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Biosphere Expeditions
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2-week expeditions 
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Diving in a Caribbean paradise: safeguarding the coral reefs of Cayos Cochinos, Honduras.
Price/dates/status
These SCUBA diving conservation volunteer holidays will take you to the world’s second largest reef system in the middle of the Cayos Cochinos Natural Monument in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Honduras. The purpose of the survey programme is to provide data on the current biological status of the reefs and of population levels of protected species within the marine protected area. Data collection follows an internationally recognised coral reef monitoring programme, called Reef Check, and will be used to make informed management and conservation decisions within the existing marine protected area. The expedition also includes training as a Reef Check EcoDiver. With this you are also eligible to apply for PADI or NAUI Reef Check Speciality Course certification. Please note that you need to be a fully qualified diver to take part in this expedition (minimum PADI Open Water or equivalent).
DetailsThese SCUBA diving conservation volunteer holidays will take you to the world’s second largest reef system in the middle of the Cayos Cochinos Natural Monument in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Honduras. The purpose of the survey programme is to provide data on the current biological status of the reefs and of population levels of protected species within the marine protected area. All this as part of an international coral reef monitoring programme, called Reef Check, and to help make informed management and conservation decisions within the Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Aims & objectives
(1) To conduct a survey of the Cayos Cochinos reefs so that results can be compared to other parts of the Meso-American barrier reef system and worldwide in terms of the abundance and diversity of corals, algae, invertebrates and fish. Background The Cayos Cochinos are a group of two small islands (Cochino Pequeno and Cochino Grande) and 13 small coral cays situated 30 kilometres northeast of the town of La Ceiba on the northern shores of Honduras. In November 1993, a Presidential Decree designated the Cayos Cochinos a Natural Protected Area and the Honduras Coral Reef Foundation (HCRF) as the managing agency responsible for the conservation of the islands. In August 1994 a second Presidential Decree confirmed the protected status of the islands. In November 2003 a Legislative Decree declared them and the area around them a Marine Natural Monument. The protected area covers 460 km2. The Cayos Cochinos form part of the world’s second largest barrier reef system, known as the Meso-American barrier reef, and have been identified by the Smithsonian Institute, The Nature Conservancy, the Word Wildlife Fund and the World Bank as one of the key sections of the barrier reef system to preserve. The reefs are the least disturbed ecosystems in the so-called Bay Islands complex and HCRF have been working with local communities, private sector bodies and government organisations to help manage the reefs and their fisheries over the last 10 years In 2004 HCRF published a new management plan for the area, which has been discussed extensively with the various stakeholders and has now been adopted by the Honduran government. Biosphere Expeditions has been invited to help with the implementation and development of this plan. Study species A coral reef is composed of a myriad of species and it is impossible to name them all here. However, during our Reef Check surveys, we will be concentrating on a number of indicator organisms such as:
Grunts (a group of fish, belonging to a taxonomic family called the Haemulidae) Other landmark species present (some of them on the islands):
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Expedition work & typical day You will spend the first three days on land and in the water with training. The expedition leader and the local scientist will prepare you for your fieldwork tasks and explain the research methods and goals. Talks are organised to make you familiar with safety, the equipment, the research (and your part in it) and the area in which it will happen. Open water dives are organised so that everyone can get comfortable in the water again and put into action the fish, invertebrate and other ID skills taught before the actual survey work begins. Once you are trained up, your tasks will be predominantly dive-based and consist of several distinct underwater activities with the team split into buddy pairs. Depending on what your assignment is on the day, you and your buddy will, for example, be recording fish or invertebrates along the transect, or recording what kind of substrate (hard or soft coral, sand, rock, etc.) covers the bottom along the transect. Covering a transect will take you about one hour and you will dive one transect in the morning and one in the afternoon. During the course of the expedition, you will be laying transects in different locations all over the reef.
