Hammerhead
Contributor
No, you need to help run the lines and erect the antenna yourself. That bit's an added incentive.
Malapascua: Volunteering for the Thresher Shark Research Project
- Thread starter rramaley
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I appreciate the concerns posted about cost, but I am going in with eyes wide open. Notice that in my original post I didn't ask if I should join the program, only that I was looking for people who were also participating and to hear from those who have been involved in this particular program in the past. Indeed this is something I want to do enough that I'd probably do it if it were even a bit more expensive because contributing to an activity that I believe will help protect the marine environment really matters to me.
(As a side note if you want to talk about extortionate amounts of money to volunteer, check out Earthwatch!! This TSRP program is in comparison to them a whole lot more affordable.)
I did a lot of research on the web, and this particular program turned out to be the best fit of the choices that I found for what I wanted in terms of activity, location, cost, time of year, length of stay and project impact. Fine if you want to call it a holiday but for this holiday I wanted to spend time giving back instead of just taking. And yes it is a bit more holiday-like as they do not expect you to cook, clean, maintain equipment (apart from the video camera that you are assigned) or fill tanks and they give you your own room to sleep in. As a result, someone else is doing these tasks and we need to pay them for their time as I doubt many people in Malapascua have the financial ability to volunteer their time to take care of people like me, even if they wanted to.
I joined a super cheap Canary Islands whale conservation volunteering program run by a group from the UK a few years ago. I had to share a room with 3 other people (and a few non-human critters) and a cold water shower with 20 others. Volunteers were expected to clean the living quarters, showers, kitchen and all other common areas (fair enough, I'm not a primadonna - I'm cool with chores). We had to do manual labor like building brick walls and we took turns cooking for everyone (the menu consisted of a basic meat only on Sundays, the rest of the time it was potatoes, rice, pasta and other super cheap ingredients - a carb fanatic's dream I guess). We had to bring our own pillows, bedclothes, and towels - they did provide a thin mattress. The equipment was pretty crap and we received no proper training. We relied on the goodwill of the tour operators to let us on a boat to do our "research" and conservation chats with the tourists - if there were too many paying passengers that day, we didn't go out. That program was so barebones and so poorly organised that I came away from it feeling I had not made one iota of impact on whales and dolphins in the Canaries. Sure, I built a nice wall and made a few decent draperies, but that hadn't been my goal for the trip. Never again will I decide to do something purely on cost.
Before making my final decision about the Thresher Shark program, I had plenty of direct contact with the organisors / researchers. I have read more documentation than I would care to read on what they are doing, what they have done, and want they want to do in the future. As a result I have been given a very clear picture of how much diving I will be doing, what tasks I will be assigned, what value I can bring to the project and, more importantly, how they ensure a safe operation.
As I mentioned before, I do plan to post my actual experience and will address the question about how the costs do or do not add up and I will weigh in with my opinion on if we are really doing anything of value in Malapascua. I would hope that this could then help people interested in the program to make a decision whether to participate or not.
By the way, Babydamulag, your phone isn't ringing off the hook because you forgot to mention how your resort project would benefit anyone other than yourself
Give it a charity / conservation angle and you might actually get a call or two.
3 1/2 weeks to go until my trip!!!! Can't wait!
(As a side note if you want to talk about extortionate amounts of money to volunteer, check out Earthwatch!! This TSRP program is in comparison to them a whole lot more affordable.)
I did a lot of research on the web, and this particular program turned out to be the best fit of the choices that I found for what I wanted in terms of activity, location, cost, time of year, length of stay and project impact. Fine if you want to call it a holiday but for this holiday I wanted to spend time giving back instead of just taking. And yes it is a bit more holiday-like as they do not expect you to cook, clean, maintain equipment (apart from the video camera that you are assigned) or fill tanks and they give you your own room to sleep in. As a result, someone else is doing these tasks and we need to pay them for their time as I doubt many people in Malapascua have the financial ability to volunteer their time to take care of people like me, even if they wanted to.
