Volunteer with us

Welcome to our Volunteer program! Our program provides visitors from around the world the opportunity to experience working onboard a leading eco-tour on the World Heritage listed Ningaloo Reef. 

We offer two volunteer options:

OPTION ONE : VOLUNTEER ONBOARD OUR TOUR BOAT FOR A WEEK FOR $240  

Your booking includes the following:

1. Experience working onboard our tour boat, as part of a committed team of friendly, passionate marine ecotourism professionals. You will learn the ‘behind the scenes’ work required to deliver our world-class whale shark and humpback whale tours.
2. A chance to swim with whalesharks (and humpbacks during season) for just $18 extra on any tour during your week where less than 20 swimming passengers enter the water for a megafauna swim. IMPORTANT – we CANNOT guarantee you that you will get the chance to swim with a whale shark or humpback whale during your week volunteering onboard with us. If swimming with a whale shark whilst you are in Exmouth is really important to you, please choose OPTION TWO below!
3. Snorkel the Ningaloo Reef daily, and swim with any manta rays we encounter too! 
4. All catering (daily morning, afternoon teas and lunch) and snorkelling equipment is supplied, free transport to and from Tantabiddi and Exmouth, and onboard training and supervision.
5. Insurance whilst you are onboard working as part of our team
6. Get your own Ningaloo Whaleshark Swim t-shirt to keep, and tour photos from all the tours during your volunteer week from our onboard professional photographer.
7. And, if we get the chance, join a group of guests for a Try SCUBA dive (DSD) or a SCUBA dive if you’re already certified for just $20 extra!

You do need to pay a $500 deposit as well as the $240 to secure your booking. You will be refunded in full at the successful completion of your Volunteering week, unless:

1. you don’t turn up on the agreed date to start your Volunteer position OR
2. you don’t turn up to work each day during your Volunteering period looking clean, neat and professional, and with a great attitude ready to work, OR
3. we need to ask you to leave due to poor attitude or unsafe behaviours, after we have raised issues of concern with you on at least two previous occasions.

(If a Volunteer’s deposit is not refunded (which is very rare) we donate this sum of money to Ecocean, one of the world’s leading whaleshark research organisations.)

BOOK HERE

OPTION TWO : VOLUNTEER ONBOARD OUR TOUR BOAT FOR A WEEK FOR $700, INCLUDING A GUARANTEED WHALE SHARK SWIM!

You get all of the benefits of Option One PLUS a guaranteed swim with a whale shark by booking you onto a tour during your volunteering week. If swimming with a whale shark is really important to you whilst you are in Exmouth, we highly recommend this option to you. You do not need to pay the $500 deposit if you choose Option Two.

If you choose Option Two, we will book you onto a Whaleshark tour during you week volunteering with us and you will get the same opportunities, conditions and guarantees as the customers for our whaleshark swims for this tour.

Come join our team this season! 

BOOK HERE

IMPORTANT

Please consider the following carefully before booking on as a Volunteer:

• Accommodation is not included, you will need to organise this (best in advance as it can sell out quickly). YHA Backpackers is the closest to our office (your morning pick-up point).
• You must be over the age of 18 to Volunteer unless you have received our approval beforehand.
• Fluent English is essential to communicate easily with staff and guests.
• You are required to wear our ‘Experience Wonder’ T-Shirt whenever there are no in-water activities happening and to/from the boat each day.
• They can be long days, as you will be leaving town around 6:20am and returning around 4-5pm each day, but with plenty of time during the day to take in the Reef too. 

Once your booking is confirmed, you will need to forward through a recent photo of yourself and brief summary of your work and life experience to date. This will give us a better idea of where you are coming from and how to make the Volunteer program work best for you. Please include any social media accounts you may have.

We reserve the right to end any volunteer period early if a volunteer is viewed by the skipper, senior staff or owner as a significant risk to the safety of the passengers and crew onboard, or the business’s brand and reputation. We reserve the right to do this without any further explanation to the volunteer but do commit to NEVER doing this without a good reason to do so.

Email further questions to [email protected]