Seychelles

I took part in the gvi Island Conservation programme in Seychelles in August 2015. I loved living on the uninhabited island, Curieuse with the gvi staff and my group of volunteers. Seychelles has to be one of the most beautiful and unspoilt places on earth and the wildlife is unique. I loved the deserted beaches! I loved working with the giant tortoises and the green turtle hatchlings. I flew to Bird for part of my programme to spent 4 days exploring this wild and remote private island. Standing on the edge of the sooty tern colony on the North Point, listening to 800,000 pairs nesting was incredible! The remoteness and beauty of Bird is a recommended experience. Snorkelling with a green turtle on Praslin was unforgettable. I had a lot of fun making new friends and having new experiences out in the field. It was physically challenging at times, due to the heat and humidity so I would make sure you have increased your fitnness levels before you go! The camp is well equipped you don't need to take half of what you would expect. The gvi staff were really firiendly - very professional and loads of fun. I would recommend this conservation project with gvi - it may be expensive but it is definitely worth it.

Blog of my one month in the Seychelles:
http://kben71.weebly.com/blog/seychelles-volunteer-expedition-2014-cap-t...

I've wanted to volunteer in Africa since I was 17 so it was nice to fulfill a life long dream but if I had to do it over again I'd spend two or three months instead of just one. The training and slow dive schedule didn't give me much opportunity to contribute; only one short week of actual survey work. That being said however the rest of it was everything I'd hoped for. Anyone who's been to summer camp will immediately recognize the situation, 20+ strangers thrown into dormitories together and given shared duties of cooking and cleaning tends to make people put their best foot forward and like any closed environment you have a ready made circle of friends, kind of like high school. It helps that everyone there is already like-minded, outgoing and has an altruistic streak; in short the people are genuine and were the best part of the experience even for an introvert like me. The living conditions were better than expected and the early bed/early rise schedule actually worked well for me. I always thought I wasn't a morning person, turns out I just don't go to bed early enough. The food was not always inventive but it generally covered the four food groups and the lack of white bread and processed foods made a big difference in my energy level. I lost ten pounds due to healthier food and increased activity and would have easily lost ten more had I stayed another month. Having been home four days now and pigging out on chicken burgers, croissants and sandwiches I already miss the simpler meals of camp.
Now that I'm trained up on fish survey methodologies I'd be interested in doing another four week program somewhere if they would let me challenge the fish identification exams, do a couple fish spot dives for confirmation and then get right into survey work. Either way though I hope I get to visit with the people I met, either abroad on my own travels or if they come to Canada. I've got a couple of guest bedrooms that any of you guys are welcome to!

I was looking for my next adventure trip when I applied for the program called Conservation Expedition to the Seychelles with GVI. The description of the program was fascinating, the price was acceptable. When I arrived on Curieuse island I had no real experience in the kitchen, I was a stubborn night owl and meat eater, I was afraid of snorkeling and I was looking for an adventure only. However day by day things have changed. The program made me realize that the kitchen is a place for creation – important for survival. The super early starts were incredibly rewarding hence watching the nature waking up around us was just amazing. Living the life of a vegetarian was actually easy and it was such a delicious experience that it has left a mark on my lifestyle. Snorkeling become more and more fun and now I’m willing to go on a dive course. Most importantly, I went to the Seychelles as an adventurer and came back home as a young conservationist. This program did not just provide the trip I was looking for, it also taught me a lot. Turtles, mangroves, Coco de Mers, sharks, insects, carbon-footprint, birds … the nature is exciting!

I did the Marine Conservation Expedition in The Seychellen: What an amazing experience. You live on a base camp in Cap Ternay, Mahé island. The island is absolutely breath taking beautiful, with it's white beaches and clear blue sea. And that's the office! You have 1 or 2 dives a day to do underwater surveys in either fish/coral/invertebrates. The first two weeks of the program are pretty fully booked with PADI Advanced, EFR, Marine Biology and your survey domain training. And of course everybody needs to help out on base as well, to make sure it's all clean and that you get a nice meal :) But of course you'll spend most of your time on the stunning coral reefs. When I was there, the age range of the volunteers was very wide, from 18 to 44, and we had about 20 volunteers and 8 staff. You get two days off a week in which you can go to one of the many stunning beaches, or keep your family posted on your adventures from the internet cafe in Victoria (the capital). This expedition was truly an amazing experience, I would highly recommend it.

