Photo: Luca Hoffecker
FINstitute Member
Opportunities
From international shark expeditions to internships and research opportunities, all membership perks can be found here!
EXPEDITION 1:
MALDIVES
SOLD OUT
What You’ll Learn / Experience
Photo ID & social network studies of tiger sharks
BRUV deployments and video analyses
Laser photogrammetry techniques and pregnancy studies
Classes on shark ecology & research methods with guest talks from some other epic organizations
Photo: Luca Asshauer
Trip Snapshot
Dates: 12–18 May 2026
Location: Fuvahmulah, Maldives
Focus: Tiger shark research + conservation methods
Who Can Join: FINstitute members with Advanced Scuba certifications
Group Size: Limited to 10 participants
Cost: $2200 US ($3043.99 CAD)
Photo: Luca Asshauer
Photo: Luca Asshauer
What’s Included
Accommodation (6 nights) - twin/double occupancy room
Domestic flights + airport transfers
15 scuba dives (with daily tiger shark dives)
Science workshops & hands-on training with experts
Collaboration with local Maldivian scientists and operators
Professional photo package
Breakfast
Extra charges: Single occupancy room - $20 US/night ($28 CAD/Night), Scuba gear rental - $30 US/Day ($42 CAD/Day)
SOLD OUT
What Makes This Event Special
Unlike traditional lectures or aquarium visits, this trip places you directly in the action, observing on our liveaboard and research vessels alongside marine scientists and conservation leaders. Participants get to watch shark tagging procedures, a critical method for understanding shark movement, population health, and habitat use. Each tag deployed adds valuable data that informs global conservation strategies and helps protect threatened species.
FINstitute Observational Shark Tagging Trip
Join The FINstitute International for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure: our Observational Shark Tagging Trip, an exclusive opportunity to experience marine science and conservation in action. This immersive expedition goes far beyond a typical field trip—it’s your chance to step into the world of shark research, observe meaningful science, and connect with a passionate community working to protect our oceans.
Dates: TBA
Cost: $420 CAD ($450 AUD)
Includes: Accommodation - 2 nights & all food
Who Should Join
This trip is designed for students, conservation advocates, and anyone eager to make a tangible difference in marine conservation. No prior field experience is necessary—just curiosity, enthusiasm, and a love for the ocean.
EXPEDITION 2: HERON ISLAND
Join The FINstitute for a transformative 8-day marine science adventure on Heron Island, one of the most pristine and wildlife-rich islands on the Great Barrier Reef. This expedition blends hands-on fieldwork, real shark and turtle encounters, guided research training, and the magic of living and learning on a remote coral cay.
Dates: August 7 - 14, 2026
Cost: TBD
What’s Included:
Accommodation at Heron Island Research Station (7 nights, bunk-style student housing)
Round-trip ferry transfers from Gladstone to Heron Island
All meals provided by HIRS (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Daily snorkelling sessions (reef flat, lagoon, and reef slope)
All science workshops, lectures, and data-collection training
Reef walks with expert-led ecology interpretation
FINstitute media session + professional photos/video access
Access to HIRS facilities: labs, classrooms, aquaria, common areas
Photo: Aliah Banchik
Shark Nursery Research Internship 2026
When: Sept 1 - Nov 30, 2026 (Give or take a few days)
Where: Moorea, French Polynesia
Pricing: Internship does not cost anything. Accommodation is provided and heavily subsidized; $600 USD per month per intern and includes the cost of a rental car (not fuel). You are responsible for covering price of flights, food and any other purchases in Moorea.
Qualifications: Previous fieldwork experience, post secondary education (Bachelors, etc.), must be intuitive, outgoing, motivated and have a good attention to detail. You must be a FINstitute Member before applications close on March 15th for your application to be eligible.
Research responsibilities during your time in Moorea: The role involves evening fieldwork five nights per week, rotating across ten nursery sites around the island so that each site is sampled twice per month. Work focuses on two species – newborn blacktip reef sharks and lemon sharks – and includes ~3 hours of evening sampling plus ~30–40 minutes travel each way.
Application will close March 15, 2026, 11:59 pm PST. Emails will be sent out on March 22, 2026 with confirmation or rejection.
We are seeking motivated student interns/researchers to join our long-term shark nursery monitoring program on Mo’orea, running continuously since 2013. This program provides hands-on experience in ecological and physiological field research, contributing to an unparalleled 12-year dataset aimed at understanding how baby sharks are coping with climate change stressors in their natural habitats. Interns will gain practical skills in field sampling, data collection, and animal handling, while contributing to real-world conservation physiology.