We volunteered at Ocean Spirits in Grenada for 9 weeks as an extended honeymoon. In preparing for our trip, Vicky at Working Abroad, and Kester and Kate at Ocean Spirits were all very helpful and friendly which was much appreciated and made us even more excited about the adventure ahead.

Kate and Kester and the volunteers already on the project were very accommodating and helpful and gave us a fantastic welcome and training. We soon settled into the volunteer lifestyle, doing the duties, such as cooking and cleaning. We learned a lot from cooking for all the volunteers and with some of the locals. Although mealtimes were predominantly vegetarian, they were always tasty and often someone would buy chicken for the group and cook it as a side dish. Luckily, the internet usage in the house is limited and discouraged, so free time every day is spent playing card games, hiking, going to the beach or exploring the island. The local chocolate factory was always a popular visit; we went 6 times and never got bored of it!

The accommodation is basic, but perfectly adequate and has the most incredible view out to sea. The house is split into single sex dorm-type rooms, with 3 or 4 sharing each room at most. There are rules in place to govern the running of the house, but every effort is made to accommodate special requests or needs, as long as you pull your weight!
We saw a turtle on our first night on the beach; a breath-taking moment we will never forget. It was an incredible experience and an honour to be able to work with the turtles on the night shifts and assist with the other tasks during the day, and we hope that our contribution has assisted the fantastic conservation and research work that is being carried out in Grenada and across the Caribbean. It is hard work at times, but we were there for nine weeks and never got bored of spending nights on the beach; even in the torrential rain! Waterproofs are a must!

Finally, the other volunteers were fantastic. Although we were almost 10 years older than most, age was never an issue and we’ve kept in touch with as many of the others as we could, and recently met up for drinks and reminiscing.

We can’t recommend this experience enough.