CERTIFICATION

• Awarded the Conservation Diver Turtle Ecology and Monitoring Program certificate

Prerequisites

• Advanced or equivalent buoyancy appraisal
• Be 12 years of age or older
• Demonstrate good diving skills at an Advanced Level and be comfortable with self awareness

2 Lectures

• Turtle Ecology and ID Course Lecture

Standards

• Learn about the ecology, evolutionary history, threats to sea turtle population around the globe
• Learn how to recognize issues with sea turtles and how to mitigate local threats to their health and survival
• Understand various techniques to identify sea turtles and track their populations using photo-documentation
• Understand how turtle sightings are coded and recorded into local database

Requirements

• Attend the lecture on Sea Turtle Ecology and Monitoring
• Complete the Sea Turtle Ecology and Monitoring Exam and score at least 80%
• Attend the practical briefing prior to the observation dive
• Complete at least 2 dives to attempt to find and observe sea turtles (note: if sea turtles are not found participants can still receive the certification)
• If a sea turtle is observed, collect relevant data and photographs as per local standards
• Attend debriefing and data entry (if no turtles were found, briefing will still be giving as if a turtle was observed to understand ID process)

Includes

• Conservation Diver Certificate
• 1 Lectures
• 1 dive trips / 2 dives
• Full diving equipment
• Lunches, fruit and refreshments
• Dive boat

Itineraries

• Option 1:
  Evening lectures, 1800h – 2000h: Turtle Ecology and ID lecture
  Morning Dive trip: 0700h – 1200h (2 Turtle Monitoring Dives)

• Option 2:
  Morning, 0900h – 1100h: Turtle Ecology and ID lecture
  Afternoon Dive trip: 1200h – 1800h (2 Turtle Monitoring Dives)