Program Reviews

Unforgetable experience, really nice people there, peace but productive daily life. Seven dives a week, with beach clean up, malay dinner... every night after our dinner, we seat together play card games and chat about our culture or life, which improved a lot to my English.
An intersting thing: in the event called Traditional Malaysian Dinner, you need to have all the food without fork or any tableware, we all don't know how to have soup only with a plate, really funny at that time.
And at last, highly recommend to bring more mosquito sprays, and wish the volunteers in future enjoy their trip!

My 2 elder children joined this program while me and my youngest joined the kids program.
My children had a great time. Night patrols to lookout for turtle was fun as they were greeted by starry night. They managed to sight one green turtle laying eggs. The team of program staff and volunteers continuous update in IG so my children were so excited to see the eggs they helped conserved hatched successfully weeks after we returned.
They get to photograph turtle in the sea, though the kayaking is rather tiring. Beach cleaning activity is surprisingly fun too.
The one week program was full of fun experiences.

I volunteered with PMRS for a week and my biggest criticism is that I wish I did 2 weeks! This was my first time doing something like this and I learned so much about marine life and conservation, perfect for an introduction to marine research. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, big shoutout to Carmen, Lela, Aidan, Renee and Bridget. Unfortunately I was unwell while I was there which can be a bit scary when solo travelling but the team was super supportive, leaving electrolytes outside my room, and even rearranged the schedule on the last day to include some of the things I missed so I could get the most from the experience. Perhentian is so beautiful and the scenery was just as amazing above water as it was below. Highly recommend!

Volunteering with the Perhentian Turtle Project was a meaningful and eye-opening experience. It gave me a deeper appreciation for marine conservation and the dedication required to protect sea turtles and their habitat. The team was welcoming, passionate, and always willing to share their knowledge. The island itself was beautiful, and it was rewarding to contribute, even in a small way. My only wish is that the food could have been better, especially considering the physically demanding nature of the volunteer work. Overall, an experience I would gladly recommend.

This was an incredible experience for me. We gained valuable insights into various sea turtle species and had the unique opportunity to observe green sea turtles up close. Diving alongside them to capture photo IDs, camping on their nesting beaches, and protecting their eggs by relocating them to a hatchery were truly unforgettable moments.

Being so close to these magnificent creatures was awe-inspiring, but we always followed strict guidelines, ensuring we handled them responsibly and avoided touching them unless absolutely necessary. This experience not only deepened my appreciation for sea turtles but also reinforced the importance of conservation efforts to protect their future.

I joined the team for a week or so as a volunteer for their marine research programme, and through that I learned so many things. As a Malaysian myself and as a person quite invested and well learned in our conservation side of things, these guys are one of the best at what they do.
I would highly recommend it to ANYONE interested in learning more about our beautiful islands and oceans, from learning about to sea turtles to seeing the magical coral reefs up close, it truly is a once in a lifetime experience.

I recommend this program for those who want to get involved in marine conservation & improve their skills in scuba diving. During my time, the staffs were helpful. I got new friends. The villagers in Perhentian Island were nice too. Food was good except volunteers need to make their own breakfast so if you’re a picky eater, bring your own preferable breads or foods. The accommodations should be improved because the image shown is not the same as in reality. I rate this program 9/10, -1 for the accommodations.

After the long two weeks I have spent on the Perhentian Islands in the Perhentian Marine Research Station Volunteering Activity, I have gained so much experience as well as made new memorable memories. I would highly recommend this trip to those who want to learn more about our oceans as well as those who want to discover.

Firstly, I don’t the pricing to be quite reasonable for well maintained and updated equipment. I feel safe when diving with the equipment provided. I would recommend bringing your own scuba mask if anyone plans to take part in this activity.

Secondly, I find the staff friendly. They aren’t shy and I find their guidance helpful. They really go out of their way to prepare and make sure every activity is fun and exciting. If you need any help or have any questions, the staff is always there to assist you with any issues.

Moreover, I have learnt various new diving skills like scientific diving skills and conservation of my country’s water. I have gained an abundant of new memories. This programme has shown me the importance of our oceans and the effects of human presence to our waters. I have gained a new perspective when it comes to judging the condition of our oceans and wish to do more to preserve it.

Aside from the pros, I do find that the accommodation is a little under maintained when I arrived. I have experienced a little bed bug bites on my hands, the mattresses were old and contained bed bugs. This is not a serious issue as the staff progressively renovated the place. On the second week after the mattresses were cleaned, the issue was solved.

To sum up, I would recommend this programme to those who are looking for some research experience as well as those who want to learn scientific diving as well as recreational diving.

This is so much fun!!! Highly recommended!!!! Really worth the money and time, it is a valuable experience. The staff are friendly, they answer most of our queries and are suitable to chat with, we have a lot of fun with them. I really love how the project goes, as we go for kayak survey, Turtle ID, and most importantly, we get to go to the turtle nesting beach to help and save the turtle eggs!!! We learn how to differentiate the species of turtles, what they feed on, where they mostly nested, how to take care of their eggs, what to do when you encounter the turtles appearing to nest on the beach, etc. The food is absolutely delicious, I love it!!! It is really worth a second trip!!!

last year, I was inspired to join a volunteer program but I wasn't so sure where to start searching. A friend of mine recommended Fuze Ecoteer's Perhentian Turtle Project and ever since then, it has been the best volunteer program I've ever joined so far. It was definitely eye-opening as it was also hands-on. During the program, I was taught on how to swim and kayak in the open sea, identify turtles and was even lucky enough to get to name a new identified turtle during my program. We lived in village amongst a local community, which is also a unique experience for even for a Malaysian myself who has come from the hustle and bustle of cities. On the 4th and 5th day of the program ,we've also camped at the beach and joined a night watch to watch over the turtle hatchings and released them at night. It was a well structured program for volunteers looking to learn something new and work closely with the program team leads. It was a good combination of volunteer work and relaxation, as you get some downtime to go snorkelling at Perhentian's beautiful and clean waters or just relax by the beach. I had an amazing time and I would definitely recommend anyone to join.