Community-led Marine Conservation - Malapascua, Philippines

My volunteering with people and the sea was amazing! I stayed with them for 2 months (and I wish I could have stayed longer). I was able to learn so much about the world of an association. I focused more on the seagrass project but I was able to participate in all the other projects. What I liked is to see the link between the scientific projects and the social ones. Moreover, the whole team of people and the sea has always been there for me. The fact that I stayed with Filipino families really allowed me to integrate into their culture which I really appreciated. In conclusion, I am sure that the work I was able to do during these two months will contribute to the development of people and the sea's projects. This was my objective.

I never knew what to expect - it was my first experience of volunteering.
It was one of most unforgettable times!
The team were warm, welcoming and yet always professional. The expeditions were well organised, and activities always well explained.
Really important, the team listened to what my skills and experiences were, and tried to find ways to make use of that. I felt I really made a contribution, and that is so important.
While my programme was a land-based one, I did do one month of diving. The tuition was superb, and the attention to safety always a priority.
And, I met some amazing people!
Go join them - you won't regret it!

My expedition with People and the Sea is an unforgettable memory to me (:

During three months I had the chance to obtain my divemaster with a great instructor as well as interesting coral reef science training with enthusiastic science staff members.

I could also participate in different projects with the community: weekly clean-ups around Malapascua, educative activities with the kids at school, organization of the waste management and monitoring of the catch of the local fishermen.

The staff was always ready to solve a problem and meanwhile have a great time!

Living in homestay families added something special to my stay on Malapascua. I had the chance to be part of three different families and felt welcomed in all of them. Interacting with the families members allowed me to understand more about the Filipino culture and feel home even at the other side of the world.

I can only recommend to volunteer with People and the Sea to everyone who wants to get involved in marine conservation and at the same time have a wonderfull experience in a beautiful social environment.

I was an intern for 6 months at People And the Sea (Pepsea) and it was a fantastic experience. This association has become for me like a second family. This experience made me grow and allowed me to discover many things like scuba diving, breathtaking landscapes and a very close and friendly community of phillipines.

Before my experience with Pepsea, I had never been trained in diving. Therefore, in the first days, our diving instructor made me pass my diving levels and it was great. Our Science leader has trained us in one of the categories: Invertebrates, fish and corals. This training is on land as in diving.
What is also fantastic is that we participate in missions on land, so we see the two aspects of the association: marine conservation and life with the community. So it allowed me to learn their language and understand they live.

my adventure was complete and rewarding, I highly recommend this experience.

I interned at People and the Sea to collect data for my MSc thesis. The experienced team were so supportive and helpful throughout my time there and I met some amazing friends. I feel like I have made a genuine contribution towards conservation under their guidance, while also having so much fun and improving my diving skills. I completed over 50 dives and saw the most beautiful marine inhabitants ranging from tiny nudibranchs to thresher sharks as well as an array of tropical fish and stunning corals. Malapascua is a beautiful island with a very welcoming community who are eager to share their culture and experiences. I couldn't recommend this programme enough!