CONSERVATION TRAINING /
Reef specialist (4 wks)
This program is designed as an in depth training program for individuals that are passionate about the ocean and who wish to dedicate the time to develop their knowledge and skills. During the 4 weeks of the program, every day you will be exposed to ecology and conservation lectures focused on coral reef ecosystems, reef fish ecology and identification and coral biology. Through classroom sessions and underwater sessions (scuba diving) you will be learning to recognize & understand critters and their interactions on the reef with confidence while gaining precious insights about the work and daily rhythm in a small conservation NGO.
This program is open for scuba divers only as it serves a powerful tool to see them up close and learn.
What will i learn?
The course starts from a broad and general overview of environmental conservation before slowly diving into more specialized trainings. Participants will obtain in depth knowledge about coral reef health and each week specialize into a new topics from corals to fish to gather broad and specialized skills & insights on reef ecosystems and species identification. Not only will you tremendously develop your spotting skills, understanding and species identification skills but by being taught by a team of ecologists and researcher, you will also gain precious input into marine conservation work and what needs to be done to preserve the majestic biodiversity of the Philippines.
Introduction
- Get introduced to the biodiversity of the Philippines
- Learn about coral reefs, reef fish, corals, mangroves & rainforests
- Daily ecology & conservation lectures
- Daily field excursions in nature to apply knowledge and practice identification
- 6 guided scuba dives to develop ID skills of reef organisms
- Mangroves and forest national park excursion
Fish specialty
- Daily ecology & conservation lectures
- 9 guided scuba dives to develop skills and knowledge about Fish family identification and understanding of their roles and functions in the marine food web
- from broad to very specialized to develop your own skills in spotting & precise identification
- Conservation skills building along with lectures about threats and conservation of reef fish
Coral specialty
- Daily ecology and conservation lectures on corals, from broad to more specialized
- 9 guided scuba dives to practice identification skills & complement the morning lectures
- Themes explored: Coral anatomy / Coral growth forms / Types of corals / Taxonomy / Other reef substrate lifeforms / Threats to corals (predation / outbreaks / bleaching / diseases), etc.
- Conservation skills building
Research
- 3 conservation workshops on marine conservation, research & monitoring skills building, and CRCP’s work
- 7 guided scuba dives to practice conservation skills including coral monitoring & complement the previous week’s learnings
- Learning and assisting CRCP’s research team in action
- Conservation skills building
- Participating in beach clean ups
Overall
- Daily marine and terrestrial ecology and conservation lectures and guided field expeditions during week days (week-ends are off)
- 31 guided scuba dives to practice marine identification of reef critters and conservation skills
- 2 beach clean up sessions
- Discovery of famous marine sanctuaries of Siquijor Island
- Plant based meals & accommodation walking distance to the ocean
Format
This course include marine-based field activities and is open for scuba divers only as it serves a powerful tool to see them up close and learn.
Scuba diving*
Pre-requirements for marine activities
Scuba Diving format:
- An open water certification (PADI, SSI, RAID, CMAS, etc.) is required*.
- and Minimum 30 dives including at least 1 this year OR a buoyancy training with CRCP done this year*.
- Healthy and fit to scuba dive (shore diving)
*(Comfort in the water and buoyancy control are very important to us which is why we have these keen requirements. During the program we will be teaching you closely about very small and fragile marine organisms and we wouldn’t want either getting harmed in the process. If you do not yet fit the requirements, contact us, we can sometimes organize refreshers and certifications before program start)
Timelines
This program is 4 weeks including 27 nights & 20 days of activities:
- Arrival and check in on Sunday afternoon / evening to be ready for activities the next morning
- Activities starts at 8 am on Monday
- Program end and departure on Saturday morning after 4 weeks
- Week-ends are off (but accommodation still included of course), feel free to explore and enjoy the beauty of the island
- Basic shared accommodation are included during this timeframe for 27 nights (if you wish to upgrade to private accommodation, this is possible for an additional fee of 1,000PHP extra per night, let us know)
- Breakfast and lunch meals (vegetarian) are included + snacks during activity days (20 days). (Dinner is not included, but don’t worry your accommodation is near many restaurants with options for all preferences & budget types.) (You may use common kitchen for self-cooking on week ends at the condition that it is vegetarian)
- Every day, activities start at 8 am and end around 3.30 – 4 pm aside from Friday every second week were activities will start at 7am with a beach clean up (to avoid heat).
- Dive and snorkeling equipment is included (we recommend you bring your own mask for extra comfort) and all environmental fees and entrance to marine sanctuaries during field excursions are included as well.
- Port pick up and back on arrival and departure day are included.
Participation fee
- Scuba diving participant: 122,000 php (or 30,500php per week)
A deposit of 20% is asked upon booking to secure your spot
Are you filipino ? We offer an automatic 20% discount to any filipino participant. Scuba participants are asked to participate 27,500php and snorkeling participants 24,400php.
CALENDAR /
Next dates
In 2026
- 22026 Sept 6 to Oct 3
- 2026 Oct 4 to 31
- 2026 Nov 8 to Dec 5
In 2027
- 2027 Jan 31 to Feb 27
- 2027 Feb 28 to March 27
- 2027 April 4 to May 1
We organize these programs in small groups only and recommend booking ahead as we get full fast. Booking are closed 2 months ahead.
Interested?
Schedule your training with us
Our other conservation training programs
1 DAY CLASS:
MARINE OR TERRESTRIAL
Would you like to learn about marine or terrestrial ecosystems but you only have 1 day to spare ? This is for you. Pick and choose your preferred topic and come for an adventure. Each class is composed of 1 ecology and conservation lecture followed by field activity guided by one of our local expert. All levels welcomed!
1 WEEK PROGRAMS
Come immerse in environmental conservation for a 5 days / 6 nights with a team of experts on the field. Take a break from daily life, reconnect with nature, immerse in forests and pristine coral reefs and learn about how to protect them. We offer various types of 1 week programs, from broad to specialized.
LONGTERM & PROFESSIONAL COURSES (4wks min)
Are you interested in growing skills to take a bigger step from your daily life and actually help local scientific research and conservation work? Field work require skills but everything can be learned with time and efforts. If this is you, we offer long term development and mentorship programs.
Your training support our conservation efforts
For CRCP, the initiative learnwithCRCP is a way to conduct environmental outreach by spreading our love for nature and inspire individuals to develop the knowledge & conservation skills to actively protect it. Through this, we share our passion. It as well as a source of funding for our research & conservation efforts. By joining one of our conservation training, you support environmental conservation by empowering us, and allowing us in return, to empower YOU.