GVI: Internships in Seychelles

It’s so hard to be fair to any organisation like GVI during COVID times, but I’ll try. They have been under a lot of strain as the pandemic has shredded their industry, and communications with head office have been patchy at times, but I must give them a bit of leeway here as they are firefighting an ever-changing situation.

Curieuse was not my first choice of project this year, but in the end, it was the only option, and with time off work already agreed and non-negotiable, I had to do something! GVI are not cheap, and they were not going to make it easy to get a refund, despite verbal assurances of full flexibility when I booked back in July for another pair of programmes. So, determined to make the best of a tricky situation, I set off for the Seychelles.

I have no complaints about the setup, the work or the onsite staff at all. It’s a magical island, and the basic life was pretty much as I expected, and works well. I have not felt the lack of anything really, and easy access to neighbouring Praslin means that little luxuries are usually attainable. The attitude towards COVID has been common-sense, and has not impacted my enjoyment of the work on the island.

The weeks are well-balanced with lots of early starts and early evenings, many of which allow us to watch consistently spectacular sunrises and sunsets. There is also enough time off at weekends to explore neighbouring islands, or simply relax. Each week there is a stimulating variety of surveys to complete, many of which involve energetic hikes across the island on rough trails, affording time to spot wildlife and enjoy the views.

The animals are magnificent and it’s a real privilege to be able to work almost daily with nesting turtles and shark pups. Jazzy and her team helped me to feel fully involved with the work and are very knowledgeable about the island and its ecosystems. They have also been consistently flexible during this time, adapting their schedules and the work to changing circumstances.

Eight weeks here has been time well spent, and I’m pleased with how it’s gone, considering that it was not my ideal project. As an intern, I was also able to find my own mini-project, which became about illegal poaching, and completing this added another dimension to my time here. I would recommend the project to anyone with a genuine interest in these animals.

I completed the short-term conservation internship program on the beautiful Curieuse Island in Seychelles from September to December 2019. The experience truly exceeded my expectations. I don't even know where to begin. The staff, rangers, and volunteers on Curieuse were all wonderful and friends that I'm still in touch with 6 months after returning home and expect to be for a very long time. The accommodations may not be the most glamourous but you are steps away from the ocean and always have the sound of waves to fall asleep to (also how many people do you know can say they've lived in ruins from an old leper colony?! Pretty cool!). As an intern, I had the opportunity to conduct my own research project which was one of my highlights (you don't need to know what you want to research before you apply for the program). Also, as an intern, you become certified in Leadership and Management (ILM) and get to lead volunteers on surveys, which was a fun way to introduce new volunteers to the amazing work GVI does and what Curieuse has to offer. While I was there I got to experience the peak season for sea turtle nesting and shark pups. I never felt unsafe (even though I was standing in water with sharks and stingrays) and the staff makes sure you are well prepared before being put into any situation. Although, the days can be long and definitely physically demanding (you will get very in shape and the hikes will feel easier every time you do one) the work is rewarding and you have the weekends to relax and leave the Island or stay and explore Curieuse!

I chose to complete an internship in Seychelles with GVI because I truly loved my experience volunteering with them the first time and thought it could only get better. I was absolutely correct! I spent six weeks on Curieuse Island and loved every second. I met wonderful people from around the world with similar interests as me. I spent my time learning about the island and all of its many projects from giant tortoise survey, sicklefin lemon shark catch-and-release, to my own intern project on land crab diversity on different beaches. I loved the daily hikes around the island and snorkeling experiences. Our down time we spent getting to know each other and having game nights. I would recommend this adventure to anyone looking to find new adventures and maybe a little peace and quiet.

Signing up for the short-term internship program on Curieuse was the best decision I’ve ever made. You have a chance to explore your own interests in the field while taking part in all of the exciting projects that GVI have to offer on this beautiful island. The staff are so passionate about what they do and the base is run so smoothly it felt like home after a few short weeks. Even if you’re just considering doing this program DO IT you won’t regret it. Like many before you you’ll fall in love with this island, it’s wildlife, tranquillity and of course the ocean, which is only metres away from where you sleep. It was the most incredible and happiest time of my life. I've had experiences I never even dreamed of and animal encounters that have amazed me.