I joined a super cheap Canary Islands whale conservation volunteering program run by a group from the UK a few years ago. I had to share a room with 3 other people (and a few non-human critters) and a cold water shower with 20 others. Volunteers were expected to clean the living quarters, showers, kitchen and all other common areas (fair enough, I'm not a primadonna - I'm cool with chores). We had to do manual labor like building brick walls and we took turns cooking for everyone (the menu consisted of a basic meat only on Sundays, the rest of the time it was potatoes, rice, pasta and other super cheap ingredients - a carb fanatic's dream I guess). We had to bring our own pillows, bedclothes, and towels - they did provide a thin mattress. The equipment was pretty crap and we received no proper training. We relied on the goodwill of the tour operators to let us on a boat to do our "research" and conservation chats with the tourists - if there were too many paying passengers that day, we didn't go out. That program was so barebones and so poorly organised that I came away from it feeling I had not made one iota of impact on whales and dolphins in the Canaries. Sure, I built a nice wall and made a few decent draperies, but that hadn't been my goal for the trip. Never again will I decide to do something purely on cost.
Before making my final decision about the Thresher Shark program, I had plenty of direct contact with the organisors / researchers. I have read more documentation than I would care to read on what they are doing, what they have done, and want they want to do in the future. As a result I have been given a very clear picture of how much diving I will be doing, what tasks I will be assigned, what value I can bring to the project and, more importantly, how they ensure a safe operation.
As I mentioned before, I do plan to post my actual experience and will address the question about how the costs do or do not add up and I will weigh in with my opinion on if we are really doing anything of value in Malapascua. I would hope that this could then help people interested in the program to make a decision whether to participate or not.
By the way, Babydamulag, your phone isn't ringing off the hook because you forgot to mention how your resort project would benefit anyone other than yourself
Give it a charity / conservation angle and you might actually get a call or two.3 1/2 weeks to go until my trip!!!!
Can't wait!
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By the way, Babydamulag, your phone isn't ringing off the hook because you forgot to mention how your resort project would benefit anyone other than yourself
3 1/2 weeks to go until my trip!!!!
Shucks! I knew there was a catch. We are just funning ya! I really hope that something worthwhile comes out of it for you and the project. More folks need to devote their time, effort and money to these sort of efforts. Good luck.
BTW, cables are ran. We have landlines, Internet service, 84 channel cable TV and other 21st century amenities now! It is really nice to be home too!!!
I think you are correct in believing that the thresher sharks in Malapacua need some legitimate monitoring, RRamaley.
I found the number of dive operators and the general competitive attitude in Malapascua to be less than ideal for the type of dives run out at Monad Shoal every morning. Oftentimes there ended up not being anything to see anyway.
I’m not really sure what the impact of this study will ultimately be, but I am definitely interested in you report all the same.
Have a safe and eventful trip and let us know the prognosis for the future…inasmuch as you can of course.
Cheers!
I found the number of dive operators and the general competitive attitude in Malapascua to be less than ideal for the type of dives run out at Monad Shoal every morning. Oftentimes there ended up not being anything to see anyway.
I’m not really sure what the impact of this study will ultimately be, but I am definitely interested in you report all the same.
Have a safe and eventful trip and let us know the prognosis for the future…inasmuch as you can of course.
Cheers!
Hammerhead
Contributor
Being briefly serious, I'd also like to hear how it goes.
In some distant day when I have more time, I'd like to be involved in similar initiatives.
In some distant day when I have more time, I'd like to be involved in similar initiatives.
CODMAN
Contributor
Well Ram that's great. You certainly seem to be going into this with your eyes wide open and I hope you get a great experience out of it!
Have fun!
Have fun!
I appreciate the concerns posted about cost, but I am going in with eyes wide open. Notice that in my original post I didn't ask if I should join the program, only that I was looking for people who were also participating and to hear from those who have been involved in this particular program in the past. Indeed this is something I want to do enough that I'd probably do it if it were even a bit more expensive because contributing to an activity that I believe will help protect the marine environment really matters to me.
(As a side note if you want to talk about extortionate amounts of money to volunteer, check out Earthwatch!! This TSRP program is in comparison to them a whole lot more affordable.)
