FAQs

It depends on the expedition. Most of our fieldwork (megafauna ID, community work, beach and reef surveys) needs no certification. The 5-Week Marine Professional Development and Thesis programmes need a PADI Open Water (or equivalent). You can get certified before you travel or join us a week early to complete it with us in Mozambique. There is no diving in our Whale and Waves Expedition.

Your money goes to Love The Oceans, a registered non-profit, and any ‘profits’ are granted as unrestricted funding to Love The Oceans Conservation, a registered charity (no. 1184402). Your expedition fee covers your stay and your activities, and the surplus goes directly into the work you’re taking part in: the school ocean-literacy and swimming programmes, and our long-term research and Marine Protected Area proposal for Jangamo Bay.

We know the cost is significant, and we’d always rather you asked than counted yourself out. Get in touch about staged payments and any bursary options for the current season. We’re partnered with Minorities in Shark Science for internships for Mozambican students, and host a handful of longer-term interns annually. If you’re from a UK university we strongly recommend looking into the Turing Scheme funding to help support you financially in this learning journey.

For our 5 week Marine Professional Development program you will need to be studying a science or marine-related degree at university level or equivalent, or be changing careers into the field. However, for our other expeditions you do not need a marine science background.

For many people it has. The 5-Week expedition is built around professional development, the Thesis Programme supports dissertation fieldwork with supervision and data access, and alumni leave with reference letters, an alumni network and internship pathways. We’re partnered with a few different universities for placements and internships which count for credits and if we’re not already partnered with your uni we’ll be familiar with the process so it should be easy enough to arrange it to count towards your degree. If you’re from a UK university, we recommend looking into the Turing Scheme funding to help finance your trip – this is a specific funding scheme at some UK universities to help students travel abroad and broaden their learning experience.

Beachfront accommodation (shared or private and ranging from backpackers to high-end, depending on the expedition) and all meals provided. Tell us your dietary requirements, vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, and we cater for them. Unfortunately, due to our remote location, we cannot take people with severe allergies. If you’re unsure about this please contact us before booking.

It’s a rural stretch of the Mozambican coast, so there’s no wifi but  you can get a local sim on arrival and stay connected through your phone.

A real mix. On our 5 week Marine Professional Development Program it’s students, graduates, career-changers, and early career scientists. On our 10 day expeditions it’s holiday-makers with a conscience, retirees, families – the age range is huge with our youngest at 25 and our oldest at 72. Groups and school parties also vary hugely on the bespoke trips. Many people arrive solo. The one thing everyone shares is caring about the ocean.

18+ for the 5 week Marine Professional Development Program. Under 18s can come with a guardian on our Whale and Waves Expedition. Bespoke school and group expeditions are arranged separately with the right supervision and safeguarding in place.

Cohorts are small and popular seasons fill up, so earlier is safer. You’ll need to pay a non-refundable deposit within 2 weeks of acceptance onto the expedition, but the rest isn’t due until one month before, giving you plenty of time to sort your plans. Talk to us about dates and any flexibility you need, we reply to enquiries within three working days, even in peak season.