Coral Cay Ambassadors are volunteers from all over the UK (and abroad) who wish to stay involved once they get back home. Ambassadors play an important role in raising awareness about our projects & the work going on, to help us spread the message of conservation to new audiences, and ultimately allow us to help protect more reefs and rainforests around the world.
They are some of the most genuine people you'll meet - so if you want to chat to someone about what expedition life is really like, these are the guys to speak to. Have a read of what they have to say about their volunteering experience with CCC:
Yee Chow, Ambassador for LondonRory Costello, Ambassador for South East of England
Matt Doggett, Assistant for the South of England
Tom Dolling, Assistant for London
Ian Fraser, Ambassador for South of England
John Garrett, Ambassador for Ireland
Lisa James, Ambassador for London
Jo Loman, Ambassador for Southwest of England
Edward Revell, Assistant for Southeast of England
Chris Richards, Assistant for Midlands
Peter Shepherdson, Ambassador North of England
Diane Turner, Ambassador for East Anglia
Jake Turner, Assistant for East Anglia
Polly Whyte, Helper for the South of England
 Name: Yee Chow
Personal Highlights:
Trekking through the dense, mountainous tropical forest, catching birds, bats and small mammals and lying in pitch black darkness surrounded by beautiful forest sounds, are some of the fondest memories I have of the forest expedition in Philippines. You really get to experience and appreciate the amazing wildlife first hand and begin to understand the importance of preserving these environments, not just for the plants and animals, but also the local communities dependent on these environment for their livelihoods.
I had such a rewarding time in Philippines that I decided to return with Coral Cay on a marine expedition in Honduras the following year. The diving was just stunning and learning about the underwater ecosystems along with the fish, corals and invertebrates just made the diving all the better!
I think the best thing about going on expeditions with Coral Cay is getting a chance to go to some incredible and remote places which you would never be able to experience otherwise and at the same time learning new skills and knowledge, have a great time, while making a positive contribution to preserving these fragile environment.
Changed outlook on life:
Being with Coral Cay has really developed and strengthened my interest and passion for the environment. Since returning from the expeditions I decided to further my studies and have since completed an MSc in environmental policy and am currently pursuing a PhD researching into climate change. I remain closely involved with Coral Cay and hope to embark on another expedition in the near future. :)
Other comments:
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to find out more about expeditions with Coral Cay. I also have quite a collection of photos from the expeditions and will be more than happy to show them to you. Some of the photos can be found from the following web pages if you are interested. Philippines forest: http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/328060 and Honduras marine: http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/913932
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 Name: Rory Costello Personal Highlights:
There are so so many....fantastic abundance of life, incredible camaraderie (you make your own entertainment and its brilliant), welcoming Filipino people, wonderful sunsets and tropical lightning, showering in the rain, playing volleyball in a monsoon.....coming back a changed man.
Changed outlook on life:
I went out to the Philippines as someone who loved diving but was really interested in wrecks; marine life was something that let me know where the wrecks were. My knowledge of Coral reef habitat was passable but no real depth to it. I’m not a tree hugger, I like living things but have always been quite pragmatic, that was about it.......
Then I had my first snorkel, followed by my first dive. I had no idea AT ALL at the sheer diversity of life, the abundance of beauty that coral supports. I came out of the water a different person. My entire perspective on what conservation was about and the need to protect such a unique environment was firmly entrenched from that moment. I passionately believe in what we are doing, CCC are making a real difference to our planet, if you go out and see the impact they have had I defy you not to come back an become an impassioned spokesperson for coral conservation.
Other comments:
These guys are the real deal, they are all volunteers, and they do what they do because it is right! This is an organisation that does exactly what it says; it conserves, it’s not about making a profit for someone it’s about making a difference. If you are reading this because you are considering doing something....Stop thinking about it and do it. I was lucky enough to take 20 young students out there, and I know every single one of them found it to be a life changing experience.
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 Name: Matt Doggett
Personal Highlights:
I was slightly apprehensive when we landed but quickly realised that the warmth and friendliness of the Filipino people is second to none. Every meeting, every community event was full of smiling faces and people genuinely pleased to see you – especially when you and the team perform their national dance in front of over one thousand locals and the mayor! The kids are amazing; all they want to do is learn, help and have fun; all at the same time. They are afraid of nothing and have no preconceptions as to how they should act.
