Volunteer / Site captain
Site captain
One person responsible for everyone on one beach for one night.
- Per beach
- One a nightNamed on the roster and report.
- Who
- Adults onlyFrom our own rosters.
- Route
- InvitedNot chosen by application.
- Decides
- On the sandThe captain, not a guest.
The job
What a captain does
Holds the roster, checks people in, briefs them, keeps the line together, logs what was collected and decides when to stop.
The number you take onto the sand is the number you bring back.
On the day
The night, step by step
- The day before: read the rosterNote first-timers, under-18s and their attending guardians, Tamil speakers, drivers, and anyone with a physical limit. Know every name before you arrive.
- Arrive firstWalk the beach before the group. Look for changes: new lights, vehicle tracks, dogs, ghost net, high water, a stranded animal. Brief on what you see tonight.
- Check people inEveryone scans in on the captain app. The QR works offline. The number you take onto the sand is the number you bring back.
- Brief the groupSame script each time, in Tamil and English: the night code, where the line walks, red light only and never towards the sea, nobody touches anything (it is the law), the exit, how to call a stop. Ask one person to repeat the light rule. If they cannot, brief again.
- Walk at the slowest person’s paceKeep the line off the high-tide debris and lights off the water. Place the recorder where they can see what the front sees.
- Keep the line togetherNobody goes ahead or falls behind alone. Count heads at every turn, not just at the end.
- Log the trash tallyCount and weigh everything collected into the app before it leaves the beach: category, count, weight, site.
- Call the stopYou end the walk, nobody else. See calling the stop.
- Close the siteHeadcount against the check-in list. Nobody leaves until the numbers match. Sweep the beach. Sync the app when you have signal.
- File the reportSame night or next morning: headcount in and out, findings, tally totals, any stop, any near-miss.
Tools
The captain app
Works offline. Syncs when you reach signal.
- Check-in
- One QR scan per person, against the roster.
- Offline
- Everything saves on the phone and syncs when you have signal.
- Roster
- Names, with first-timers, minors (guardian consent on file), languages and drivers flagged.
- Trash tally
- Category, count and weight, per site, per outing.
- Headcount
- In and out. Never skip the out count.
- Battery
- Charge fully and carry a power bank.
- Paper backup
- Printed roster and tally sheet in the kit, every night.
Log the tally on the beach
Weigh and count before the bags move. These numbers go into impact.
The call
Calling the stop
You need no permission and no certainty. Stop early.
An animal is too close to people
If the group cannot be kept back from a nesting turtle, the people leave. The animal is never moved.Someone breaks the light rule
Ask once. If a white light, flash or screen appears again, that person returns to the meeting point.A camera takes over
If the walk is being arranged around a shot, end it.Conditions change
Weather, surf, a rip current, dogs, a vehicle on the sand, poor visibility. Do not push on with a group behind you.Someone is hurt
Any injury, heat illness or fall. The whole group walks out together.The headcount is short
Everything stops until everyone is found.You are told to
An instruction from the Forest Department or police ends the walk at once. Report it the same night. With the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
Our promise
Stopping is never held against you. Stop first, explain after.
Fit
Who this suits
This suits you if
- Temperament. Calm with strangers. Able to say no and end a walk on a hunch.
- Habit. You count twice, read the roster early and arrive early.
- Experience. You have walked this beach at night several times, in more than one role.
- Language. You brief in Tamil and English, or work with a translator and agree in advance who says what.
- Fitness. You can walk soft sand at night and leave last.
Not for you if
- You want to find the nest.
- You want to take the photo.
- You want to be liked more than followed.
Route
How to become a captain
- Volunteer first in another roleWalk as a walker or recorder for a season, on more than one beach. Captains come only from our rosters.
- Get askedWe ask the people the group already turns to. You can also tell us you want it.
- Shadow a captainYou run check-in and the briefing while they watch. Then you watch them.
- Do captain trainingOn top of volunteer training: the app, tally, report, stop call, escalation and the full rules for minors. What training covers.
- Take a siteYou are named as captain on the roster and the report.
- Stay currentA refresher before each nesting season. Miss it and you walk that season as a volunteer.
If you want it
Email cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in with the beaches, roles and seasons you have done.
What you get
Our support
Kit
Red light, printed roster and tally sheet, first-aid kit, high-visibility vest for the road side.A duty lead
Reachable every night a site runs. You never decide alone.Backing
If you stop a walk, we back you: to the group and in public.Nothing else
No title, no priority at hatchling releases.
Questions
Common questions
Do I need a science background?
No. Training and the field code cover what you need.
What if I cannot brief in Tamil?
Work with a translator from the roster and agree who says what. English-only briefings are not allowed.
How many people am I responsible for?
Group size is capped per beach. The cap is on your roster.
Am I personally liable if someone gets hurt?
Everyone, including guardians of minors, signs the consent and waiver before the walk starts. Your job is to follow the field code, run the app and escalate. Anything beyond that goes to the duty lead.
What if a guest overrides me?
They cannot. On the sand the captain decides. If it becomes a problem, stop the walk and report it.
Can I captain a cleanup instead?
Yes, and it is a good place to start. Write to cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in.
What if I stop a walk and I was wrong?
Nothing happens. Stopping is never held against you. Not stopping is what we review.
Can I bring and captain my own group?
No. Groups come through collaborate with us or a session, with one of our captains.
Read alongside this
Know these well
The rules we walk by, the code you enforce and the rules for under-18s. Refreshed each season.