Cairns Queensland, Australia
This unique placement opportunity is not offered anywhere else and gives volunteers the opportunity to truly make a difference to marine conservation. Based in the world’s largest coral reef, the Island Reef Research and Conservation project offers volunteers the opportunity to participate in valued conservation activities and environmental research endeavours.
Volunteers work in collaboration with various oceanographic organisations to research the ecosystem, monitor and survey the reef, and help clean up beaches of marine debris.
Work sites are based across two beautiful tropical islands, 45-minutes from the Port of Cairns.
The program gives participants the freedom to explore Far North East Queensland with free afternoons, evenings and weekends, traveling to an iconic location that is under serious threat from coral bleaching, pollution, mining, overfishing and climate change among other factors.
Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers aim to ensure each volunteer walks away with a tangible sense of fulfilment from participating in our once in a lifetime program, being impassioned and empowered to protect our precious planet.
Volunteers make a genuine difference to this project by contributing to the Great Barrier Reef’s long-term protection. It has been specifically designed to allow people with no research experience to be involved in this essential marine conservation effort on the ground.
The initiative works towards the grand goal of preserving the wellbeing of this exotic and precious ecosystem in Far North East Queensland. Alongside a team of experienced and trained marine biologists, volunteers engage with unique activities that include coral reef surveying, reef monitoring and marine debris clean ups.
Volunteers gather first-hand data obtained in real time to inform future decision-making while making a real difference to eliminate harmful waste from our Australian beaches. Those staying on past week 1 will spend time participating in our marine turtle study, learning about these precious marine species and enjoying the special experience of swimming with turtles wild and free!
This project is a one of a kind where sheer willpower of committed people come together for a significant cause that is the true measure of your service.
Following your initial travel and settling in period on Sunday, the next Monday will be utilised for a complete orientation to the site and the project.
Each day beyond that stage will be entirely unique and dependent on the week of your placement, but will consist of:
• 6.30am – breakfast
• 7am – hostel departure
• 8am – take a boat out to the reef survey site
• 9am – work duties: featuring coral reef surveying, monitoring turtle movements, gathering of raw oceanographic data or clearing marine debris. Please note only volunteers on the 2, 3 and 4 week programs will have a chance to try SCUBA diving, or if you are a certified diver – survey underwater.
• 12pm – Lunch break and return-ferry to Cairns
• 1pm or 5pm – Cairns arrival and free time (end of day depends on the work being completed)
The project itself will consist of various 2-3 hour work-related activities, with the remainder of the time open for volunteers to explore the beauty of Cairns.
18 years of age.
Volunteers must be able to swim and speak fluent English in order to participate in this program.
Note: a 17 year old may apply if they are travelling with an adult or the parent gives their authority for the participant to travel on their own.
Option 1 – Travelling alone: book their own accommodation at a suitable hotel at their own costs. This is the responsibility of the participant and parent.
Option 2 – If you intend to travel with a parent, we can arrange a twin share accommodation at an additional rate.
The main challenge for volunteers is to be confident in the water and to be able to swim a minimum of 50 metres. You also have to be able to adapt to a warm and humid climate, as well as taking on board instructions from the team and applying them directly to the task at hand. Volunteers can require additional time to adjust outside their normal surrounds and comfort zone, but that is why the program consciously introduced the travel and orientation day for this adjustment period.
Set Start Dates:
Arrive Sunday, Depart Saturday
2026 Dates: 11/01/2026, 01/02/2026, 01/03/2026, 03/05/2026, 31/05/2026, 05/07/2026, 02/08/2026, 06/09/2026, 4/10/2026, 1/11/2026, 6/12/2026
2027 Dates: 10/1/2027, 31/01/2027, 28/02/2027, 04/04/2027, 02/05/2027, 06/06/2027, 04/07/2027, 01/08/2027, 05/09/2027, 3/10/2027, 31/10/2027, 5/12/2027
Use the booking widget on the right side to look for your preferred start date.
1 week to 4 weeks (December 2023 is a 2 week program only)
Morning activities followed by free time in the afternoons and weekends. Some training and social activities are planned in the afternoon or evening.
The accommodation is located in a dormitory-style hostel in central Cairns, located in close proximity to a range of cafes, restaurants, the mall, the esplanade and tourism operators. You can expect to share a room with 1-8 others of the same gender (please note that you can be accommodated with both volunteers and non-volunteers).
Accommodation upgrades to a single or double room with a communal bathroom at an additional cost, as well as extra nights of accommodation before or after your program. It is best to arrange accommodation upgrades or extensions with the local team at least 3 weeks prior to your program start date. Please note that these upgrades are subject to availability.
Note: No accommodation is included if you are 17 years old. There is no discount of fees (see Requirements).
Healthy lunch varieties are provided across Monday to Friday. Breakfast and dinners are the responsibility of the participants, however there are many great eateries in Cairns as well as a communal kitchen for those volunteers that would like to shop for groceries and cook their own meals.
From AUD $262 a day
| Duration | Cost (AUD) |
|---|---|
| 1 week (6 nights) | $2160 |
| 2 weeks (13 nights) | $3840 |
| 3 weeks (20 nights) | $5520 |
| Dive certification add on | Yes! Email us :) |
What’s included:
- Pre-departure support
- Project Information Booklet
- Full day of training & orientation
- Field equipment and materials
- O2E welcome pack and tshirt
- Hostel accommodation in Cairns (18+ only)
- Lunch Monday to Friday
- Ferry trips to the islands
- 24-hour in-country support
- 24-hour O2E emergency phone
- Certificate of Participation, if requested
*Please note some items are not included in the project fees listed above, such as flights, visas, vaccinations, travel insurance, snacks, spending money, local transport, in-country tours and return airport transfer (unless mentioned above). Please note that prices are subject to change without notice. Please ensure you have read the O2E Volunteers Terms and Conditions.
Andrew N.
United States
"Simply the greatest thing I have ever done!! The fellow
volunteers were all really friendly. I loved feeding all the
turtles, cleaning the tanks and giving the turtles a scratch!
After all the turtles were fed and tanks cleaned, I enjoyed
snorkelling around the island where I saw beautiful marine
life which included the green sea turtles! One of the many
highlights was participating in the release of 2 sea turtles
at the beach, an amazing experience. "
HOW TO GET STARTED
Volunteer Information And Tips
