before your trip, so you can easily recognise them.
International travel- Main gateway: all international students should fly into Johannesburg — O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB).
- Connecting flight: from Johannesburg, take a domestic flight to Richards Bay (RCB). Flight time is about 1 hour.
- Customs & transfers: allow at least 2–3 hours between your international arrival and domestic connection.
- Direct flights are available to Johannesburg (JNB) from New York, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.
- After clearing immigration, connect to Richards Bay (RCB).
- Schedule your RCB flight to arrive by 13:00 on the program start day.
- Most major European cities have direct flights to Johannesburg (JNB).
- From JNB, connect onward to Richards Bay (RCB).
- Some itineraries route via Doha, Dubai, or Addis Ababa before Johannesburg.
- Personal dive certification card (if applicable)
- Dive gear (if you prefer your own, otherwise it's provided)
- Weather-appropriate clothing (Sodwana is warm, but mornings and evenings can be cool)
- Personal items and toiletries
- Any prescribed medication, with scripts if necessary
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