Marine Conservation Expedition in the Seychelles

Overview

Travel to the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean as a a member of an expedition and work on critical marine conservation projects amongst the beautiful islands of the Seychelles.

You will contribute towards various conservation-related surveys aimed at providing data to the local government on coral reef research, invertebrate surveys and turtle breeding areas.



Highlights Include

Learning how to identify fish and coral in the Indian Ocean; visiting and diving amongst tropical islands; taking your PADI Advanced and PADI Coral Reef Research Diver courses, taking other extra dive courses at discounted rates with local dive shops, enjoying fun-dives and searching for the incredible ‘mega-fauna’ in the area, such as sharks, rays, and dolphins; developing the techniques you need to survey coral reefs, exploring different dive sites, visiting breeding areas for the hawksbill and green turtle; having an amazing and unique adventure amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

Scuba Diving Requirements

You will spend the majority of your time on this expedition scuba diving and as such you need to be qualified to at least PADI Open Water, or equivalent.  For non-divers wishing to attend, we can recommend local dive centers that will help you qualify before your intended start date.

Program Details

Project Life

Depending on weather conditions, we aim for everyone to have 1 or 2 dives/snorkels each day, 5 days a week, during which you will conduct underwater surveys after completion of your training. Besides diving, you should expect to be involved in additional projects and activities, including training sessions, marine debris surveys and removal or environmental education sessions, depending on local and project needs. You will also be required to complete base duties.

At the end of each day you will eat, relax and socialise with the rest of the team as you recount your sightings from below the surface. Life on the base will be simple island living, sleeping in basic dormitory style accommodation with shared bathrooms as well as sharing cooking and cleaning duties around base.

Weekends will be yours to explore the beautiful surrounding area and islands as you immerse yourself in the Creole culture of the Seychelles.

Project Details

The aims and efforts of the expedition have been agreed upon in conjunction with the Seychelles National Parks Authority, local government agencies and non-governmental organisations to include:

• Coral reef monitoring and recovery research


• Invertebrate and fish surveys


• Sea Turtle research


• Development of an environmental education and awareness program

You should keep in mind that projects conducted are dependent on the season and the priorities always remain with our local working partners.

Cap Ternay's short, mid, and long-term objectives:

All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualize their contribution to the UN SDGs.

Upon arrival to base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. You will learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.

Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfill our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

Learn about the long-term objectives you will be contributing to in Cap Ternay:

1. To provide a long term and consistent collection of data, assessing the overall health and development of the reef system within Northern Mahe, Seychelles, on behalf of the Seychelles National Parks Authority, to be used for regional coastal marine management and international understanding of changing reef systems.
2. Increase the scientific output and awareness of the project through publication of findings
3. Continue to support the President's Village Children's Home aim of providing a safe and friendly environment for children under the age of 18
4. Increase in-country capacity by providing training in environmental education and training
5. Continue to minimize our environmental impact at Cap Ternay and raise awareness of environmental issues amongst volunteers and visitors

How this project makes a difference:

With substantial contributions from our partners, we are the leading marine data collection organisation in the Seychelles.

Much of this data is used by other organisations in the Seychelles.  For example, the Seychelles government relies on this data to show an accurate picture of the overall health of the local coral reefs when setting and creating new management policies.

What's Included

What's Not Included

Exploration

Volunteering with GVI not only allows you to participate on programs assisting disadvantaged communities or endangered ecosystems but it also offers wonderful opportunities to travel in the local area in your down time or further afield either before or after your program. Many decide to travel after volunteering, solidifying the lifetime friendships established on program.

Our long term field staff are a great source of advice and are here to help you make the most of your time abroad. Remember to ask about discounts on local activities and side trips through your association with GVI. Our field teams have helped us put together the following information on trips and travel options in Seychelles!

Included Side Trips

During the expedition, we will usually organise a hike up Cap Matoopa for you to explore the surrounding area after all your hard work on surveys. The last days of an expedition are usually dedicated to taking volunteers to their favourite dive sites to dive just for fun, having completed all the survey work.

Optional Side Trips

On the weekends many volunteers head to Beau Vallon Bay for a well-earned break. The bay is the main tourist area of Mahe with a lovely long beach, hotels and guest houses, shops and restaurants to suit all tastes. The dive shops in the area offer many options for all diving needs.

Most people would agree that sitting at The Coral Strand Hotel bar with a cool drink and watching the sun set behind Silhouette Island is an experience not to be missed. Volunteers may have the opportunity to visit the islands of Praslin and La Digue. Praslin is home to the Vallee de Mai (a world heritage site) thought by early explorers to be the original “Garden of Eden”, that is home of the famous Coco de Mer palm tree that produces the huge double nut famous for its provocative shape. La Digue is the picture perfect tropical island, small and intimate with quaint guest houses and arguably the most beautiful beach in the world - Anse Source d’Argent.

Victoria is the capital city of the Seychelles, the smallest capital city in the world. Volunteers often visit to catch up at internet cafes, do a little shopping, or visit the market to soak up the local atmosphere.

Public transport is cheap and frequent and all parts of Mahe can be explored easily by catching a bus. Many volunteers spend happy times bouncing around the island roads on buses taking in the beautiful scenery whilst enjoying the company of locals going about their daily business.

Further Travelling Opportunities

With 115 islands in the Seychelles group stretching over 800 miles, the possibilities of exploring this tropical paradise are endless. The inner-islands, situated closer to Mahe are easily accessible by fast ferry. Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette, Felicity and Sister, to name a few, all have their own unique charms with hotels and guest houses within most people’s price range.

The outer islands such as Desroche, Bird, Dennis, Farquar and the Amirantes group are harder to get to and can only be reached by small plane or charter yacht. Most have small exclusive resorts which can be extremely expensive, but the marine environment and bird life at these outposts of civilization have been barely marked by the hand of man, and as such are in a pristine condition rarely found anywhere in the world today.