On site the vols and staff were great. It was immensely satisfying to see people develop throughout science week; both their marine ID and volley ball skills! The social side of the expedition site was always fun and beer o’clock to watch the sunset was a daily ritual. Thank you Delia (our nurse) for looking after us all!!
The marine life out there is stunning. Always something new to find from the tiniest, craziest coloured nudibranch to the giant Tiki tiki. When I close my eyes I can still do a dive on Ampo: down the gully past the sea fans; left along the wall past where the big snapper lives; over the Acropora with the mandarin fish and finally to the piece of table coral that moves, owing to it growing on an oyster! I’ll never forget it.
Changed outlook on life:
No job will ever be as varied and rewarding as this one. You realise that some of the most important things in life are about trying to make a difference and enjoying and believing in what you do. Material wealth is all well and good but if at the end of day, we destroy all our resources and cannot feed ourselves, what good is it?
Other comments:
Please get in touch if there is anything you want to know. I’m always happy to chat about CCC and will tell it how it is! CCC projects really do have an impact on the local communities and are probably the best thing you can ever get involved with!
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 Name: Tom Dolling
Volunteer: Marine project Raviniake, Fiji summer 2004
Location: Assistant London
Personal Highlights:
I have so many highlights from the expedition; it's hard to know where to begin. The main highlight is being able to make a real difference to the lives of so many people by protecting their endangered reefs. You feel like the work you do each day is really helping and contributing to the overall goal of the organisation. Daily life on expedition is exciting, relaxing and fun all at the same time. It combines adventure through diving twice a day, education through the data collection and any spare time is spent socialising with friends, relaxing on the beach or throwing a rugby ball around or if your really feeling adventurous maybe reading a book in the hammock. The friends you meet on expedition become friends for life. 3 or 4 of the people I met on expedition are still some of my best friends. We are already planning to go on expedition again next summer to Tobago, as a group, I am sure it will be as exciting an adventure as last time.
Changed outlook on life:
Since returning from expedition I have become heavily involved in Coral Cay Conservation. I am lucky enough to have become the Ambassador for the South West of England, which is a great way to educate others on the way they are able to help and become more involved with the organisation.
Other comments:
Feel free to contact me if you would like any information or advice about going on an expedition, we can arrange a discussion over a beer. I'm based in Bath primarily, but I am frequently in Exeter, Cardiff and London. The experience of going on expedition has to be experienced to be believed. Every day is awesome, you are surrounded by fantastic people in an unbelievably beautiful location working hard for a worthy cause. It's got to be done!-Hopefully chat soon.
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 Name: Ian Fraser
Personal Highlights:
I know you're supposed to embark on projects like this with an open mind but I set out with a pretty tight agenda. I had a 'tick-list' of things I wanted to do, to see and to learn. Well, the boxes all got ticked, but the achievements I'm most proud of and the experiences I recall most clearly could not have been planned for or predicted. The whole expedition exceeded my most optimistic expectations. The diving is unbelievable, the challenges surprising and the social scene well laid-back. My personal favourites must include the first jaw-dropping drift along the home reef, free-diving with whale sharks, and surfacing from surveys to 'that' idyllic beach. I went out to the Philippines to have a rewarding time but I was still amazed and surprised by the memories and skills I've acquired.
Changed outlook on life:
It would be sad if such a great experience abruptly stopped the moment I left the expedition site. I've decided to continue learning more about reef ecology, to continue to conduct marine surveys in my local area and to endeavour to dive tropical waters as often as I can afford.
Other comments:
If you are considering CCC expeditions, you probably have a number of questions and concerns; this is understandable - I think we all did. I'd be more than happy to help you address these issues because I'd love for you enjoy some of the great experiences these expeditions offer. Do email me.
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 Name: John Garrett
Personal Highlights:
There were so many; Finally passing my science test in Egypt. The CCC crew under JWvB, young, friendly, relaxed and purposeful. The diving - Coral was even better than Egypt. Diving with the Turtle and the Dugong in Egypt – Incredible. Clearing plastic bags off fire coral – the sensation lasted for days but the virtuous feeling is still there. In the Philippines - the people - like ourselves 60 years ago Generally great team to work with. San Pedro Island – What a place, what rain!! Getting my divemaster from Yatin Patel. Watching the re action of two local trainee divers when we found two big jacks under a ledge, you could see the BBQ flames reflected in their eyes
Changed outlook on life:
I’ve always lived in the moment and these experiences enriched the moment intensely. Having lived in Ireland in the 50s the poverty and friendliness of the Philippino people came as no surprise. Some of the Egyptians were a different ball of wax combining arrogance with ineptitude to a surprising degree. The Philippines experience finally got me motivated to get off my a*** and enroll for a Marine Science degree something I should have done 30 years ago.
