I spent one week the private island, and it was amazing. The staff are very friendly and the dive masters…
© 2022 GOECO | All rights reserved
Develop & Design | Msite
Discover a new world by helping to conserve the diverse underwater ecosystem of the Belize Barrier Reef from your home base on a private island!
Program Highlights:
Program Schedule:
Arrival Day, Sunday: Arrive at Placencia Airport (PLJ) on Sunday. Volunteers must arrange for their own hotel accommodations for this night (not included in the program fee).
Day 1, Monday: On Monday morning, volunteers will travel by boat to the island, where they will settle in and have an orientation before their first dive in the afternoon. Non-divers will begin their PADI Open Water training.
Days 2-4, Tuesday-Thursday: Volunteers will begin each morning at 6:30 AM with a morning snack of coffee and fruit. The first dive will be at 7:00 AM followed by a hearty breakfast at 8:00 AM. A second dive will be at 11:00 AM followed by lunch served at 1:00 PM. The third dive of the day is at 3:00 PM, followed by dinner at 7:00 PM and free time afterwards. Student-divers will continue with their training and complete their certification by Wednesday evening. Newly scuba certified volunteers will take part in all conservation dives on Thursday and Friday.
Day 5, Friday: All divers will take part in one morning dive, and return to the mainland at 10:30 AM.
Days 6-7, Saturday-Sunday: Weekends are free for volunteers to explore Belize. Weekend hotel accommodations are at volunteers’ own expense. For an additional fee, volunteers can join an array of tours. For those departing, Saturday is departure day from Placencia Airport.
Remaining Weeks: For those staying longer than one week, there will be another boat transfer from the mainland back to the island on Monday morning. The schedule will repeat itself with volunteer work Monday-Friday and weekends on the mainland.
Location of the Project: Placencia, Belize
Project length: Minimum 1 week – Maximum 8 weeks
Arrival Airport: Placencia Airport (PLJ)
Volunteer Work: Marine preservation
Age: Minimum age of 18. Age exceptions: Volunteers aged 16 & 17 may apply with parental consent. This program welcomes families with kids aged 12 and above.
Number of Volunteers: Up to 18 international volunteers
Important Note: We recommend Non-certified divers to sign up for a minimum duration of two weeks so they can partake in over two conservation dives. There is a $190 USD fee for the PADI Open Water course. The program includes all dive equipment except: diving mask, booties and fins, and a wetsuit. Anyone with an Advanced PADI certification who plans to take part in our optional night dives MUST bring their own dive light/torch.
What’s Included
Accommodations: Volunteers will be on the island Monday through Friday, and will stay in shared cabanas during the volunteering placement. Weekend accommodations on the mainland are not included.
Food: Three meals per workday (Monday-Thursday) are included, as well as a hearty breakfast on Fridays.
Airport Transfers: Volunteers can fly or travel by bus from Belize Airport (BZE) to Placencia Airport. Boat transfers between Placencia and the island are included.
Orientation: Orientation and a brief tour of the island is included on Monday.
Support: Comprehensive and professional pre-departure travel guidance, 24/7 GoEco emergency hotline, experienced local field team.
What’s not Included
Belize lies on the eastern coast of Central America and comprises a mainland plus a variety of cays. The Belize Barrier Reef is one of the largest coral reef systems in the world, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, making it a popular diving destination.
Most of this project takes place on a beautiful, private island which is 25 miles from the mainland. Relax in a hammock and explore the tropical Belizean waters surrounding the island! This 1.5 acre island is home to bright, colorful beach cabanas and alluring palm trees and is a secluded paradise for volunteers.
On Fridays and Saturdays, volunteers will return to the mainland. Accommodations are at the tip of the peninsula in a quaint town named Placencia, once called Punta Placencia, or Pleasant Point. Placencia has become a popular beach resort destination, desired for its sparkling beaches.
Coral reefs provide various marine animals with food, protection and shelter, but because of various factors, these delicate ecosystems are under threat. Volunteers will use their diving skills to contribute to the preservation of these ecosystems and will gain experience and knowledge that they can pass on to others. In this way, volunteers continue to leave a positive impact, even after they have left the project.
As a volunteer on this project, you will engage in various marine preservation tasks. These range from survey dives to identification dives and may include whale shark photography. Volunteers will take part in the eradication of the invasive Lionfish species, the data collection of various native species and the assessment of the local coral reef.
Volunteers can choose how much they want to get involved. All dives are voluntary, so you can choose to relax in our hammocks with a good book, fish from the island, or do a bit of sea kayaking or stand up paddle boarding or immerse yourself in conservation volunteering. The choice is yours!
Invasive Lionfish species tasks: Lionfish are originally from the Indio-Pacific Ocean, but were accidentally released into foreign waters. The lionfish population feeds on key marine life, wreaking havoc on the indigenous Belize Barrier Reef ecosystems. They can lay twenty thousand eggs every four days, which is causing a nearly uncontrollable invasion. Volunteers on this project will partake in the eradication of this devastating, non-indigenous species by assisting with the following tasks :
Native species tasks:
Marine Conservation Education:
During the volunteer week, the program offers multiple presentations on practical marine conservation. Learn about protecting coral reefs, identifying marine species, and the effects of plastic pollution.
Weekly Beach cleanup tasks:
Please note: Specific tasks may vary and are subject to change.
2022 Program Accomplishments
Although the pandemic hampered our conservation efforts, thanks to our 2022 volunteers, we still made a difference! We are proud to share the 2022 marine conservation achievement numbers:
Internet: There is currently no Wi-Fi available on the island.
Laundry: Some hotels on the mainland have laundry services for their guests. There are also laundromats within walking distance of most hotels that volunteers can use for an additional fee.
Accommodations: Volunteers will stay in stone cabanas around the island. There will be up to three volunteers per room, and bathrooms are shared. On weekends, volunteers book their own hotel rooms at their own cost.
Food: Volunteers will receive three home-cooked meals per workday (Monday-Thursday) and a hearty breakfast on Fridays. Meals include fresh fruit, vegetables and a meat dish. Most diets, including peanut allergies, can be accommodated if requested in advance.
Please note this project’s minimum requirements:
During free time on mainland Belize, volunteers can explore all that Belize offers! For an additional fee, volunteers can visit any of the following destinations and more!
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
Also known as the first jaguar preserve, this wildlife sanctuary is a must-see for wildlife enthusiasts!
Tikal Mayan Ruins
History lovers must visit Guatemala for the day to explore these ancient Mayan temples and ruins, including the Lost World Pyramid and the Temple of the Grand Jaguar.
Monkey River Nature Tour
Enjoy a boat tour of the Monkey River! Enjoy a pleasant boat ride while being on the lookout for howler monkeys.
Cave Tubing and Zip Lining at Jaguar Paw
Adventure seekers will get a thrill out of a day trip to Jaguar Paw to take a jungle hike, tube through dark caves and zip lining through the Belizean rainforest.
Bocawina Zip Line & Waterfall Rappelling
Adventure can be taken up a notch at Bocawina Zip Line and Waterfall Rappelling. Fly on the largest zipline in Belize and/or repel down the 500-foot Antelope Falls or the smaller Bocawina Falls.
Select PADI Certifications are available for an additional fee:
© 2022 GOECO | All rights reserved
Develop & Design | Msite
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!