ORCA surveying offers people from all walks of life the opportunity to actively participate in whale and dolphin conservation.

These dedicated volunteers help ORCA's work by donating their valuable time so that important marine mammal habitats can be studied and monitored on the many sea crossings the charity surveys in both UK and European waters.

Survey teams board ferries and cruise ships leaving ports across the UK to conduct scientific surveys to record the species seen, where they are and what they are doing.

All you need is a passion for whales and dolphins, a reasonable level of fitness and to take an ORCA Marine Mammal Surveyor course, which will teach you everything you need to know to become a citizen scientist.

These one day, classroom based courses take place all over the UK and will give you all of the skills you need to identify and record whales, dolphins and porpoises during offshore surveys.

You will learn about the species encountered in European waters, how to  interpret their behaviour, as well as understanding ORCA’s distance sampling survey protocol and preparing you for travelling at sea.