Apple Podcasts  |  Spotify

If you’ve ever wondered how to actually get a job in marine conservation — not the version your career counselor described, but the real, messy, beautiful version — you’re going to love this episode.

I’m joined by Camille Lasbleiz, known on Instagram as the Conservation Queen, and we recorded this one in person on Gili Air, Indonesia, which still feels a little surreal. We met online, realized we were both spending a couple of months in the same tiny corner of the world, and decided it would honestly be a crime not to sit down and record an episode together.

Camille has done what so many of us dream about: she’s stitched together a real, sustainable career in conservation that spans terrestrial and marine work, multiple continents, and pretty much every job title you can think of. Think: baby-sloth mama in Costa Rica, divemaster in Panama, snorkel guide in the Maldives, and now creator, mentor, and trip leader extraordinaire.

This conversation is part origin story, part real-talk career guide, and part love letter to the ocean.

This episode is for anyone who:

• Is trying to break into marine conservation careers and doesn’t know where to start
• Wants to know how to work as a snorkel guide, dive guide, or marine biologist abroad
• Has a non-science background and wonders if there’s a place for them in ocean conservation
• Is curious about conservation trips, ecotourism, and coral restoration volunteering in Indonesia and beyond
• Is mid-career and thinking about transitioning into wildlife or marine conservation
• Just loves a good “I followed my gut and it worked out” story

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The “I want to be a dolphin trainer” pipeline — and how watching Blackfish (and growing up, frankly) completely changed Camille’s vision of what working with marine animals could look like.
• How a chance encounter with a chimpanzee rescue worker in her home country of France set Camille on her wildlife conservation path. (Spoiler: the universe really does deliver when you’re paying attention.)
• The bachelor’s in biology → master’s in primate conservation → jungle rescue centers track, and what it’s like to actually work hands-on with rescued primates.
• The Panama “visa run” that turned into five months, and how Camille went from Open Water Diver to Divemaster in one accidental detour. (If you know, you know.)
• How to get a job as a snorkel guide or marine biologist in the Maldives — including the job board Camille actually used, why you’re more qualified than you think, and how to save money working in one of the most expensive destinations on Earth.
• The myth that you need to be a marine biologist to work in marine conservation, and why this field desperately needs designers, marketers, finance people, social media folks, cooks (yes, even in Antarctica), and basically every other skillset on the planet.
• Camille’s three best pieces of career advice for anyone trying to break in: get experience, network (and not in a fake way), and never give up.
• Why “be realistic” is the worst advice — and where that advice usually comes from.
• Community-led conservation done right — including the story of Project Hiu, the project in Lombok that turns shark fishermen into shark tour guides, and why this is the conservation model we’re both obsessed with.
• Camille’s upcoming coral restoration & manta ray trips to Nusa Penida in May and June (a few spots still left at the time of recording!).
• What’s giving us hope for the ocean right now, plus a real talk about protecting your own mental health while doing conservation work in a hard news cycle.

Episode Highlights & Timestamps

• (00:00) Welcome to Gili Air! How we met on Instagram and ended up recording in person
• (01:15) What Camille’s doing right now: content creation, career mentoring, and YouTube plans
• (03:00) Why the Gili Islands are a hub for marine conservation projects
• (06:00) The chimpanzee rescue worker who changed everything (universe = magic)
• (09:30) Studying primate conservation and working in jungle rescue centers
• (10:00) The Panama visa run that became 5 months and a divemaster cert
• (14:00) How Camille got her snorkel guide job in the Maldives (and the job board she used)
• (22:00) Why marine conservation needs every kind of skill, not just biologists
• (38:00) Leading conservation trips with Worldpackers + Camille’s upcoming May/June trips to Nusa Penida
• (54:00) Camille’s three career tips: experience, networking, and never giving up
• (1:00:00) What’s giving us hope for the future of the ocean
• (1:02:00) Protecting your mental health while doing conservation work

Key Quotes from the Episode

“In my life there’s no Plan B. The Plan B is just making Plan A work.” — Camille

“Conservation describes the end goal, not what you do day to day. Which is cool, because it can mean anything.”

“You can get a job in conservation without a degree, but you cannot get a job without experience.”

“Conservation is a team sport. And an endurance sport.”

Links We Mentioned

• JobMaldives — the job board Camille used to find her snorkel guide role in the Maldives
• Project Hiu — community-led shark conservation in Lombok turning shark fishermen into eco-tourism guides
• Blackfish — the documentary that changed how a lot of us think about marine mammal captivity
• Worldpackers — the platform Camille hosts her conservation trips through

Connect with Camille:

📸 Instagram: @camille.lasbleiz (her main platform!)

🌐 Website: camillelasbleiz.com

🎯 1:1 Career Mentoring Calls: Book on her website — 40-minute calls to map out your conservation career, identify your skill gaps, and get unstuck.

🐠 Coral Restoration + Manta Ray Trip to Nusa Penida, Indonesia (May & June): Sign up via Camille’s website

Enjoyed This Episode?

If this conversation hit, please consider:

⭐ Leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it’s the single biggest thing that helps people find the show.

💬 Sharing it with one friend who’s been talking about wanting to do something for the ocean.

🌊 Following the show so you don’t miss the next episode.

And come hang out with me on Instagram! I’d love to hear what landed for you in this one.