Learning
- Custom Aliwal Shoal oceanography training
- SCUBA certification
- Freediving certification
- Citizen science techniques
- Marine species identification
Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area
From ocean awareness to ocean leadership
Building the next generation of marine conservation leaders on the Aliwal Shoal.
The Aliwal Shoal Ocean Leadership Programme is a free, fully funded marine conservation training programme that gives young people from the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast SCUBA and freediving certification, university-level oceanography training, and hands-on research experience in the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area. No university degree is required. The Aliwal Shoal Ocean Leadership Programme was created and is led by Dr Michelle Carpenter.
13
interns in the current cohort, funded for five
13
interns now SCUBA qualified
25
research dives on Aliwal Shoal, learning citizen and community science techniques
5
interns certified as SSI Basic Freediver 1
27
manta rays added to the national dataset
Figures from the 2026 programme, December 2025 onwards.
Figures last updated: 31 August 2026
What this is not
Not a pay to volunteer internship
Marine conservation is full of programmes where young people pay thousands to participate. This is the opposite. There is no participation fee. Training, certification and time on the reef are funded, and what interns give back is the point: they run their own research, teach in their own schools, and stay in their own communities as people the coastline can actually call on. South African marine conservation has needed that capacity for a very long time.
01 · How this programme started
Awareness alone was not enough
In 2020 to 2021, Dr Michelle Carpenter delivered 67 community and school outreach talks along the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. The talks landed, but a gap remained: many local young people had never actually been in the water at Aliwal Shoal, five kilometres from their own doorstep.
People needed more than information. They needed access, real time in the water, and a pathway into conservation work that did not depend on a university degree.
Aliwal Shoal is one of the most extraordinary marine environments in South Africa, yet many local people have never had the opportunity to experience it or become involved in its protection.
02 · The journey
Learning, leading, protecting
Every intern moves through the same arc: skills in the water, a voice in their community, and hands on real conservation science.
Leading
- Developed and delivered around 12 school and community talks
- Presented at three major public events: Ocean Festival, World Ocean Day, and Marine Protected Areas Day
- Media engagement including SABC and DSTV interviews
- Beach clean ups
- Community outreach activities
Protecting
- Monitoring manta rays, turtles and sharks at Aliwal Shoal
- Green Point Inshore Restricted Zone surveys
- Citizen science data collection
- Supporting MPA baseline research
03 · The standard
This is a university level course
The Aliwal Shoal Oceanography Course covers geology, chemistry, physical oceanography, biology and marine management. It was written and is taught by Dr Michelle Carpenter, and it is assessed. Most interns are balancing it against full time study or a job.
82%
Oceanography Exam 1, class average
86%
Biology quiz, class average
89%
Marine management quiz, class average
The programme funded six SCUBA certifications. All thirteen interns are now qualified.
Several interns covered part of their own diving costs so that more people could take a place. The programme was funded for five. Thirteen are still here, and every one of them is in the water.
04 · The pathway
“How can we stay involved?”
Young people asked this at the end of their first trip to the reef. The programme exists because of that question.
- 01
Community youth
- 02
Ocean experience
- 03
Skills training
- 04
Conservation leadership
- 05
Future mentors
05 · In the press
Coverage of the programme
06 · Support
Who makes this possible
Funded by The Rufford Foundation
Funded by The Rufford Foundation
The Rufford Foundation funds nature conservation projects led by people working in the countries where the work happens. Their grant put thirteen young South Africans through this programme.
rufford.orgSupported by
Wild Alliance Africa
ScubaXcursion, Scottburgh
Surfers Not Street Children
In collaboration with Surfers Not Street Children
Olivia Jones Communications
Communications and PR
Olivia Jones Communications has handled the programme's media outreach, securing national coverage including SABC, IOL and Good Things Guy.
07 · Questions
Frequently asked questions
The answers people ask for most often, in plain text.
- Is there a fee to join the programme?
- No. There is no participation fee. Training, certification and time on the reef are funded by the programme.
- Who can apply?
- Young people from communities around Umkomaas and the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. No university degree is required, and selection is on commitment rather than credentials.
- How do I apply?
- Join the waiting list on the Interns page. Intakes depend on funding, and applicants are contacted when a funded place opens.
- What do interns learn and do?
- The Aliwal Shoal Oceanography Course, SCUBA certification, freediving, citizen science techniques and species identification, plus an independent research project and school and community outreach.
- Where is the Aliwal Shoal?
- It is a Marine Protected Area about five kilometres offshore from Umkomaas on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa. It has been protected since 2004.
- Who funds and runs the programme?
- Created and led by Dr Michelle Carpenter, funded by The Rufford Foundation, with donations administered by Wild Alliance Africa NPC.
- Is this a pay-to-volunteer programme?
- No, it is the opposite. Interns pay nothing, and they give back through their own research, teaching in local schools and community work.
- How can I support it?
- Donate by bank transfer on the Donate page, become a funder or corporate supporter, donate dive gear in working condition, offer boat time for training and survey days, or volunteer professional skills.
08 · What happens next
Keep the next cohort in the water
With knowing comes caring, and with caring there's hope.