Volunteer Borneo Marine and Sea Turtle Conservation
The Volunteer Borneo Marine and Turtle Conservation Project focuses on protecting and replanting coral reefs.
Volunteers also protect endangered Green and Hawksbill turtles that breed on the islands.
Volunteers at this project spend the majority of each day working in the water. You will be diving on a daily basis in order to help with coral reef conservation and regeneration. Volunteers who are new to scuba diving will be given training during their first few days in order to achieve their PADI open water dive certification. Those who already have open water dive qualifications will spend their first few days achieving their advanced certification.
Volunteers at the project during the months of May to September can also get involved in the sea turtle conservation programme, which requires snorkelling instead of scuba diving. This only takes place during certain months of the year when the sea turtles are nesting on the island’s beaches.
| Duration: 2 to 12 weeks
Hours: 6 days per week
Activities: Collecting and planting corals by scuba diving or snorkelling, sea turtle conservation through beach patrols, surveys and tagging (seasonal).
Location: Borneo
Accommodation: Tents on the beach
Requirements: Aged 18+
Donation: From £550 / US$825 for Snorkelling and Sea Turtle conservation or £1,175 / US$1,760 for scuba diving volunteers |
The Location of the Marine Conservation Centre
The conservation centre is located on the small and remote Pom Pom Island, 45 minutes by boat from the eastern coast of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. After collection from the airport in Tawau, your first night’s accommodation will be in a hotel in the fishing town of Semporna. Your evening meal is included with your accommodation in Semporna. The following morning a scenic boat ride gets you to the centre, surrounded by deserted white sand beaches, crystal clear water and a panorama of tropical, jungle-clad islands.
To find out more about Malaysia and Borneo, visit our
Volunteering in Malaysia and Borneo Fact File.
Accommodation at the Conservation Project
The conservation centre is on the beach of Pom Pom island and volunteers sleep in tents with mosquito nets, complete with comfortable airbeds, sheets and real pillows, and electric light & fan. The tents are protected from rain by large plastic sheets that also create a large porch area around each tent. The volunteer camp has a shower and toilet area along with a dining and communal area. Electricity is available from a generator and all the tents have fans and lighting. Phone and internet is available on Pom Pom although this cannot be guaranteed. Volunteers cook with others on a rota and the project provides food for three meals per day. Vegetarians can be catered for.
Daily schedule
Volunteers are asked to arrive on a Sunday or Wednesday, in order to be transferred to the island Monday or Thursday morning.
If you are new to scuba diving, your first few days will be spent achieving PADI Open Water Dive Certification, or training to Advanced Certification if you have trained previously. These courses include theory sessions and tests, and will equip you with the necessary skills to work effectively in the ocean as a dive volunteer.
Divers usually make 3 to 4 dives per day, with unlimited snorkelling opportunities. Scuba diving volunteers work from around 9am until 5 pm. Scuba divers and snorkelers work together to produce coral bases and samples to be transplanted in the reef. Many of the underwater duties can be performed by snorkelers as some reefs are at a depth of 3-5m. Sea turtle patrols are late at night, so snorkelling volunteers are not expected to start so early in the morning.
Scuba diving volunteer duties
- Collecting hard and soft coral fragments from various reefs.
- Moving prepared samples to the ocean nursery.
- Transplanting samples from nursery to reef.
- Attaching soft coral pieces to concrete bases on the reef.
- Mixing concrete and producing bases for hard and soft coral planting.
- Scuba diving at various reefs to record progress of coral growth, and species present.
- Underwater photography and documentation.
Snorkelling and Sea Turtle Conservation duties
- Mixing concrete and producing bases for hard and soft coral planting.
- Moving prepared samples to the ocean nursery.
- Transplanting samples from nursery to reef.
- Conducting nightly patrols around the island to check for sea turtle nests.
- Collecting eggs for incubation.
- Tagging sea turtles and collating information.
- snorkelling at various reefs to record species present.
- Underwater photography and documentation.
The Snorkelling and Sea Turtle conservation programme only runs from
May to September when the sea turtles are nesting on the islands beaches.
All volunteers work in small groups to carry out daily and weekly activities, including the stabilization of the reef slope, and construction, installation and monitoring of structures used to create habitats for reef fish to hide in and around.
These are only examples of what your daily activities may be, the conservation centre is continually evolving and their requirements may change before your arrival. Rest assured we are very flexible with volunteers personal needs and expect the same flexibility in return.
Got a question about volunteering at the marine conservation centre? Try our
Frequently Asked Questions about volunteering in Marine Conservation.Extra activities
Pom Pom Island offers endless scuba diving and snorkelling. If you really want to kick back and relax after a day’s diving, it is the perfect place to unwind during free time, either on a deserted stretch of beach or in the centre grounds. The centre also hosts regular barbecues on the beach, and there are two dive resorts on the island, where you can go for drinks in the evening. Those expecting a wild night life will be disappointed. Overnight trips to Semporna on the mainland can be arranged, where volunteers can visit the few bars and restaurants that cater to diving community, dive instructors and backpackers, but again the scene is very low key. In Semporna you can organize dive or snorkel trips to other famous dive sites in the area such as Sipadan and Mabul. There are some tasty and inexpensive seafood restaurants as well as great Indian food available in the Thamil restaurants. There is also a very well stocked supermarket here for buying up provisions to take back to Pom Pom. Internet cafes are found here too.
