Volunteering and citizen science in the Maldives

Maldivian marine life is studied by a handful of long-running research programmes, and much of their data comes from ordinary people in the water. That is where a visitor adds the most value: good photos, litter picked up safely, and wildlife rules followed.

What tends not to help:

• Paying to “volunteer” with animals, especially anything that involves handling, feeding or holding them.
• Short, unskilled placements that take work a local person could be paid to do.
• Collecting coral, shells or “rescued” animals. Many marine products need a permit to leave the country (Maldives Customs), and you should not buy or collect them at all.

Our responsible travel guide covers the wider picture.

Citizen science simply means members of the public collecting data that scientists use. In the Maldives, three animals are especially good for it, because each one carries a natural “fingerprint” that a clear photo can capture.

Manta rays: the Manta Trust

Every manta ray has its own pattern of dark spots on its pale belly, and it stays the same for life. The Manta Trust and its Maldives Manta Conservation Programme have identified more than 5,500 reef mantas in the Maldives using these patterns. Their photo-ID tool, IDtheManta, lets divers and snorkellers upload pictures and sighting details. If your manta is already known, you may learn its history; if it is new to the catalogue, you may get to help name it.

How to get a useful shot:

• Photograph the belly, from below or at an angle, so the spot pattern is clear.
• Turn off the flash, and never chase or block the animal to get the picture.
• Note the date, time, site and roughly how many mantas you saw.

Read more in our manta rays guide. In Dhiffushi, mantas visit Manta Bay (Dhiya Adi Faru) in season, which makes the island a handy base for a first contribution.

Whale sharks: the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme

Whale sharks are identified by the pattern of pale spots behind the gills and along the flanks. The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP) has built a national database of individuals, largely from photos and encounter notes sent in by guides and visitors through an online citizen science platform.

• Aim for a clear, side-on photo of the spotted area just behind the gills. Research projects usually ask for a particular side, so check MWSRP’s current guidance before you go.
• Add any scars or marks you notice, plus the date, place and an estimate of size.
• Keep your distance. Feeding whale sharks is banned under the Protected Species Regulation, and touching or riding them harms them.

Our guide to swimming with whale sharks explains the encounter rules in detail.

Sea turtles: the Olive Ridley Project

Turtles can be told apart by the scales on the sides of their faces, which are unique to each animal. The Olive Ridley Project (ORP) runs the country’s largest sea turtle photo-ID database and has asked divers, snorkellers, guides, visitors and locals to send in their pictures. It has said it is especially keen on photos from local islands, including from excursion guides.

• Photograph both sides of the turtle’s face if you can; one side is still useful.
• Stay calm, keep to one side and don’t block its path to the surface to breathe.
• Note the species if you know it (green and hawksbill are the most common), the date and the site.

ORP also works on turtle rescue and on “ghost nets”, lost or abandoned fishing nets that drift and trap turtles. If you see a tangled or injured turtle, tell your guide or the island council so they can contact the right people, rather than trying to free it yourself in open water.

See our sea turtles guide for species, nesting and behaviour.

Rubbish washes up on Maldivian beaches from near and far, and waste is hard to manage on small islands. Clean-ups are often organised by island councils, schools, youth groups or environmental NGOs, sometimes at short notice.

How to join one

• Ask where you are staying, or contact the island council, whether a clean-up is planned during your visit.
• Look out for notices at the harbour, the council office or on the island’s social media.
• Bring a reusable bag, gloves if you have them, a hat and plenty of water. It is hot all year, around 30–31°C.

Doing it yourself

You don’t need an event. Pick up litter on your beach walk and use the island’s bins, with two cautions:

• Don’t pull rubbish off live coral. If something is tangled on the reef, leave it and tell a dive or snorkel guide.
• Don’t handle needles, broken glass or anything that looks hazardous. Point it out to local staff.

In Dhiffushi

Dhiffushi is a small local island on the eastern rim of North Malé Atoll, and the Dhiffushi Island Council is the place to ask about any community clean-ups while you are here. We don’t list fixed dates, because there aren’t any to promise.

The most valuable “volunteering” is often what you choose not to do. Protected species rules in the Maldives are strict, and they exist because popular sites see a lot of visitors.

• Don’t touch. Coral, turtles, rays, sharks and whale sharks all suffer from contact. Touching coral damages its living surface.
• Don’t feed. Feeding sharks is illegal under the diving rules, and feeding rays and whale sharks is banned under the Protected Species Regulation.
• Don’t chase. Let animals come to you, and give them space to leave.
• Don’t stand on the reef. Float in sandy areas, and wear a snorkel vest if you need one.

All rays have been protected since 2014, turtles have been protected for decades, and most sharks are protected too. The coral reefs guide explains why reefs are so sensitive, especially after bleaching events.

Some visitors want something longer: weeks with a research team or a community project. Be careful here.

Check the rules before you go

Most visitors enter the Maldives on the free 30-day tourist visa issued on arrival. A tourist visa is for tourism. Volunteering, especially if it involves accommodation, meals or any other benefit in return for work, may count as work that needs a different visa or a work permit. We have not found an official Maldives Immigration statement that says unpaid volunteering on a tourist visa is allowed, so don’t assume it is.

• Contact Maldives Immigration or your nearest Maldives mission and describe exactly what you plan to do.
• Ask the host organisation, in writing, what visa it arranges for volunteers and whether it sponsors you.
• Keep copies of every reply. Working without permission can bring fines or removal from the country.

Our visa and entry guide covers the tourist visa itself.

Signs of “voluntourism” to avoid

• You pay a large fee and the description is mostly about you, not the work.
• The work involves holding, feeding or “rescuing” wild animals for photos.
• No one can explain what happens to the data or how the community benefits.
• The organisation can’t tell you which visa you will hold.

Real research programmes are open about their methods and happily accept a good photo for free. Submit through each project’s own website or app, not just social media: a tag is not a data record. Photograph people and places with care too (see our photography guide).