Schedules do tend to vary according to weather conditions and part of the expedition experience is the need to remain flexible. However, the general plan is for breakfast to be between 07:00 and 08:00, followed by the day’s first survey dive departing the jetty at 09:00 and returning between 11:00 and 12:00. Lunch will be between 12:00 and 13:00, then leaving again at 14:00 for the second survey dive and returning at around 16:00, depending on weather, sightings and other conditions. Expect around one hour of data processing before dinner, which will be from 19:00 to 20:00. Despite this apparently full day, you will also have plenty of rest time to enjoy the island, sun and beaches. Cooled soft drinks and snacks are available in the evenings. Research area
Lying just a few miles off the coast from La Ceiba, Cayos Cochinos can usually be seen from the coast on a clear day. What appears to be a midsize mountain island is actually several different islands. Cayos Cochinos comprises 13 different cays, or small islands. Considered as part of the Bay Islands, the cays are the hardest to get to, despite the fact that they are the closest to the mainland. Partners Our main partner on this expedition is the Honduras Coral Reef Foundation (HCRF), a Honduran-registered non-profit conservation group that administrates the Marine Protected Area we work in. Other partners include the Honduras National Fisheries Department (DIGEPESCA), the Honduras Protected Areas Unit (DAPVS/ ICF), the Honduras Ministry of Defense (Naval Base), Secretaria de Recuersos Naturales y Ambiente (SERNA), Honduras Tourism Board (IHT), Instituto de Conservacion Forestal (ICF), Sociedad de Inversiones Ecologicas (SIEC), WWF, MARVIVA, USAID, The Nature Conservancy, the Smithsonian Institute, SAM - Meso-American Barrier Reef Project, as well as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) and Operation Wallacea. We also work with local subsistence fishermen communities and local schools. Corporate support comes from Swarovski Optik.
Maps
Pictures
Video
Press
Feedback"We are always looking for help to do as much research as we can in order to increase our knowledge of our natural resources and how to manage them sustainably. Working with Biosphere Expeditions gives us a great opportunity to do this on our coral reefs. On top of that there is intense cultural exchange leading to greater cross-cultural understanding, so there are multiple benefits for the archipelago of Cayos Cochinos." Adonis Cubas (resident scientist) & Italo Bonilla (co-ordinator of science and diving operations), Cayos Cochinos Marine Natural Monument, Honduras.
"With the Friends of Biosphere Expeditions' donation we will be able to keep the buoys system up and running and have the materials to replace any buoy and also the logistic to provide the regular maintenance of the buoy systems. Thank you so much for this!"
"I was born and raised in Cayo Cochino Menor. The island I once played on as a boy, I now work to protect as a boat captain for the Honduran Coral Reef Foundation. I know these waters like the back of my hand and enjoy sharing our marine treasures with the team members from Biosphere Expeditions. I am a certified rescue diver, in large part inspired by watching the teams work here. I am proud of my country and these islands and feel very lucky that researchers from Biosphere Expeditions are helping to conduct research that help in the conservation of the area. Thank you!"
“This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and it felt like a real privilege to wake up here and go out diving with the scientists.”
“I want to thank you for your dedication and enthusiasm and amazing talents that you put into your projects. I thoroughly enjoyed my Cayos experience. I have nothing but the most glowing, positive comments to make about the expedition. I hope our paths cross again, both above and below the water level.”
"The evening lectures were excellent. Well organised programme with good use of timetables, organised labs, etc. Good explanation of scientific basics. A great experience from start to finish. Thanks!"
"I really enjoyed the evening lectures we had - they were very interesting and very good speakers. It was great to see what our work was contributing to and what other scientist are working towards."
"Kathy and Italo were exceptional expedition leaders and scientists and always had concern for our needs and requests. Safety was number one priority and dive briefings were thorough."
"The group dynamic was excellent...our team leader was excellent - really chilled but directive where necessary and the dive master and his phenomenal knowledge of the sites enhanced all our dives."
"The site was extraordinary, the programme was excellent, the expedition leader & scientists were extremely well selected for this kind of an expedition. There was also outstanding care for safety matters."
BriefingThe expedition briefing contains very detailed information on this expedition, including instructions on how to get to the assembly point, what you will be doing whilst on expedition and who your expedition leader and scientists will be. You can access briefings via the Download Centre.
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. The expedition base is on the large, green island in the midground.
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