“Let me start off by saying, doing Global Reef’s Marine Conservation Internship was the best thing I have ever done. Diving most days, planting coral and watching the babies grow and counting incredible fish species, not to mention doing all of this on paradise island. It doesn’t get better than that.My name is Phoebe and I am a student at Plymouth University studying Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology. I took third year out to complete placements and internships. I was lucky enough to come out to Koh Tao for 6 weeks and work with the Global Reef team and get up to my Master Rescue Diver certification.

"As a 3rd year placement student from the
University of Plymouth, you hear a lot about the different places that people
go on their year out and I haven’t heard of one that incorporates as many
aspects of marine biology as Global Reef. The hands-on experience you get while
on an internship here is amazing, and the range of projects that you take part
in means that there is something here for everyone. I was surprised at how in
depth the team went into training the interns in the first few weeks. You get
trained to become a competent scientific diver, learning how to confidently
identify dozens of species of fish, coral and invertebrates using both physical
and behavioural traits to help identify them. 
As someone who has dealt with ‘eco-tourism’ in the past, it’s so
refreshing to work with an organization that is actually putting the science
first and making a real effort to improve the world."

"Hi, my name is Zoe and I am now in my second year of
Marine Biology. Firstly, Global Reef has made me fall in love with diving! It
is now such a huge passion of mine, after arriving in Koh Tao with just my Open
Water. Diving twice a day for 5 days a week really helped accelerate my
confidence in diving and I now can’t wait to complete my Dive Master Training.
I would recommend this internship to anyone who wants to get a lot of hands-on
scuba based field work, as Global Reef are involved in lots of different
projects. From coral and fish surveys to inputting data, you learn a variety of
research techniques which provides great work experience. Koh Tao itself is a
stunning place to explore on your days off and has a friendly and welcoming
community which added to my amazing time there. Finally, the team at Global
Reef is so supportive and caring so a big thank you to Piers, Gavin, Pooka and
Millie for an incredible time!"

“My name is Asad Ali, I am a 4th year university student at the university of Toronto studying Environmental Geography and Cinema Studies. I was always fascinated my the ocean and took several courses that taught me about the importance of the oceans to our environment but never got the chance to physically be in the ocean and learn, until I did my internship with Global Reef. It taught me so much, much more than I ever imagined. I learned the different growth forms of coral, the different species of fish we get on the island and the different ways to identify them. At first it was intimidating but I was constantly being encouraged and uplifted by a positive, fun and supportive team that works at global reef. Personally, the reef monitoring program was my favourite part because not only do you swim and count fish!

“Beginning a career in marine research is challenging, and can be extortionate.So many 'conservation' organisations prey upon students, graduates and career-switchers who want to gain experience in the field. I've had some awful experiences trying to get the skills needed to move on, and I've wasted a lot of time/money too (which is a thing many people have faced, unfortunately).However, being with Global Reef has been the most rewarding experience, and I'm really sad that my time as an intern is now over with them!

“Hi! My name is Madison, and I’m 26 years old. After figuring out my current career wasn’t working for me I decided to make a change, and that’s when I found Global Reef. I came in with no experience in marine biology, but I had an excitement to learn, and the team did an amazing job at turning that into a new passion. I’ve learned so much through both their classroom and hands-on teaching methods. They are truly always there and happy to help and answer any questions along the way. I now feel confident I can continue on with the skills I learned from fish ID, to all the various survey methods we did, to planting new coral colonies, and take those skills and use them anywhere in the world.

"An unforgettable experience at Global Reef. I did the marine conservation
internship for 3 months to validate my final year of engineering school and I
don't regret it. I learnt so much about the marine ecosystem of the Gulf of
Thailand and the importance of preserving this environment. You can see
first-hand the damage being done to the flora and fauna and, most importantly,
you feel like you're making a difference. Global Reef allows us to take action.
And that's not even mentioning the life on Koh Tao, which I personally loved.
Thanks to Gavin, Pooka, Millie, Scarlett and of course Piers who helped"

“During my two-month marine conservation internship with Global Reef, I gained loads of knowledge in new fields. I collected data regarding fish, invertebrates, substrate and even participated in an on-going coral restoration project. I got to practice my underwater skills and truly felt I was making a difference long-term for the environment on Koh Tao.Working with Global Reef is an extremely rewarding experience and I am thankful for getting to be a part of the team.”

