Dolphin Conservation
& Research
If you’re looking for a truly unique summer experience, your search is over. At Dolphin Conservation & Research, you can look forward to spending a week on a boat researching wild dolphins off the coast of Costa Rica.
You’ll be trained in the on-site research methods and spend the rest of your week helping the professional researchers tracking a known population of wild dolphins.
Prepare for the future
- Daily boat excursions to collect biometric data, track pod behavior, and complete photo ID image analysis
- Time in the dolphin lab to complete necropsies and shark dissections and analyze collected data
- Learning in groups of 10 or fewer, ensuring individualized attention from your teaching vets
Please note: swimming with the dolphins is not permitted for animal safety and there are no captive dolphins on-site.
By attending Dolphin Conservation & Research, you can earn up to 40 research hours, which can be included with a vet school application.
2024 Program Dates & Tuition
Full for 2024
What’s Included
All Meals
On-Site Accommodations
10:1 Teaching Vet-to-Student Ratio
Up to 40 research hours
Round trip airfare*
*Roundtrip airfare from the designated international airport hub is included. Any travel costs from your location to that hub are not included.
Program Highlights
Daily Boat Excursions
You’ll spend a great deal of your time on the research boat, completing photographic ID analysis, collecting biometric data, and tracking pod behavior.
Lab Time
In the land-based dolphin lab, you’ll help the research team perform necropsies and shark dissections, analyze stomach contents, and analyze the vast data points collected on the boat.
Golfo Dulce
Golfo Dulce, a tropical fjord, is home to bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, and humpback whales. You’ll enjoy a firsthand look at the interaction between the conservationists and the natural environment during your time here.
Earn Research Hours
Research hours are important for people interested in pursuing a career in veterinary science and conservation because they demonstrate passion and dedication for the field. Research hours can be included along with an application to veterinary school.
Your Adventure, Day by Day
Day 1
Arrival in Houston
Day 2
Journey to Costa Rica
Day 3
Introduction to Research
Day 4
Research Day I
Day 5
Research Day II
Day 6
Research Day III
Day 7
Research Day IV
Day 8
Departure
Image Gallery
What some of our students and their parents are saying…
This was the best, life changing experience. I loved the staff and other students. Overall, I learned many useful skills.”
This program allowed me to not only gain more career experience but social experience as well. I was able to learn so much while I was here while also having fun. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone interested.”
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For the safety of students, staff, and animals, not all animals may be touched or handled by participants. The teaching veterinarian and other professional staff members will advise students of the proper time, place, and method to handle animals when it is safe to do so.