Objectives of the Borneo marine conservation project
The marine conservation project focuses on protecting and replanting coral reefs damaged by 45 years of illegal blast fishing around the islands of the Celebes Sea, Malaysian Borneo. Damaged reefs offer no hiding places for fish, and blast-rubble scattered over the sea floor leaves bare sand, which supports few species. 
Endangered Green and Hawksbill turtles are also present in the area, and each year many visit the beaches of the island to nest. By making nightly patrols from May to September, the volunteers discourage poaching by locals, and eggs can be collected and incubated, ensuring that the population does not dwindle further.
The practice of Cyanide fishing for the live fish trade has also reduced populations of many species to critical levels. Through raising environmental awareness, campaigning for tighter restrictions on illegal fishing, and volunteers’ conservation efforts, the project is creating solutions to these problems and aiding the recovery of the reef and greater ocean environment.
By collecting fragments of hard and soft corals and transplanting them into damaged areas, volunteers are aiding the recovery of these habitats and increasing biodiversity. Greater fish populations encourage larger predators such as reef sharks and rays to remain resident in this marine sanctuary, which is the ultimate goal.
Conservation Project Overview
Despite extensive blast and cyanide fishing, the area around Malaysian Borneo still hosts a vast number of species. Pelagic fish schools are common, from anchovies to sardines and tuna, and the occasional sail fish and marlin are seen feasting on the smaller shoals. A myriad of colourful reef fish are observed metres from the shore.
The island is situated in the Celebes Sea, in the ‘Coral Triangle’ – the area of ocean which has the most reef species in the world. The island also has an extensive lagoon, with resident juvenile and nesting adult Green turtles. All these and more will share your work environment and keep you company as you replant coral in the warm waters of Pom Pom Island.
To find out more about conservation in Borneo, visit our
'About Volunteering in Borneo' page.
Duration
in weeks
2
4
6
8
10
12 | Scuba
Diving
£1175 / $1760
£1675 / $2510
£1920 / $2880
£2300 / $3450
£2800 / $4200
£3360 / $5040 | Snorkelling & Sea Turtle Conservation
£550 /
$825
£700 /
$1050
£900 /
$1350
£1100 / $1650
£1300 / $1950
£1500 / $2250 |
Required Donation
The required donation for a volunteer placement is stated in UK £pounds and US $dollars.
The donation includes: - Airport pick up from Tawau airport, Sabah state, Malaysian Borneo.
- First night's accommodation and evening meal in Semporna before transfer to Pom Pom Island.
- Accommodation for the duration of your stay at the centre.
- All main meals.
- Induction and training.
- Full in country support from the project co-ordinator.
- Comprehensive information brochure.
- Assistance and advice for travelling to Borneo.
The donation does not include the cost of flights or visas although information can be provided on request.
For scuba diving volunteers:
Unqualified divers will take PADI open water certification during their first two weeks and PADI advanced open water certification for durations of four weeks or longer.
PADI open water qualified divers will take PADI advanced open water certification during their first two weeks and Emergency First Response certification for durations of four weeks or longer.
PADI advanced open water qualified divers will take Emergency First Response certification during their first two weeks and PADI rescue Diver for durations of four weeks or longer.
Discounts available for qualified scuba divers:
Scuba diving volunteers with PADI open water certification or higher are eligible for a discount if they choose not to take up the additional training offer.
If you do not wish to achieve a higher level PADI certification during your time at the project then the following discounts are available:
Two week volunteer discount - £160 / US$240
Four to twelve week 'open water qualified diver' discount - £160 / US$240
Four to twelve week 'Advanced open water' or higher qualified diver discount - £320 / US$480
Application process & requirements
The minimum age for volunteering is 18 years old. No previous experience or qualifications are necessary but we do require volunteers to be reasonably fit to cope with tasks on land in the tropical heat and the lifting of dive tanks.
PADI course requirements are for applicants to be able to swim 200m with mask, snorkel and fins. This is also relevant to volunteers not undertaking PADI courses – volunteer duties for snorkellers include being in the ocean for up to an hour, treading water and duck diving down to the corals. However, it is worth remembering that fins do make swimming very easy.
Please email if you are unsure of your ability. Volunteers must also be respectful and open minded to the cultural differences they will encounter in Malaysia. You must be able to speak English. Volunteers must have a similar ideology to the mission of the conservation centre.
- Click on the link below to fill out an application form.
- Add "@globalteer.org" to your E-mail safe list to ensure that you receive a response.
- Your application will be reviewed and if accepted you will be notified via E-mail within one week.
- Pay your deposit to secure your placement within one week of acceptance.
- Research your destination, book your flight, inoculations and ask us any questions you may have.
- Full amount is to be paid 10 weeks before the start of your volunteer placement.
- A comprehensive information file will be sent to you with all information including a packing list, essential personal kit list, useful language phrases, volunteer rules, useful phone contacts and full location information.