Get Involved > Become a Marine Mammal Medic
Each year, hundreds of whales and dolphins strand on our shores. Whilst some are sick or injured, others are healthy and just need a helping hand back out to sea.
But saving whales isn't as easy as it looks and successful rescue often depends on properly trained volunteers. That's where you come in.
You can become a Marine Mammal Medic with our one day course. It costs $120 ($85 for students with valid ID) and once trained you'll be added to our national callout list. That means that when a stranding occurs your lifesaving skills can be called upon.
Our Summer 20/21 Marine Mammal Medic training dates and locations are:
Auckland - Saturday 26th September SOLD OUT
Auckland - Sunday 27th September SOLD OUT
Timaru - Saturday 17th October SOLD OUT
Christchurch - Saturday 7th November SOLD OUT
Kaikoura - Sunday 8th November CLOSED
Gisborne - Saturday 28th November SOLD OUT
Mahia Sunday 29th November SOLD OUT
Wellington - Saturday 27th February SOLD OUT
Wellington - Sunday 28th February SOLD OUT
Kerikeri - Saturday 20th March
Ruakaka - Sunday 21st March
Auckland - Saturday 10th April SOLD OUT
Auckland - Sunday 11th April
Picton Saturday - 1st May
Nelson Sunday - 2nd May
Minimum age for participants is 15 years. Dates and locations are subject to demand.
Click here to enroll on a course!
Our one-day course is split into two parts;
The morning session is made up of lectures and presentations. We'll cover the adaptation and anatomy of dolphins & whales, their behaviours & social structures, and the reasons why they may strand. We will take a look at stranding rescue techniques, key roles & responsibilities and personal health & safety.$20 | Durable and re-usable bucket to carry equipment and to keep stranded animals cool |
$50 | Bi-annual certification of a dive tank (used to fill our pontoons each and every time we save a stranded whale) |
$200 | Purchases 10 high visibility vests so that Project Jonah medics can be easily identified during a stranding |
$500 | Allows us to co-ordinate our volunteers via text during a typical stranding emergency |
$1,000 | Buys a dolphin stretcher, essential for moving dolphins quickly back to water |
$2,000 | Purchases a volunteer briefing banner |
$8,000 | Buys an inflatable pontoon set, an effective whale flotation device |
$15,000 | Buys an inflatable whale for ‘on beach’ training practice |
$20,000 | Funds an inflatable rescue boat – a fast and reliable way to transport volunteers to isolated beaches and a vital way for us to monitor and track refloated whales |