Operation Wallacea Conservation Research Expeditions for Schools

The whole trip was a blast! This is in the top 5 of any diving site I've seen on the planet this far. The dive staff was both extremely knowledgeable AND professional. The food was phenomenal, the staff and other participants extremely friendly and accessible. My students continue to be in contact with students from other countries they met. I would say that my most memorable times on this trip were the dives; we would drop into a very colorful, diverse reef environment. We were given dive training with great emphasis on safety and practice. When we surfaced, we were greeted by the amazing Cuna espresso and a hearty lunch. AT the surface, there was always fun interactions where we got to know each other better as mixed country groups. The second dive was always as good or better than the first, as our skills increased exponentially. Diving takes a lot out of you, but there was always Cuban espresso and camaraderie to bring you back to speed.

This whole "research expedition" idea was a new experience for me. I did not know what to expect, at first. I wondered whether the food or the accommodations would be good, but, more importantly, I wondered whether I would enjoy the activities. All I can say is, definitely. The things I did, saw and experienced were unique, and a first, for me. All in all, even the things I enjoyed less (waking up early, having dinner really early, being tired most of the time, ect) did absolutely nothing to extinguish my enthusiasm. Every single day, for two weeks, I woke up ready to face whatever that day's program had to offer. Chameleon or jackal night surveys? Scuba diving? Bird watching? Lectures? Lentil soup with 30°C outside? Sure, why not! I did not care about all these things, because I knew that, by the end of the day, I would be going to bed satisfied, and full of new knowledge.
This expedition left such a positive impression that I did not hesitate for one second when signing up to next summer's expedition: Ecuador & Galapagos 2017. I have high hopes for this one, and I'm sure I'll not be let down.

The trip to Cuba was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The staff were really fun and sociable, the hotel comfortable, the food stellar, and the lectures enjoyable. In the year and a bit that's passed since I went, it's still a go-to for funny anecdotes, and I think the expertise of the staff and practical work have contributed to my GCSE results in a way that school alone would have struggled to do. I would vehemently recommend Operation Wallacea to anybody keen on biology, or in search of something eye-opening and unforgettable.

I began my journey with a group of 12 people from New Zealand as part of a Biology Conservation Trip with Westlake Boys High School.

After a long trip of three flights, we finally arrived in the Labundo Village and met our local hosts for our home stay experience in the village. We were introduced to everyday village life and looked around the village at the schools and housing.

We left this behind and headed into the depth of the Lambusango Rainforest situated in the Labundo Village in Buton, South East Sulawesi. Our accommodation was the Bala Camp, hidden deep in the forest. We saw a mixture of frogs, insects, bats, snakes and skinks as we trekked around the rainforest with the scientists on a daily basis. We had a planned weeks worth of adventures which was presented on a whiteboard at the camp. The highlight of this week was touching a snake, especially the red mock viper! Worst part ... the leeches. We were joined by a group from St Albans school from the U.K and we were introduced to a life of river showers, long hikes, camp life and hammocks.

We set off from this adventure, heading to Bau Bau Marine Reserve to explore the ocean and learn more about the marine life and conservation efforts to preserve vulnerable species. I spent this week completing my PADI dive certificate followed by open diving. Highlights, apart from passing my certificate was seeing clown fish, stingrays, sea life around the coral, Moray eels, lion and frog fish. Our accommodation was shared rooms and this time, with flushing toilets, beds and the bonus of a shower.

Our food on the trip consisted mainly of rice and noodles, so this was off the menu for a while once I arrived back home.

Overall, this was an amazing adventure pushing me out of my comfort level and experiencing life far different to one I live in New Zealand. I have lasting memories of this trip, the people, the places and the adventures.

Going on this expedition was something I had never done before. I have been living in South East Asia for the past three years so I am used to the culture and the nature here yet this trip showed more even more of this part of the world.

The trip that I went on was with my International School in Singapore and I was very nervous about going. I wasn't sure what the accommodation would be like, if the food would be nice and if I would have any fun. The people I was going with weren't friends of mine at school and I was worried I would spend the whole trip alone. However, within the first few days I loved it. We started the trip with a week in the jungle monitoring the wildlife. The science itself was very hands on and it was great to feel that I was contributing to actual research that could save this forrest. Hiking and camping in the jungle was like the best scout camp I could ever go on times 2. Everything was very well organised and everything was provided for in the jungle also.

The second week of the trip was at the marine site. This is the part that I remember the best and which I learnt the most from. I had got my diving qualification a week before this trip and was still pretty terrified of being several meters under the surface but I was hooked within hours. I actually enjoyed the diving so much that I completed my 'Advanced Open water diver' qualification with the dive instructors there. I also learnt so much about the ocean and the state that the global fish populations are in. What we learnt about our oceans in the lectures was very depressing and it shows that we need more expeditions like this to create marine protected area.

The worries that I mentioned earlier about going on the trip were all set aside. The food and accommodation was great for the most part and I really bonded with the small group that I was with during the time we had spent on the trip. When I wasn't talking to school friends I was talking with the leaders and university students who were all super friendly and really showed a keen interest in the work that Opwall is doing. Overall this trip was a real eye opener into current environmental affairs but also a great personal experience.