“When I signed up for the internship, I didn’t really know what to expect. I never thought I would travel to Asia, let alone live on a small, tropical island for several months. The only thing that I did expect was to be diving almost every day, that’s it, oh and hopefully learn a lot of cool things about marine life which had always been a passion of mine, yet I have never had the chance to study before. My expectations were not only met, but also exceeded tenfold.I came to do the internship as part of my bachelors thesis of a Liberal Arts and Science degree in Maastricht, and as I have struggled to find the motivation to finish my studies in the years before, I figured I needed something fun and outdoorsy and not in Europe

"I am a third year student studying Marine Biology and joined Global Reef for an
internship on my placement year. My expectations of Global reef have been
unequivocally exceeded during my time here in Koh Tao. The volume of quality
dives, learning and performing a variety of different objectives and surveys
underwater, has given me a level of experience in the field that is extremely
rare in an internship programme. At Global Reef the plethora of data collected
by staff and interns is collated and used to publish real scientific papers
which illustrates the invaluable role you as an intern have! Working with
Global Reef has accelerated my passion for marine biology and research and the
picturesque island along with its incredible dive sites go a long way to making
this a top internship programme. "

“Après ma licence en biologie je souhaitais gagner de l’expérience en biologie marine et développer mes compétences en plongée. Global Reef s’est avéré être la seule organisation à proposer quelque chose de complet et m’a permis d’allier plaisir et travail au sein d’une équipe passionnée! Du début jusqu’à la fin les stagiaires sont pleinement impliqués et je n’ai jamais eu l’impression qu’une plongée ait été inutile. Si nous ne pouvions pas faire ce qui était prévu, Gavin et Pooka s’assuraient que nous ressortions de l’eau en ayant appris quelque chose ou renforcé une connaissance.

"I've spent a month in Koh Tao, doing an internship with Global Reef. It was the best adventure of my life, milestone of my scientific journey and even therapy for my always self
doubting mind!

For anybody who's thinking about participating in the internship - it's
worth it, you will learn things you never thought you could, the island is a
paradise, the team will help, support and love you more than your own
mother. "

“As an environmental science major and sociology minor at the University of Utah, I found my passion for the ocean despite being far from it. Wanting to pursue marine conservation and oceanography for my master's, I felt the need for hands-on research experience to confirm my interest in marine science. Thus, I sought the perfect internship online and found Global Reef. Unlike other internships that seemed to focus on office work and occasional coral planting, Global Reef offered a more hands-on experience. They actively ensure that interns participate to their desired extent. The internship allowed me to engage in daily scuba diving, data analysis, and pilot new projects. The professional staff at Global Reef always prioritized my interests.

"Hi! My name is Maddy. I was so incredibly nervous before coming to Global Reef but it was the best decision I could have made! Everyone was so lovely and just so welcoming and kind. Day to day I loved having the lectures at the start of the programme  to learn in depth about the coral biology and ecology as well as the local vertebrates and invertebrates. I absolutely loved doing the fish ID surveys and watching our numbers improve over the course of the internship was so rewarding. Especially knowing that I
was getting to be a small part of active research in the field. I also loved
having the opportunity to plant coral onto some of the artificial reef
structures and getting to help sink some of the structures. Knowing that I
could contribute to planting coral that will keep growing long after I’ve left
is so exciting. I feel like I could go on and on about all the amazing
experiences : from swimming with a whale shark to the scientific surveys it all
felt too good to be true!. Thankyou so so so much to Pooka and Gavin and Piers
for making it such an incredible experience!!