Over June and July this year I completed my 6 week internship with GVI on the beautiful Curieuse Island in the Seychelles. I learnt so much from this experience and gained new skills from all the awesome staff. Everyone I met there helped shape my time to be the best it could be and I'll never forget it. From the stunning beaches to the sweaty hikes, the cheeky tortoises to the cutest shark pups there was never a dull moment.

As an intern in the Seychelles, you truly have some once in a lifetime experiences. I still have to remind myself that it wasn't all a dream, it was in fact reality!

I was involved in a massive range of projects during my time on Curiuse. One day we'd me tickling tortoises to keep tabs on their progress, the next we would be wading swimming through the mangroves taking soil samples to measure the salinity and temperature. It's safe to say no two days are the same on this program!

I never felt out of my comfort zone when I was there too. The staff are all experts in their fields so they know the limits and have been doing it for years! They also know great places to go during your free time, so on the weekends we weren't short of ideas!

Cycling around La Digue, relaxing at the Paradise hotel and eating all of the ice cream on Praslin were just a few things we got up to as a group at the weekends.

It was hard at first, getting used to living in expedition conditions. But I would recommend this program to everyone!! Its literally changed my life.
Diving two to three times daily, making some amazing friends ill have for life and memories ill forever cherish, all I can say is do it!!
Dont come here expecting luxury though, remember its a volunteer expedition and you have work to do. From cleaning, cooking, maintenance and studies, its not easy. It dosnt take long to get into the routine though and I am planning to go back again as soon as I can!!

After completing my Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology and Ecology, I decided to take a break from studying and took part in the PADI Dive Master Internship and Marine Conservation Training in the Seychelles with Global Vision International in April 2011. It was such an amazing experience! I couldn’t believe that I found a programme that combined my love of the sea with the chance to stay with a group of volunteers from all over the world in a tropical paradise! For the next few months my world would be filled with beautiful coral and fish and I’d spend most of my time underwater! What a dream...

The first thing that hits you when you arrive in the Seychelles is the heat, humidity and incredible beauty. There are beautiful flowers, fruit trees and jungle wherever you go and the sea really is as blue as it looks in photos. I spent 10 weeks at the Cap Ternay base which I absolutely loved. You stay in very simple dormitories with about 7 or 8 people in each dorm. I really recommend a mosquito net! The base is situated in an ideal location. It is nestled in a valley between hills covered in spectacular granite boulders, palm trees and jungle and there are beaches about a 5 minute walk from both sides of the base. It couldn’t be more like paradise! I loved the fact that I could get a break from city life and things like traffic, television, computers. It allowed me to become so relaxed and enjoy the important things in life!

In the first few weeks you have lectures about life in the Seychelles, marine conservation and you start learning how to identify different fish or coral. On my phase we studied coral. I was a bit disappointed at first to find out that we didn’t focus on fish, however, I ended up finding the coral very interesting and it has made me more appreciative of coral reefs. I also found that I normally would not have studied the coral and so it was nice to be able to identify different coral species - all things I probably would not have noticed before. We also had access to the fish notes and slides and so we could learn their names in our spare time. I initially thought I’d never be able to learn all the names of the corals or be able to identify them but the GVI staff are very helpful and made learning the names lots of fun. Once we’d passed our written exams and could identify the corals underwater, we were allowed to do the coral reef surveys. I really enjoyed diving twice a day, being surrounded by beautiful things and doing our bit to help marine conservation in the Seychelles. We even got a PADI Coral Reef Research Diver Distinctive Specialty! Whilst learning all about the marine environment, I also completed my PADI Advanced Open Water, PADI Rescue Diver, Emergency First Response and BTEC in Supervision of Biological Survey Techniques-so a lot of good things to add to my CV! I was a bit embarrassed about my lack of diving ability in the beginning. I had received my PADI Open Water about 2 years before I joined GVI and hadn’t dived much at all. I was amazed at how quickly my diving improved and how much I enjoyed it. I’m now addicted to diving!

