Overview

Marine Science Practical Course Spain

The Balearic Basin region accommodates a rich variety of underwater and bird species. During this expedition, students will learn about these fascinating animals and will possibly spot them! You may encounter bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales, sperm whales, cormorants, sea turtles and Risso’s dolphins, among others!

Get involved tagging Carretta carretta, the loggerhead sea turtle and participate on the lookout for beautiful Balearic shearwaters and other amazing sea birds. As from this summer, this project will also be performing manta trawls, measuring the amount of microplastic particles in the sea.

This is a great opportunity to learn how to collect scientific data, identify various species and sail a classic ship!  Enjoy delicious and sustainable meals and make a difference to marine conservation;  data collected contributes to the management of the marine protected areas explored on this expedition.

• Monitor the presences and behaviour of species such as Risso’s dolphins, bottlenose and common dolphins, fin whales, pilot whales, sperm whales, Balearic shearwaters, Adouin gulls, loggerhead sea turtles, swordfish, bluefin tuna, manta rays etc.
• Lookout for human activity such as fishing and recreational sports (not usually allowed in the marine reserve).
• Capture and non-invasively tag loggerhead turtles so that movements can be monitored online. This is a collaboration with SOCIB, the local oceanographic institute.
• Participate in photo-identification to catalogue the populations of Risso’s dolphins –  this is a great opportunity to practice wildlife photography skills!

This unique project also collects plastic from the sea and displays this at the port as part of their community outreach. A 5 Gyres manta trawl is used to take daily samples of surface water and the contents are analysed on board. This research ship has a hydrophone that is used to listen to whales and dolphins from a distance and increase the chance of an encounter.

Marine scientists are involved with each expedition to teach participants about species identification and behaviour, along with conservation techniques and tactics that have been in use for the past 30 years. Students can obtain ECTS university credits on-board.

As a conservation ship, this project focuses on sustainability, reducing plastic consumption and using locally sourced organic products for meals.

With this amazing and unique marine practical expedition, you will gain hands-on experience working with marine life and observing the behaviour of the many different species.  To add value and increase career and job opportunities for volunteers, we include a choice of any 2 accredited Marine Animal Rescue/Zoology/Biology/Conservation/Ichthyology Diploma course as part of this practical placement at an incredibly reasonable cost.

What does this Marine Science Practical Course Include?

Placement Fee:  £1,669 for 1-week placement and 2 x Level 3 Diploma courses

Deposit Payment: £899

The remainder of £770 to be paid 1 month before attending the project

Please note that your placement fee does NOT include the following: International and internal airfare, visa application/fees, vaccinations, insurance and luxuries. Deposit non-refundable.

Animal Jobs Direct accepts no liability or responsibility for practical placements advertised on our website. Placements are carried out entirely at the user’s own risk.