Marine Ecology Mini Internship

Our Marine Ecology Course Mini Internship is one of our shorter courses and combines an ecology speciality course of your choosing with an introduction to research diving under the guidance and expert leadership of our resident Marine Biologist. This is a great way to delve into the marine realm and start your journey into marine science, and it will change the way you experience the underwater world as a diver.

Classroom Sessions

During the Marine Ecology Course Mini Internship, you’ll participate in 3 lectures/seminars that will start to introduce you to the underwater world.  You’ll learn about the most common threats facing today’s marine ecosystems as well as what you can do to help protect the oceans.  You’ll also learn about the ecology of the ocean’s coral reefs and the animals that live within them, and why this fragile environment is so key to the health of our planet.  The classroom sessions included in your mini internship will pave the way for understanding the marine environment of the Gulf of Thailand.

In our hands-on seminars, we’ll work with and discuss methods of conservation and their feasibility in island communities.  And you can be sure that the methods and theories you learn with Big Blue Conservation are the most recent since our in-house marine biologist is at the forefront of the most innovative marine research.

Classroom sessions can be focused on any of the following topics; coral reef community ecology, coral taxonomy and physiology, sharks and rays, marine turtles, climate change and pollution, or marine diseases.

Practical Sessions

The two practical sessions you’ll experience as part of your Marine Biology Course Mini Internship are spent out diving in the ocean, putting your new knowledge and skills into real-life application.  Practical diving sessions can be centred around a variety of activities such as maintenance dives on our artificial nursery reef*, clean up dives, fish ID, whale shark/sea turtle photo ID, or Coral Watch survey dives. You will graduate from this course with a house ecology speciality certification of your choice and a new insight into conservation and research diving.

*Due to recent changes in regulations from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), volunteers – including internship participants – cannot transplant coral without first having received special training from the DMCR.  However, our conservation interns can still assist in artificial reef activities in other capacities.

What you need to bring

In order to get the most out of your internship time with Big Blue Conservation, we recommend that you have the following equipment:

• mask
• snorkel
• fins
• diving computer

Don’t have everything on that list?  No problem!  We’ll point you towards Drift, our retail store in the heart of Sairee Beach.  It has everything you could possibly need for a conservation internship – or just a trip to the beach!

What other conservation things are happening?

At Big Blue Conservation, we strongly believe in an environment of collaboration and support.  We champion conservation efforts all across the island, both above water and below.  Here are some examples of the activities that keep our Eco-Warriors busy.  Interested in getting involved?  Contact us to find out what little piece of Koh Tao we’ll be helping next!

• Swim for Sharks – an annual swim-based event to raise money for Shark Guardian and global shark conservation efforts.
• Fundraiser Quiz Nights – join us at Blue Water on Quiz Nights to raise money for local conservation efforts, and maybe win a prize!
• Keg of Knowledge events – test your knowledge of the marine world and be the last one standing!
• Island Clean Ups – we organize clean-ups of our own beach, plus join in island efforts to clean those hard-to-reach island places.

What comes next?

After your Marine Biologist for a Day internship, you still have a whole ocean of interesting courses to tackle.

• Learn about ocean animals with our Fish and Coral identification courses.
• Try learning to dive with two tanks on our Sidemount course.

Don’t forget! Because of the extra nitrogen your body builds up while scuba diving, you cannot fly within 24hrs of your last dive.

Are you fit to dive?

Scuba diving is an activity that requires a certain level of physical health. Read this medical questionnaire. If you can answer yes to any of the questions you may require medical clearance to enrol in a diving course. Contact us for more information.