Other comments:
I found the CCC experience to be most enjoyable and intend to do a few more expeditions in future years (2010). I have had 40 fascinating years diving and CCC gives an opportunity to repay some of this accrued obligation in the environment I most enjoy. I find the science study difficult as I am a word person rather than a picture person. But words do not do justice to the creatures of the Coral Reefs. The mix of young people I have met on my two expeditions was fascinating – a truly mixed bag. Like the “News of the World” motto “All human life is here” on a CCC expedition.
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 Name: Lisa James
Volunteer: Marine project Southern Leyte, Philippines spring 2007
Location: Ambassador for London
Contact Details: selondon.ambass @coralcay.org
Personal Highlights:
Being welcomed into a local community like never before by some of the friendliest people I have ever met! Working with local families and schools on even simple tasks like beach clean ups were some of the most rewarding aspects of the project. Not to mention friends for life, incredible reefs, swimming with whale sharks, unbeatable sunsets, Tata's spring rolls, amazing science, fish of the day, Philippino karaoke, learning, learning, learning and making a real positive difference to peoples lives through conservation. You can't beat it. .
Changed outlook on life:
The real sense of community that the project gives you makes you realise just what can be achieved when people get together for a common cause. It's made me even more determined to get others involved in working towards greener lifestyles and giving something back to the communities in which they live work and travel.
Other comments:
I'm so impressed with the work that Coral Cay do I can't wait to tell you about it! So if you have any questions about expedition life, however big or small do get in touch. I'm happy to e-mail, phone or chat over a bevvy for an honest and frank overview of what to expect from a CCC project. Go on. It could quite possibly be the best trip of your life ever.
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 Name: Jo Loman
Personal Highlights:
Educationally: Learning so much about the marine life forms, at a speed that will scare you, but honestly it's completely achievable and you'll be training the new guys before you know it! I've had a glimpse into the weird world of the invertebrates and now I'm fascinated. Who'd have thought "that stuff" on the reef was living let alone know its name.
Personally:
Finally seeing the creatures at the top of my wish list; a seahorse just off the pier, so I spent 20 minutes snorkelling in the grass with him; and a squat anenome shrimp - very like buses these wee critters, you can wait a whole project to see one and then find four in the same dive, amazing.
Socially:
Chilling out round camp and just talking to people; staff, volunteers and locals, everyone has a different story. Saturday night fancy dress parties, any excuse for the guys to dress as girls! Being a part of a community that travellers don't have access to and participating in their lives through festivals, sport, parties and education. It's fantastic.
Changed outlook on life:
As a career breaker, for me it was rekindling my passion for diving and the marine environment. So much so, that I've left the business world and am now studying marine biology over at Swansea. It's completely changed my plans for the future and enabled me to appreciate the simpler things in life. It's amazing how little you miss the trappings of our technology driven world and how therapeutic and relaxing it is to actually be able to see the stars and listen to the waves in the evenings. I don't know what I'm going to do next but Coral Cay Conservation helped me to see the possibilities. I'm now a student, a diving professional, volunteering at a local level and still persevering with my Spanish. It's never too late to make a change or a difference.
Other comments:
Like I say, I'm based in Swansea during term time but do get out and about quite a lot. Outside of term I could be anywhere as I'm always looking for new opportunities and experiences. So, if you're thinking about becoming a volunteer, (and everybody should!) I'm always happy to chat about my time with Coral Cay. Go on, you don't know what might happen next!!
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 Name: Chris Richards
Personal Highlights:
Living in a hammock in the jungle with all the amazing noises surrounding you. Blundering into ditches in the dark when my head torch batteries gave up. Trying to keep up with the pace of the guides. Feeling part of the local community at base camp...and getting taught how to look after yourself from local kids and doing the ocha ocha dance with them! Seeing fields with hundreds of cockerels in them. Realising that you're doing something important when we caught a bat that had only ever been caught five times before. Learning all the different survey techniques. In fact there's far too many highlights to list. I could go on all day!
Changed outlook on life:
I've always wanted to go back to the jungle ever since I did the CCC expedition so as my university dissertation I'm going back to the same forest in Negros with a team from uni with CCC's support. Seeing how Coral Cay work with the local community and NGOs opened my eyes to how conservation, when carried out properly, really does work. I may well do something conservation based after my degree. Thanks Coral Cay!
