nkntes program - Volunteer program

The Adriatic Dolphin Project gives you the opportunity to join our research as a volunteer. It is an unique chance to live the experience of meeting the dolphins in their own environment.

Volunteers spend twelve days in our field base in Loinj and actively participate in our daily routine. This includes collecting data at sea, preparation of boat and equipment, logging of data into the computer, preliminary data analysis, preparation of lecture materials and background reading.
Eco-volunteers live with the researchers; they are expected to help in practical everyday jobs such as the preparation of meals or field base maintenance. The motivation of these people involved in the program is of great importance for the project as a whole. 

The day of the volunteer:

There is no typical day... much of what we do is based on sea conditions. When the sea is calm and the weather is fine, you will prepare your lunch after breakfast and then head for the boat to search for the dolphins. 

When a group of dolphins is located, the animals are followed at close quarters for as long as it is necessary to take data. The moment the dolphins are sighted, everyone on board has a specific task to fulfill. Your task as project participant is to record; the time, the number and breakdown of animals, their behavioural activity and their names as the researcher calls them out. 
If the sea is not calm, the team remains at the base co-operating in the data handling and analysis as well as in the everyday activities. One of the other attractions of this project is the unique chance you get to learn
more about dolphins and their lifestyle. 
Everyday that you are not out on the boat you will be offered a lecture on aspects of cetacean biology or the marine environment as a whole. The station is also equipped with a comprehensive scientific literature, which you are free to consult. 
However, the eco-volunteers are free to visit the island and enjoy its beauty and the clean sea. When you need some time off or some privacy, you must indicate this yourself, as there are no fixed days off. 
The atmosphere at the project is informal and relaxed and by mutual arrangement many things are possible.
You should remember that this is no ordinary holiday and that the researchers are not tour leaders.