Dive Into My Internship & Personal Discovery
5-Week Internship starting February 22nd, in Koh Tao, Thailand.
Diving Into Coral Conservation: My Internship
I’ll be interning with The Coral Tribe, a hands-on marine conservation organization dedicated to restoring coral reefs around Koh Tao. Over the course of the program, I’ll be planting corals, maintaining underwater structures, conducting research, and surveying reefs; all while learning directly from local divers and marine biologists about how climate change is impacting these fragile ecosystems.
Beyond the reef, I’ll join community projects and island-wide environmental initiatives, seeing firsthand how local action drives global change. This internship is about learning and experiencing how a small team can make a big difference in the health of our oceans.
Together, We Can Rebuild the Reef
Be Part of the Change Beneath the Waves
The Coral Tribe
Koh Tao, Thailand
I will be interning with The Coral Tribe.
“An organisation devoted to Marine Conservation in Thailand. By training and educating divers and non divers to ocean issues, we hope to improve the health of our oceans and coral reefs with our holistic approach to Marine Conservation.”
More About The Internship
The internship includes a brief session in the morning, followed by two dives in the afternoon, 5 days a week.
Week 1
- Day 1 – AM: Marine Conservation Orientation
- Day 1 – PM: Check Dive & Introduction to Junkyard Artificial Reef
- Day 2 – AM: Marine Ecology Presentation, Fish & Invertebrate Surveys
- Day 2 – PM: Fish & Invertebrate Surveys
- Day 3 – AM: Coral Watch Presentation
- Day 3 – PM: Coral Watch Dives, Data Input
- Day 4 – AM: Land/Beach Cleanup
- Day 4 – PM: Underwater Cleanup Dives, Data Input
- Day 5 – AM: Microplastics Survey & Data Input
- Day 5 – PM: Safari Dive
fundraising Details & cost break-down
Total Cost: $8,000
This includes:
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Advanced dive training & certifications
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Reef restoration materials
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Accommodation & meals during the program
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Insurance
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Flights & travel expenses
Raised: $4,000
I’ve already brought in $4,000 – half of the total cost! – through my own savings and work. This will cover my flight, insurance, meals, and accommodation.
Now, I’m reaching out for help to fund the remaining $4,000 – the portion that directly supports coral restoration and research materials.
Still Needed: $4,000
Would you help me close the gap?
Your support doesn’t just send one person to Thailand; it sends a diver to rebuild ecosystems, a student to learn sustainable solutions, and an advocate to share the story of hope beneath the waves.
Together, we can give coral reefs a chance to thrive again.
my story
I’ve always been drawn to what lives beneath the waves. When I was three, my favorite book wasn’t a storybook: it was my parents’ saltwater fish tank guide. I memorized fish names and marveled at their colors and patterns. At four, before I even knew how to swim, I went snorkeling and squealed when I dipped my face below the surface. At six, I told everyone I wanted to be a dolphin trainer. At ten, I learned to surf above the oceans waves. Years later, on my first deep dive – ten meters down – I felt that same wonder again, but I also noticed something new.
Some of the coral below me was turning white and some were even dead. Our divemaster explained it was coral bleaching caused by rising ocean temperatures. On the next dive, he told us about coral farming: researchers growing coral on underwater structures to restore dying reefs. That idea has stuck with me ever since.
Now, through The Coral Tribe’s Coral Renewal Internship in Koh Tao, I’ll be part of that work – helping cultivate coral nurseries, transplant fragments, and support research where survival rates have reached up to 70-75%.
As I take my gap year, this is more than an internship; it’s a calling. I believe God gives us sparks of curiosity for a reason. This is mine. I’m following where that wonder began, trusting that He’s placed this passion for the ocean in me to use for good.
I’m ready to turn this wonder into action. But I can’t do it alone.
Maia and her family scuba diving in Koh Tao and Phuket, Thailand. 2024, 2025, 2022
Together, We Can Rebuild the Reef
Be Part of the Change Beneath the Waves
Your donation directly supports coral restoration, diver training, and conservation research in Thailand. Every gift - large or small - brings us one step closer to a living ocean.
Revive the Reef
Internship
The Coral Tribe