I did a lot of research on the web, and this particular program turned out to be the best fit of the choices that I found for what I wanted in terms of activity, location, cost, time of year, length of stay and project impact. Fine if you want to call it a holiday but for this holiday I wanted to spend time giving back instead of just taking. And yes it is a bit more holiday-like as they do not expect you to cook, clean, maintain equipment (apart from the video camera that you are assigned) or fill tanks and they give you your own room to sleep in. As a result, someone else is doing these tasks and we need to pay them for their time as I doubt many people in Malapascua have the financial ability to volunteer their time to take care of people like me, even if they wanted to.
I joined a super cheap Canary Islands whale conservation volunteering program run by a group from the UK a few years ago. I had to share a room with 3 other people (and a few non-human critters) and a cold water shower with 20 others. Volunteers were expected to clean the living quarters, showers, kitchen and all other common areas (fair enough, I'm not a primadonna - I'm cool with chores). We had to do manual labor like building brick walls and we took turns cooking for everyone (the menu consisted of a basic meat only on Sundays, the rest of the time it was potatoes, rice, pasta and other super cheap ingredients - a carb fanatic's dream I guess). We had to bring our own pillows, bedclothes, and towels - they did provide a thin mattress. The equipment was pretty crap and we received no proper training. We relied on the goodwill of the tour operators to let us on a boat to do our "research" and conservation chats with the tourists - if there were too many paying passengers that day, we didn't go out. That program was so barebones and so poorly organised that I came away from it feeling I had not made one iota of impact on whales and dolphins in the Canaries. Sure, I built a nice wall and made a few decent draperies, but that hadn't been my goal for the trip. Never again will I decide to do something purely on cost.
Before making my final decision about the Thresher Shark program, I had plenty of direct contact with the organisors / researchers. I have read more documentation than I would care to read on what they are doing, what they have done, and want they want to do in the future. As a result I have been given a very clear picture of how much diving I will be doing, what tasks I will be assigned, what value I can bring to the project and, more importantly, how they ensure a safe operation.
As I mentioned before, I do plan to post my actual experience and will address the question about how the costs do or do not add up and I will weigh in with my opinion on if we are really doing anything of value in Malapascua. I would hope that this could then help people interested in the program to make a decision whether to participate or not.
By the way, Babydamulag, your phone isn't ringing off the hook because you forgot to mention how your resort project would benefit anyone other than yourself
3 1/2 weeks to go until my trip!!!!
I know a previous researcher worked with TSD on the island and set up monitoring equipment at Monad Shoal for a thresher shark study effort. Is there any relation? TSD now has a specialty class for the thresher shark. Supposedly the divers only disturbed the sharks for about 15 minutes before they resumed thier swimming patterns.
One benefit as you mentioned is that you should have access to a lot of shark literature and hopefully the scientists studying the thresher shark. Please let us know what you learn.
One benefit as you mentioned is that you should have access to a lot of shark literature and hopefully the scientists studying the thresher shark. Please let us know what you learn.
Hi jbb,
I'm actually not sure if there is a link with TSD or not. I'll ask around when I'm there.
As for what I learn about thresher sharks, I'm sure there will be things I'll be asked not to discuss (as it is a scientific research project and the scientists will be looking to publish their findings at some point in the future), but whatever I'm permitted to share, I will be happy to!
CODMAN
Contributor
Ram, unless they make a newsbreaking discovery, talking about it shouldn't be a problem. I doubt anybody would be able to scoop a scientific publication out of what is said on an internet forum....:cool2: On the other hand, you do need to be carefull that all you give as info is factual, and not personal interpretation. If you accidentaly give interpretations, especially some that are not those of the soiciety in question, it could be bad for them...
Cheers!
Cheers!
Ram, unless they make a newsbreaking discovery, talking about it shouldn't be a problem. I doubt anybody would be able to scoop a scientific publication out of what is said on an internet forum....:cool2: On the other hand, you do need to be carefull that all you give as info is factual, and not personal interpretation. If you accidentaly give interpretations, especially some that are not those of the soiciety in question, it could be bad for them...
Cheers!
Good point!
I will keep that in mind. I really like the mix on the Scubaboard forum of scientists, dive enthusiasts, and dive professionals. Keeps things balanced as well as interesting. :meeting:Similar threads