We spent a week in the Rainforest, in the North Buton forest camp, and the best part was on the second day of the expedition. we had come back from the butterfly survey and heard screams. The local guides and the Scientists ran into the Forest and then came back to tell us that a 7m python was eating a snake, just 5 minutes away from our camp. Because of them with us, making sure that we were safe and that it wouldn't become dangerous, we were allowed to go and see a the snake when it had swallowed the Pig. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had, and i know i will remember it forever!

I went to Indonesia with a group of year 12s and 13s and 2 biology teachers from my school and it was an unforgettable experience. Indonesia is the furthest I have ever travelled but the excitement made it less nerve-wracking, when we reached Indonesia we then had a series of travel and accomodation until we reached the remote island of Buton, our group was based in the South forest camp, Bala, which required us to boat over to the forest and walk for 4 hours to our secluded camp. Although this was hard especially due to prior rain making it muddy our guides helped us immensely, including taking people's bags. Over the week at the forest camp we participated in many surveys, including listening to birds and measuring amphibians as well as short lectures on the biodiversity of the forest. The facilities were amazing considering we were miles into a forest and the equipment would have had to be carried into camp. The toilets were westernised but we used the traditional Indonesian mandis (a large tub of water with a scoop) to shower, which was a lot easier, more efficient and fun to use than anticipated. Also the huge river running through the forest was helpful, we washed our clothes, occasionally bathed and had a river party there on our last day...But by far the most important and special asset to this camp was the amazing volunteers and locals. Firstly, the volunteers are all so fun, interesting and friendly, they have so many stories to tell and are great at their jobs. They are so enthusiastic about what they do as well, when I was about to do my tree canopy access (which I 100% recommend, it is beautiful) Jesse, the amphibian and reptile expert, got a call from camp telling him 'a python has eaten a pig' just next to camp. This was exciting for everyone but Jesse was giddily running back down to camp, I think that is the most important thing Opwall offers; professionals who are great to work with and love their job. Next, the Indonesians that stayed with us, many of them live in Buton and travelled over with us, they are the loveliest and funniest people you could meet. Our cooks were amazing, our guides cared for our safety and knew the forest so well and our medic had a cure for everything (if you get spiked by a caterpillar rub some ash on it). The atmosphere in the camp was great and everyone had fun.

Our next stop was the marine site of Hoga and another set of boats, cars and hotels to get there, when we arrived there the views were amazing. At this site we spent the week doing 2 sessions of either snorkelling or diving a day. I snorkelled and it was really cool and fun however as this was all we were doing (we could not collect data due to no training) it got boring at times. Reflecting back on this I would now chose the dive training. The atmosphere was also very different than the forest, in the forest the group was a lot smaller and more intimate - our school, a few university students and the staff - whereas at the marine staff it was crowded with university students. At times, I felt these students would look down on us and frequently I noticed many of the girls went against the dress code and showed a little too much flesh than appropriate for a muslim country, this included wearing short shorts or even walking around in just a rash vest pulled over their bum. I hope Opwall will use this feedback to enforce the dress code more as I felt it unfair on the locals. Another problem was the littering, I understand that it is in the Indonesian's culture to throw their rubbish in the water, however due to the site's purpose I felt that the amount of litter covering the coral holes around the island was too much. Maybe a couple of bins around the walkways would encourage less littering? We also visited the close Bajau village called Sampela (village built in the sea), this was one of the most extraordinary places I have been and the kids were fascinating and fearless. All in all the site and island was beautiful and offered some great opportunities, I only picked up on these faults due to comparison.

Thank you Opwall for an amazing experience, the work and dedication that goes into ensuring everyone has fun, from the head of the Indonesian sites down to a diving instructor, attention was given to all our needs and speaking on behalf of my school we had an unforgettable trip that was worth all of the money. I would recommend this to everyone who wants to explore the world and different cultures, the good thing about going with the school is you get the opportunity without needing to study biology at university. The 2 week trip crams so much into it and some of my experiences mentioned are just a few, you will do things that you thought exceeded your abilities, you will become more humble and most of all you will create memories that will stay with you and adapt you as a person. My advice to those doing a similar trip as I have done is;
- Say 'Hey Mr!' or wave to everyone in the small villages that you drive past in Buton, you will never see strangers so happy to see you
- Buy a traditional Buton sarong
- Learn their language
- Take a pack of cards
- Take tons of photos (any photos you take with locals, show them)
- Have fun!!!

From the moment I arrived at jungle base camp in Honduras, I knew I was on track to have a great week. There are so many reasons to recommend it. The first thing I noticed upon arriving was the set of stalls that the locals had set up to sell visitors snacks and keepsakes. I visited these stalls often throughout the week and I still treasure the hand-carved, hand-painted bird statuette that I bought, which I chose to remind me of the real bright-yellow bird I saw.
The thing I enjoyed most about the jungle base camp was the light trapping - using a bright floodlight shone on a sheet to attract moths and other insects. They were mesmerising and beautiful to look at, I could have stared for hours.
Another notable experience was seeing the species of bird that dances along tree branches to attract a mate. Where else can you see that? I was so fascinated by the birds that the bird expert staff member took me on an extra bird-watching hike. This is a good example of how friendly the staff are!
Finally, the educational part of the experience is not boring or pointless, but actually quite fun. As well as gaining an insight into which species were endemic to Honduras (only found there), I have learned how to classify species and even have been shown a live wild vampire bat up close!
There are so many reasons why this trip is more than worth doing, don't miss out on this excellent opportunity!