Red Sea Volunteering with Open Ocean: Dive In Before the Tide Turns!
At a time when “voluntourism” raises concerns about ethics, impact and authenticity, Open Ocean sets itself apart, quietly reshaping what it means to volunteer in marine conservation.
A non-profit organisation with no employed staff, Open Ocean is entirely driven by passionate volunteers with vision. If you’ve ever dreamed of making a real, lasting impact on the ocean and in the community, this isn’t just another opportunity – it’s THE opportunity!
Nestled where the desert hills meet the Egyptian Red Sea near El Quseir, the Open Ocean Field Station is the base for a science-led, community-connected programme offering opportunities for all to engage meaningfully in marine conservation and local outreach.
Sway Presentation of the Open Ocean
With well-established and inter-connected missions of Education, Research, Citizen Science and Conservation, Open Ocean provides the structure, supervision and purpose needed for volunteers of all ages, skill sets and levels of experience to make a tangible difference for the reef, the region and the future.
Stewardship of the environment is transferring into the hands of the younger generations. It is essential that they are provided with the necessary education to make good decisions and take effective actions. Therein lies one of Open Ocean’s key missions.
Endless fun and inspiring initiatives engage local young people. Open Ocean volunteers drive existing projects forward and propose new ones in line with their interests and skills.
Citizen Science is key at the Open Ocean. Researching his painting “Atlas”, volunteer and award winning artist, Olivier Leger, took part in a Coral Watch dive with the Open Ocean. One of many projects supported by the Open Ocean, Coral Watch was Oli’s first experience of citizen science: “It was a great opportunity to appreciate and learn from the science that inspires my work and a fun way to add an awesome new purpose to diving!”
Join Oli on his Coral Watch dive here.
“I also had the joy of running creative workshops for local children. Volunteering with the Open Ocean was easily the highlight of my trip. Sometimes it’s as simple and rewarding as sharing your skills and what you love with others.”
Just for fun: have a go at drawing a humpback whale with Oli’s tutorial here!
Open Ocean citizen science projects are chosen so volunteers’ time and efforts feed into established global initiatives. Volunteers collect and submit vital data to comprehensive studies, driving measurable environmental progress such as Dive4Diadema, Turtle Watch Egypt, The Big Microplastic Survey, Coral Watch, iNaturalist and The Shark Trust. The infographic below shows Open Ocean contributions to these for 2025 to the end of October.
Some projects are “homegrown”. In 2022, the Open Ocean team noticed seagrass growing on the house reef alongside higher reports of turtles, raising many questions for research and study. Frequent volunteers Gerald and Fin began a new project in 2023 undertaking mapping, density and biodiversity surveys of the seagrass showing an array of interesting marine life, like sea moths, robust ghost pipefish and Red Sea walkmen. The surveys were condensed into a cohesive protocol by volunteers from the University of Glasgow in August 2025 and are completed three times a year.
Read Gerald’s blog about the creation of the project here.
Academic research is critical to conservation and the Open Ocean provides a resourced field station for educational establishments and individuals.
The surrounding area is rich and diverse. A variety of habitats offers unique environmental opportunities making the Open Ocean Field Station the top choice for marine science field studies for many of Europe’s best universities.
Open Ocean volunteers service academic requests by gathering data for ongoing locally established projects such as cleaner fish behaviour studies (University of Tübingen) and the individual identification of blue spotted stingrays (University of Glasgow).
Visit the Open Ocean Research and Education page here.
Community is at the very heart of the Open Ocean volunteer programme. Working extensively in the village of Hamrawein, volunteers are not just participants, but active drivers of community engagement: organising, leading, and delivering projects, activities and workshops based on their own skills, passions, and curiosity.
Community outreach can be as simple as organising beach or mangrove clean-ups with local children, a games session at the community centre, or even teaching a new skill to a small group. There are lots of opportunities to join existing initiatives or to develop new ones.
Fourth time volunteers, Morag and husband Pete embody the spirit of community engagement. On their latest visit, Morag devised music workshops for young people, while Pete renovated a room in the community centre, complete with underwater mural.
Every volunteer contribution has real impact on local people and their environment. An emphasis on “reuse, recycle and repurpose” brings infinite possibilities to support the community. Whether it’s renovating discarded chairs, repurposing play equipment, making sustainable toys or creating upcycled art to sell to fund community projects, there’s something for everyone!
In Rose’s words…
I learned so much about myself while volunteering at the Open Ocean. My confidence and determination to lead and help others grew whilst I was there. The camaraderie is something that I will cherish for ever. I truly believe that a good volunteering programme allows a person to grow and beautifully open their minds -and this one certainly did!
If you’re looking for a volunteering experience that is vital, fulfilling, transformative, and most importantly -real, the Open Ocean Project is ready and waiting for you. Volunteering opportunities are available year-round. For more information on how to join us:
📧 Email: info@openoceanproject.org
🌐 Website: openoceanproject.org
📸 Instagram: @openoceanproject
📘 Facebook: Open Ocean Project
