Boomers Abroad

Description

You will be joining an ongoing conservation and community development project, which means that you could be helping to assess the health of the reef while you snorkel off the beach, or helping local people to learn English to improve their employment prospects in the Marine Park. Plus there will be plenty of time to relax under a palm tree and gaze at the sun-drenched ocean or laze in your hammock and enjoy the breeze.

Tanzania's coast is home to some of the most spectacular beaches and off shore snorkelling in the world. The crystal clear waters host a wealth of marine habitats and wildlife, making this a perfect location to swim and snorkel and explore a pristine, magical underwater world.

* What Will I Be Doing?

Our marine research and conservation programme is run in association with the University of Dar es Salaam (with whom Frontier has been in partnership for over twenty years). The project aims to provide the local stakeholders and government bodies with the information they need to design and implement management plans for the future protection of the fabulous Marine Park on Mafia Island. You will have the chance to see the reefs and the observe the various wildlife communities that live on them and so to help gather the important data needed. You might also get the chance to explore and record the living organisms that inhabit the luxuriant mangrove forests, dense sea grass beds and productive intertidal areas. You may even get to see the impact of dynamite fishing on the corals reefs, note the effects of global warming on marine communities or observe the impact of the marine-curio trade on endangered marine invertebrates.

Whilst swimming and shore snorkelling, you'll see an extraordinary array of animals from turtles to rays, sea cucumbers to feathery starfish, and spiny urchins to octopus. Your work may even allow you to observe dolphins or gigantic Whale Sharks.

You will also have the chance to get involved in our community work, perhaps by helping with environmental education days or by helping to teach teach English to villagers and Marine Park staff. By the end of your stay you should be able to identify a number number of coloured and patterned reef fish, you will have made friends with the local villagers, especially the children, and have obtained an enviable suntan. The work is intense and challenging and you'll get immense satisfaction from having survived your beach camping experience and from having made a valuable contribution to the conservation of this untarnished marine wilderness. You will return home with the new friends you've made and a wealth of incredible photos, videos and memories.

You'll find your team to be a fun, dynamic mix of ages and experiences, with members who all share a passion for travelling in developing countries and saving endangered wildlife. Your staff will be young, friendly individuals who are highly experienced in their field and many have also volunteered on a Frontier project earlier in their career.

For further information about Frontier marine conservation work please refer to the publications section of this website.