At just 27 years old, Tess Kneebone has already travelled extensively – from Costa Rica and Mexico to France, Morocco and across the United States. So, when a competition to join a marine conservation expedition in the Maldives with Biosphere Expeditions appeared on her Instagram feed, it was no surprise that she jumped at the opportunity.
What Tess could not have anticipated was just how deeply the experience would affect her: it reshaped her ambitions, strengthened her sense of purpose and introduced her to conservation in its most tangible form.
‘I’ve never felt more like myself than working on coral reef surveys with other ocean lovers,’ she reflects, her enthusiasm tangible.
A Week of Volunteer Work That Changed Everything
During the expedition, Tess spent her days immersed in one of the world’s most biodiverse marine environments, combining exploration with hands-on scientific research.
She describes getting to be in the ocean, observing the great biodiversity of the fish, invertebrate and reefs as ‘unforgettable’.
‘It was the most amazing experience,’ she says. ‘It was such a treat to be in the Indo-Pacific waters for a week and to learn about the biodiversity there and the impacts affecting it.’
As part of a team of citizen scientists, Tess helped collect ecological data used by Reef Check to monitor reef health, including coral cover, fish populations and key indicator species. It’s the kind of fieldwork that sits at the heart of marine citizen science and provides vital information for long-term conservation planning.
Witnessing the pressures facing these ecosystems left a lasting impression.
‘Seeing the environmental and human impacts that are left on these coral reefs and their inhabitants really made me want to work to ensure the longevity of their biodiversity, she explains.
From Media to Marine Conservation
With more than five years of experience in production and television, a transition into marine conservation might not have seemed obvious. But Tess has always been driven by curiosity and a love of travel.
She began searching for ways to travel more consciously. To engage with places she visited, rather than simply pass through them.
Biosphere Expeditions offered exactly that opportunity.
She never imagined, however, how rewarding scientific fieldwork would feel.
‘I didn’t expect it would feel so great to be in the ocean collecting important data’, she admits. ‘Being underwater, exploring these beautiful creatures in their natural habitats and seeing what threatens them made me want to ensure their survival.’
For Tess, conservation shifted from an abstract idea to something immediate, personal and deeply motivating.
Life on Board: Community at Sea
Above the surface, the expedition was just as meaningful.
The one-week expedition that Tess joined had her and all the other participants stay on a boat, moving from dive site to dive site.
Living and working aboard a liveaboard requires trust, cooperation and mutual support. This sense of community became one of the most powerful aspects of the experience.
Being part of ‘a group where everyone had different backgrounds and passions, but were brought together by the same need to protect marine life’, Tess recalls, ‘was just incredible.’
This shared purpose transformed the expedition from a memorable trip into what Tess describes as ‘a life-changing experience.’
‘The accommodation, the food, our scientist, the camaraderie of everyone. Everything was just amazing’, she reflects.
A New Direction
Before the expedition, Tess loved nature. Afterwards, the connection evolved into a sense of responsibility.
A desire to not just admire ecosystems. But actively protect them.
‘I want to centre my life around being in nature and preserving it for the next generation’, Tess now says.
Since returning home, Tess has begun exploring opportunities in higher education, with the goal of building a career in marine biology.
‘Leaving the expedition made me really want to pivot my career towards marine biology. So, I’m exploring options to re-focus on a career in marine conservation and exploration to fill that void in my life’.
Through Biosphere Expeditions, Tess, like many other citizen scientists before her, experienced first-hand the impacts of the climate crisis, pollution and habitat degradation on fragile marine ecosystems. ‘It feels like my job is now to work to keep [the reef] alive and healthy for future ocean lovers to experience’, Tess says.
‘I really love how we had a balance of survey dives and ‘pointless’ (as Biosphere Expeditions calls them) dives. This gave us a duality of diving experiences where in some we would be focused and at work and others where we would just be swimming around soaking in all the beauty’, Loulou says.
Closing Reflections
Looking back on the week that reshaped her goals and brought new meaning into her, Tess speaks with clarity and confidence.
‘My expectations were definitely surpassed’, Tess recounts. ‘I am now more in love with nature than ever before.’
She is equally passionate about encouraging others to follow a similar path.
‘If you’re thinking about joining Biosphere Expeditions, I say absolutely 100% you should do it’, she urges. ‘This whole experience opened my eyes to citizen science and showed me what having a real impact and being a citizen scientist can feel like’.
‘I’m confident whoever goes on these expeditions will walk away feeling excited, rejuvenated, and inspired.’
For Tess Kneebone, what began as a competition that surfaced in her Instagram feed became the start of a new commitment, not only to explore the ocean, but to protect it.
Join Biosphere Expeditions
As an award-winning, non-profit organisation Biosphere Expeditions organises new expeditions each year, in a wide range of countries.
Travel with us to remote and beautiful places, learn new skills, meet like-minded people from around the world and experience conservation travel in action.
No prior experience needed! Anyone with an interest in wildlife conservation can join.
Author: Liesl Hammer
Liesl Hammer grew up bilingual in England and Germany with a passion for writing and conservation and holds an English Literature with Creative Writing degree. As the daughter of Biosphere Expeditions’ founder and executive director, she has been on many expeditions, for example to Namibia, South Africa, Oman and Maldives, where she was always captivated by the different cultures, wildlife and wild places she found. Combining all these interests, Liesl now has her own business, helping organisations and businesses improve their social media presence and quality of writing, which is exactly what she does for Biosphere Expeditions – from creating a social media strategy to producing a blog to looking at communication in wildlife conservation.
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2025 Wrap-Up: Results of the annual marine conservation expedition in the Maldives