I volunteered for a month in the Seychelles after browsing the internet endlessly trying to find the best place and program to go on. Stepping off the aeroplane into the humid environment was a shock at first, you could feel the sweat drip down your face. My first thought was it was going to be a hot, sticky, smelly month of volunteering and working outdoors all day - it was. Yet I had enrolled in the terrestrial expedition so was based on Curieuse Island, which to my relief was not quite so hot. The staff were all extremely friendly and the facilities were pretty good, a lot better than I had expected at any rate. The first week was mainly dedicated to learning about the different activities we would participate in, the scientific procedures that went with them and undertaking a first aid course.
We went on many long and short 'wurtles' (turtle walks) to the other side of the island where we generally saw a turtle nesting or a hatchling each time we went. The turtle beaches are not accessible to the public, so it was great being able to go to them by being apart of GVI. We also started bird surveys - we were the first group to begin recording the different species found on the island which was a fun but sometimes challenging task. When the ground was dry we were able to go 'Coco de Mering', braving through dense scrub to find the trees and record their locations. It was a lot of fun, but you got very dirty and covered in red paint! We went snorkelling as much as possible, seeing many reef fish, rays, the odd shark and looking out for turtles to record. It was great to come back to base after a hot days work to dive into the nice warm ocean and then lay on the hammocks and read before dinner. The week ended with a Friday Night BBQ, generally themed and was a great time to relax and have fun.
On the weekends you had free time so were able to do whatever you wanted. Being associated with GVI also gave us many local discounts, so travelling was quite affordable. We went to a couple of different islands, my favourite being La Digue where we hired bikes and relaxed on the beach.
The experience was quite unreal, if I had the opportunity again I would definitely go back!

In two words: Just awesome!

The time in the Seychelles doing marine conservation with GVI was the best time of my life! I expected it would be cool, but like this? Fantastic!

When I arrived everything was new and I didn't know anyone but the stuff did really well to bring us together very quickly! But let's talk about what you're doing there?
You go diving with millions of fish and record data! Those who stay for one ore two months, concentrate on common fish and those who stay three months concentrate on much more difficult corals! At the beginning it might be a little bit tricky to handle your buoyancy, note the fish and communicate with your buddy but it gets easier every day! With your new friends every dive is a adventure.....
At the weekends you are off so you have time to take the bus into town, go for a hike, visit other islands of the Seychelles or just go snorkeling in the bay together! This is really fun!
You also organize special days or orphan children and go for a snorkel whith them.
To the more hygienic people of you: don't be afraid! You have running water, the bathroom is cleaned (by the volunteers) every day and the beds are disinfected :)

I hope this will help you with the decision....Go for it and have the fun of your life!

I decided to go on the marine conservation expedition to the Seychelles to gain field experience, as I had just completed my honours thesis in marine biology - but spent all my time in the lab! I thought this was a perfect way to gain valuable skills whilst contributing to marine conservation - and there was no better place than the Seychelles! Initially I was quite nervous, not knowing what to expect and whether I would be able to manage the 2 months. I was originally signed up for the 1 month expedition, however the phone call from the GVI office informed me that the 1 month program involved mainly lectures and learning how to correctly identify and survey the marine species of interest - not the actual field surveys which I was wanting to do. So I decided to join the 2 month expedition and was very glad I did - however it still did not feel long enough once I got there! The other volunteers were all like minded and everyone got along really well. It didn't take long to become friends with everyone because of the close living quarters. The weather was hot and humid and it took a couple of weeks to settle in and get used to drinking so much water to stay hydrated! The first month consisted of lectures and exams to be able to accurately identify the groups of fish or corals we were delegated and other lectures on turtle biology, mega fauna and survey methods and DVD sessions with appropriate documentaries such as the BBC Coral Reefs. We had dives every day to spot fish (or corals if that was the group you were assigned prior to departure) and accurately name them and get signed off by the staff. We also completed out Emergency First Response training, and some volunteers did their Advanced Open Water diving Certification. It was not until the second month of the expedition we got the conduct the in water surveys with our dive buddy, and the first month of training really made sure we were up to scratch on our skills! In second month of the expedition we had a lot more spare time than we all expected, so we watch a lot of movies, read, husked coconuts and did our daily duties throughout the days. We had 2 days off a week, and usually went to Victoria (the capital of Seychelles on Mahe Island) to use the internet. It was a 40 minute walk from base to the bus stop and another hour on the bus into town - and sometimes the internet wasn't even working! I definitely think this expedition was worthwhile, and it is something everyone should consider - for a short or longer period! I learnt a huge amount of information about the marine environment, in particular the fish which was a nice change from studying corals at home. I also learnt a lot about myself, and found this to be a very special and memorable trip. I can't wait until my next one!

I joined GVIs volunteer programme on Mahé in the Seychelles. The programme focuses on marine conservation and during my four weeks there I got to participate in the monitoring of the beautiful reefs surrounding the island. Living on a tropical island, diving almost every day, exploring the incredible Indian Ocean was fore me, to fore fill a lifelong dream. The beauty of the ocean is breathtaking. Diving opened my eyes to a whole new world. My experiences as a volunteer and all that I have learned during my stay in the Seychelles are to me invaluable. All of the wonderful people that I got to meet, all the friends that I have made, everything that I have seen, felt and been a part of will stay with me fore ever. I have learned so much, not only about marine conservation and diving, but also and most importantly I have learned a lot about life and about myself. These four weeks was amazing in every way, and the memoirs that is now a part of me, will be as long as I live.