Other comments:
Please e-mail me with any queries, worries or questions before you decide to go on your trip- whether it's what breakfast is to how hard the walking is to are there lots of snakes (for peace of mind,the answer to the last one is no!)
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 Name: Peter Shepherdson
Personal Highlights:
Travelling to fantastically beautiful parts of the world, meeting great people, learning to dive off a warm tropical beach, being trained to understanding the coral reef and doing my bit to save the planet.
Changed outlook on life:
Before my first CCC trip I had never travelled long haul, visited a third world country, worked for a charity, or camped. CCC is camping in huts! Working with CCC has given me the confidence to go off and stay with retired head hunters and sleep in bamboo huts with pigs and chickens running underneath etc, all of which makes a CCC expedition look very civilised.
Other comments:
I started when I was 52. My only regret is not starting 30 years earlier. Don’t hesitate, just do it. Your life will be richer for the experience. If you have any questions just contact me, I will be happy to tell it like it is.
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 Name: Diane Turner
Personal Highlights:
So many to name! Watching sunrises and sunsets over the sea or the lightning flashing in the clouds as they sail by at night. Cobbling together a costume - borrowing bits of clothing, using cardboard, foil, string and whatever else we could find for the themed Saturday night parties. Speeding along in the boat after a survey with the spray flying over, wearing a mask and singing the Bohemian Rhapsody at the tops of our voices. Meeting the locals at the expeditions sites and realising how much enthusiasm they have for the projects and how happy they are that we're there doing the work we're doing, wanting to learn from us! Learning so much about the culture, the country, the community from a direction one never would as a tourist. Meeting expedition members from lots of different backgrounds and countries who all have something in common - a commitment to the work CCC achieves, making very good friends with them, with many of whom I'm still in contact.
Changed outlook on life:
I've always been into conservation and was lucky enough to start surveying when I was about 10! Going on CCC expeditions gave me the chance to travel to other countries and learn more about the problems there, which I had read about for many years. They've made me even more committed to conservation and I've been fortunate enough to have more time to support CCC and the work they do even more in the past year by becoming an ambassador.
Other comments:
Please contact me if you would like a chat about participating on a CCC expedition or have any questions - talking about CCC expeditions is very much one of my favourite subjects! I live just outside of Cambridge, but spend a couple of days a week in Milton Keynes and am more than happy to meet-up for an informal chat or give a presentation to a group of you!
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 Name: Jake Turner
Personal Highlights:
The very fact of living on a desert island in one of the most beautiful places in the world was a highlight in itself. The ability to dive daily on beautiful undived reefs was a fantastic bonus! But it's the people that make a CCC expedition what it is - living amongst other people who want to do something to help preserve coral reefs for future generations, but who can also conjure a fancy dress costume from whatever you can scrounge from around the site - you'd be amazed at the results!
Changed outlook on life:
After my expedition to Fiji I'm more determined to do what I can to help protect coral reefs, hence my continued involvement in CCC. In addition, my diving has vastly improved - there's nothing like regular diving over several weeks to make things second nature, plus I now know what I'm looking at and have a greater appreciation of marine life.
Other comments:
Go for it - you wont regret it and you'll probably get hooked!
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 Name: Polly Whyte
Personal Highlights:
Christmas day on the beach with cocktails, watching volunteers learn and get involved, teaching fish identification through the medium of dance (well this was only for one particular fish, but it was always funny!), and all the crazy local fiestas. The Filipinos don’t pass any opportunity for a party, particularly if it’s an excuse for lots of singing and dancing. My best day was probably the day we organised a Christmas party for the local village children; 70 children playing musical chairs, splat the rat, snorkelling, scuba dunk tank, find the coconut Nemo, volley ball and more! There were so many children rushing to meet ‘Santa’ (volunteer Bill) that his ‘grotto’ (wooden shack) almost collapsed! Absolutely unforgettable madness. All this, and I haven’t even started on the marine life! Well, you’ve probably already got the impression by now that diving on world class reefs is pretty special.
Changed outlook on life:
I’ve wanted to work in conservation for many years, but the places where CCC work are the places where conservationists efforts are really, really needed. These are the places where you can make a real difference to the world.
Other comments:
However silly the question may seem, please feel free to get in touch and ask. It’s worth every bit of the fundraising, planning and dedication you put in – you won’t regret it!
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