I also became involved in the GVI community projects where we’d take orphans from the President’s Village Orphanage to the beach and teach them how to snorkel. It was so wonderful to see how much fun all the children had. We also used to go to the beach to give marine conservation lessons with children from the International School Seychelles, which was really enjoyable and I loved playing games with the children. Not only could we help out by doing the biological surveys but we could help to educate the local children which meant a lot to us. Towards the end of the phase we took part in a ‘Marathon Snorkel’ to raise funds for the President’s Village Orphanage. It was a lot of fun as we all set off in fancy dress outfits and snorkelled around the coast. GVI also organised beach and reef cleans and we were amazed at how much litter we had collected. It was so nice to know that we were helping the Seychelles in so many ways.

I loved living with so many different people and learning about their lives and culture. The base is about a 20 minute walk from the bus stop and then about 1 hour to the capital, Victoria. Since we had food provided at base there was little need to go to the shop. Occasionally we would treat ourselves and walk to the nearest shop (about 25 minutes away) to buy chocolate or ice-cream. The food is simple but very tasty. There are various fruit trees around the base so picking delicious fresh fruit like guavas, mangoes, paw paws, pineapples, bananas, starfruit and coconuts is a must! Every Friday there is a massive barbeque with superb food and it’s definitely the favourite day for those who eat meat. Friday night is also the time to get creative and make a fancy dress outfit-you’d be surprised how many things you can make from a coconut leaf!
Each week you are part of a different group that is responsible for certain things-cooking food, recording information on the boat, communicating with the dive boat using the marine radio, filling tanks and keeping an eye on the compressor and making sure the dorms and bathrooms are clean. This system worked really well because it helps you to get to know all the volunteers and makes doing chores fun. In our free time we would go for a snorkel, hike up to the top of Cap Matoopa to have a look at the amazing view of our base, hunt for fruit, sun tan in the garden or on the beach, play games, paint cool murals in the bathroom, relax on the giant hammocks or just chat in our dorms. On the weekends, we’d often go into town and explore Victoria, go to the internet cafe, have lunch at a restaurant or go into Beau Vallon for delicious local Creole food on the beach. We would spend most of our time sun tanning and swimming at Beau Vallon beach and then those that were energetic enough would go through to the bar La Faya and the club Tequila Boom for some pool and dancing. To celebrate the end of the fifth week we went to another island, La Digue (such an awesome experience and the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to) and then we splurged after our tenth week and went to Silhouette Island for a weekend of luxury at the Hilton. I really recommend travelling to see some of the other islands because even though it may cost you a bit, they are all very unique and have a variety of different animals and vegetation, however, beautiful beaches are common throughout!

After 10 weeks at Cap Ternay, I spent 12 weeks working at the Underwater Centre as a dive master and living with 3 of my friends. I loved being able to take people on dives and also to teach those who needed help. We also assisted the Instructors on courses which was lots of fun. We saw the dive masters from other dive shops quite often - either underwater or at their houses. It was good being able to cook for ourselves and to live close to the shops. Towards the end, we all knew the dive sites so well that we could find and point out a lot of the animals because we knew where they lived. Being able to surprise clients with turtles, white tip reef sharks, eels and rays was very satisfying! Spending every day with the dive shop staff like the skippers, instructors and dive masters was probably what made the experience for me. We made lifelong friends and had such a wonderful time, even if it was raining or we had difficult clients!

After the dive master internship I had planned to go home but I was faced with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I simply couldn’t resist. I was offered a place on the Whale shark Internship under Dr David Rowat of Marine Conservation Society Seychelles! I spent the next 2 months living with 5 other volunteers helping MCSS undergo their whale shark research and taking clients out on snorkel trips to view the beautiful animals. We also got involved in other projects and I was fortunate enough to see a turtle nesting, help catch lemon sharks and watch them being tagged and help to find stingrays to be tagged.

When I left home I had no idea what I would experience - who would have thought that I’d spend 8 months living on the beach with adventurous people, seeing things like manta rays, whale sharks, turtles and their hatchlings, all different types of sharks and rays, dolphins, sailfish, eels and beautiful fish and coral almost everyday! I learnt so much about myself, other people, the Seychelles, diving and the natural environment. I would recommend this expedition to anyone looking for a change of scene, a chance to meet new people and for those who love the marine environment. I wished I didn’t have to come home...