Lake Malawi Research Diver Internship

Be a vital member of our research team by collecting data on the Lake's fish and water quality using land-based and SCUBA-based techniques.

The Research Diver Internship program aims to train volunteer researchers in fisheries monitoring, water quality monitoring, and underwater population and biodiversity monitoring techniques. Lake Malawi is the most biologically diverse lake on the planet Lake Malawi, home to nearly 1000 endemic species of tropical freshwater fish, and it is vital that people who are dedicated to their conservation, monitor the health of the Lake environment. The goal of the program is to pair international volunteers with local Malawians so that they can learn about each other while learning about the Lake.  As volunteer researcher, after your training, you will contribute to the Maru's effort to build a local database of information on the Lake's fish, fisheries, and water quality, that can be used by environmental managers to make more informed decisions about how to best ensure that the Lake's resources are used sustainably.  Everyday you will be going out to test the water quality of the lake and the rivers that feed into it, monitor the fish catches of fisherman in the Kande area, and most days you will also be out at Kande Island diving to keep track of the beautiful cichlid fish that live there.  The research methodologies we will teach you are internationally recognized and will help prepare you for further work in the conservation sector in Africa.   You will be staying at our lakeside Research Center along the famous golden sandy beaches of the Chintheche Strip.