Absolutely amazing

I spent five weeks in the Seychelles with GVI. I started off at the base on Curieuse and then moved to the base at Cap Ternay. The living conditions are very basic yet comfortable enough to feel at home. The base on Curiese is more basic than the Cap Ternay one as it did not have electricity or running water. That being said, the accommodations were still decent. The hardest part for me was adjusting to the lack of running water and therefore bucket-flush toilets.
The days usually start off fairly early, between 6 and 7am. Volunteers are put into duty groups for the day and perform these duties before breakfast. Throughout the day there are different lectures or base projects to keep you busy and everyone dives at least once a day providing that they are fit to dive. For the first few weeks, the dives were mostly skill dives for those who did not already have their advanced open water and spot dives to begin learning the different species to be surveyed. As we got more comfortable with the species, practice surveys were conducted with a member of staff. I was there during the month of August and the water was a little chilly so I would definitely recommend purchasing a wetsuit, I had a 3mm one and was fine, but that varies from person to person.
Like I mentioned previously, life on base is very basic. Meals mostly consist of fruits, vegetables, and lots of rice and pasta. We did have barbeques every week which was a nice change for those of us who ate meat.
Overall, I thought the program was fantastic, the staff are all really friendly and helpful, the volunteers were really nice and like-minded which was a good change from a lot of the people I know at home, and the diving was amazing. I had only dived two other sites before arriving in the Seychelles but I can honestly say that it was just breathtaking.
I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who enjoys diving and is passionate about conservation!