CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH MARINE CONSERVATION
PROTECTING VICTORIA'S MARINE BIODIVERSITY
Get Involved
There are many ways to be part of Aquaholics.
You might want to join us for a dive or snorkel, take part in a conservation project, become a regular member, contribute your skills as a volunteer, or gradually develop towards a leadership role.
You do not need to know exactly where you want to end up. Many people begin simply by taking part.
Participate
Aquaholics runs scuba diving, snorkelling, citizen-science, marine conservation, clean-up, training and community activities throughout the year.
Some activities are designed for experienced project volunteers, while others provide opportunities for people who are new to Aquaholics, returning after time away or simply looking for a community with whom to get involved.
Participation requirements vary between activities depending on the location, conditions, project and skills required. Each event listing will explain any relevant prerequisites, registration requirements and costs.
Inclusive Participation
Aquaholics welcomes people of different genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds, ages, abilities and levels of experience. LGBTQIA+ people are welcome and included, and our community includes people of different genders and gender identities, from a wide range of backgrounds. We believe everyone should have a fair opportunity to participate, contribute and belong.
People with disability are part of the Aquaholics community, and we aim to focus on what enables participation rather than making assumptions about what somebody cannot do. We recognise that barriers to taking part are not the same for everyone and, wherever practical, we work with individuals to identify reasonable ways to make participation safer, more comfortable and more accessible. This may include additional information or support before an activity, buddy connections, suitable activity roles, additional time, equipment access where available, or considering sites and activities appropriate to a participant's needs and experience.
Some marine activities necessarily involve medical, environmental, competency or safety requirements. Inclusion does not mean removing those requirements; it means starting from “how can we help you participate?” rather than assuming somebody cannot.
We also respect people's privacy. We do not require members or participants to disclose personal information that is not relevant to their participation, safety or the operation of the organisation.
If there is something we can reasonably do to help you participate, please let us know.
Become a Member
If you would like to participate regularly, Aquaholics membership provides a straightforward way to stay involved with our activities, projects and community.
Members receive access to eligible Aquaholics activities as part of their annual membership, rather than paying the standard non-member participation contribution each time.
Membership also provides opportunities to become more involved in the organisation, contribute to its direction and access member and volunteer development opportunities.
Volunteer With Aquaholics
Aquaholics relies on volunteers who contribute their time, knowledge and practical skills to help our activities and conservation projects succeed.
Volunteering can take many forms and does not necessarily mean being in the water.
Depending on the activity and the needs of individual projects, volunteer roles may include:
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activity and shore support
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participant registration and coordination
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equipment preparation and logistics
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citizen-science and data support
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photography and project documentation
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monitoring and survey activities
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mentoring and buddy support
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volunteer coordination
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field leadership
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project planning and delivery.
Some roles require particular qualifications or experience, while others can be undertaken by people who are completely new to Aquaholics.
From Participation to Leadership
There is no single pathway through Aquaholics.
Some people simply enjoy participating in occasional activities. Others become members, begin contributing as volunteers and progressively take on greater responsibility as their skills and experience develop.
A typical pathway might look like:
PARTICIPATE → JOIN → CONTRIBUTE → DEVELOP → LEAD
Aquaholics develops volunteers through a progression of project-specific skills, safety capability and practical experience.
As volunteers become more experienced, opportunities may include supporting activities, mentoring newer participants, undertaking citizen-science or data roles, field leadership, volunteer coordination and contributing to project delivery.
The aim is to build a broad and capable volunteer community rather than relying on a small number of people to deliver our activities.
Participation Contributions
Aquaholics is a not-for-profit organisation, but running safe and effective activities still involves direct costs including administration, equipment, logistics and activity support.
Where applicable, non-members contribute $20 per activity towards these operational costs.
Eligible Aquaholics activities are included for members as part of their annual membership.
A participation contribution applies to someone taking part in an activity; it is not a fee to volunteer. People attending solely in an assigned volunteer support role are not charged a participation contribution for that role.
Individual event listings will clearly explain any applicable costs before registration.
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Aquaholics’ volunteer needs change as projects and activities develop. Opportunities may include in-water and shore-based roles, activity support, citizen-science tasks, communications, equipment and logistics, data management, administration and project coordination.
Some opportunities are linked to specific activities or projects, while others involve helping Aquaholics more broadly.
You do not need to wait for a particular role to be advertised. If you have skills, experience or time you would like to contribute, we encourage you to register your interest and tell us how you would like to get involved.
Volunteer Training & Development
Aquaholics invests in developing volunteers where additional skills will strengthen our projects, improve safety or increase the organisation's long-term capacity.
Training and development opportunities may include project-specific skills, citizen-science methods, safety and emergency capability, activity support, volunteer coordination and leadership development.
Training support is considered according to project requirements, available resources and the value the skills will provide to Aquaholics and the wider community.
LEARN ABOUT TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Not Sure Where to Start?
You do not need to be an experienced diver, snorkeller, scientist or conservationist to become involved with Aquaholics.
Start with the option that best matches where you are now. Join an activity, become a member, volunteer your skills or simply contact us and tell us what you are interested in.
We can help you find an appropriate way to get involved.