Volunteer
Six volunteer roles
What each role does, how long it takes, and who can join.
- Minimum
- One outingNo minimum number of shifts.
- Night walks
- December to MarchCleanups and sessions all year.
- Training
- OnceThen a refresher each season.
- Basis
- VoluntaryYou give the time you choose.
The roles
What each role does
No role involves touching an animal. The Olive Ridley is Schedule I under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Walker
Walk a stretch of beach at night in a line, at the slowest person’s pace. Look for tracks. Keep your red light pointed at your feet. Most nights you find nothing.Adults only
Site captain
One per beach per night. Holds the roster, runs check-in, briefs the group, keeps the line together, logs the tally and decides when to stop.Read the captain pageRecorder
Note what the walk found: track width, nest position against a fixed landmark, time, tide, disturbance, and empty stretches. Write clearly. Never guess.Most needed
Translator, Tamil and English
Brief equally well in both languages: night briefings, school sessions, village meetings, consent forms, and questions from residents and parents.Media
Photo or video under the night code: no flash, no light towards the sea, no recognisable minor without written guardian consent, and no frame showing a nest location. Hand over raw files. Post nothing before we do.Driver
Move people, kit and cleanup waste between meeting point, site and collection point. Needs a valid licence and insurance. Never carry a minor without their guardian in the vehicle.
Most needed
Translators. If you can brief in Tamil and English, say so first.
Joining
From first walk to regular
- Come once as a participantBook a turtle walk or a cleanup. See how it runs.
- Choose a roleEmail cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in with the role, the beach or city you can reach, and your languages.
- TrainOne session, one supervised outing, one signed code of conduct. What training covers.
- Shadow your first shiftYou do the job; an experienced volunteer is responsible.
- Take the role yourselfYou go on the roster by name.
- Get asked to captainCaptains are invited, not chosen by application. How that works.
How to apply
Email cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in: role, location, languages. For a cleanup team, use cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in.
The year
The season
- Before the season
- Training, beach checks, kit checks, captain intake, school bookings.
- December to March
- Nesting on the Coromandel coast. Night walks.
- Hatchling releases
- February to April. Late afternoon. Places go first to volunteers who walked the nesting nights.
- All year
- Monthly sweeps, plus International Coastal Cleanup Day every September. Awareness Sessions in Tamil or English.
- Off season
- Field notes, teacher kits, kit repairs, school sessions.
Dates
Dates, beaches and meeting points go up on events first.
Commitment
Time per role
One rule: turn up when you said you would, or tell us in advance.
- Minimum
- One outing.
- Walker
- The nights you choose in season.
- Recorder
- Walk nights, plus time after to complete the sheet on the beach.
- Translator
- Per session, often at short notice.
- Driver
- Per outing. First to arrive, last to leave.
- Site captain
- The roster the day before, then the whole night. Details.
- If you cannot come
- Tell the captain as early as possible.
Age
Age rules
- Under 18, as a participant
- Welcome on a walk, hatchling release or cleanup. A parent or guardian signs the consent and waiver and stays throughout. No substitutes.
- Under 18, in a role
- A guardian signs and attends every shift.
- Site captain
- Adults only.
- School and college groups
- Through a session booking, with teachers present. We agree the adult-to-student ratio in writing beforehand.
- Upper limit
- None. Walking soft sand at night not possible? We have recording, briefing, transport and session roles.
Full rules for under-18s are on the training page.
Our side
What we never ask
We never ask for
- A quota of friends.
- Touching an animal, nest, egg or hatchling, for any reason.
- Walking a beat alone.
- Using your face or name without asking. See privacy and DPDP.
- A rounded-up number, a gap filled from memory, or a nest nobody saw.
- A reason for leaving early. Tell the captain and go.
- Silence about a problem. Tell us the same night.
Read before you apply
Read these first
Required once
Training
The session, code of conduct, night code and rules for minors.Read trainingLead role
Site captain
Roster, check-in, tally, briefing and calling a stop. Shows who is responsible for you.Read the captain pageRules
Our field code
The rules we walk by: timing, light, distance, vehicles, group size, the sweep after.Read the field codeLegal
Consent and waiver
What you sign, what a guardian signs for a minor, the photo permission and how to withdraw it.Read the consent
Questions
Common questions
Will I see an Olive Ridley?
Maybe not. Some walkers never see an adult in a whole season. To see one, book a walk as a participant.
Do I have to commit to the whole season?
No. Commit to the nights you can keep.
Can I switch roles?
Yes. Each role needs its own training module. Ask and we add it to your next training.
Can I take photos?
Only under the night code: no flash, no light towards the sea, no recognisable minor without written guardian consent, no nest location, nothing posted before we post. See the field code.
What if I am on a roster and cannot come?
Tell the captain early. Missing twice without notice takes you off rosters.
Do you take international volunteers?
Yes, if you can reach the meeting point and follow the code. You arrange visa, insurance and accommodation. Email cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in before you book.
When does the next season start?
Nesting runs December to March. Dates and beaches go up on events first.
Other questions: cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in. An animal on the sand now? Use report a turtle.
Apply to volunteer
Volunteering is for a season. To come once, book a walk instead.