Decide what kind of experience you hope have

If you want to be part of a young, inexperienced crowd who's OK with the idea of island beautification physical work as much as the possibility of data collection, and you love the idea of living adventurously with the bare necessities, this could be the place for you.

If you're experienced in traveling and don't need to endure more discomfort from living 'native', if you're serious about research and hope to learn from trained Scientists and Researchers, you may wish to choose another venue. If the lack of generated electricity to help cool you down 24/7 may be a problem, or you need internet access for academic or personal reasons, look elsewhere. It's primarily run by less experienced, and fairly disorganised twenty-somethings ..or younger, which can give it a bit of a frat'/sorority "vibe".

The camp is now three years old but still has a way to go to offer adequate accommodation in more durable structures. Probably of greatest importance is the need to implement a policy on health and hygiene due to the potential disease risks from the droppings of nine dogs and innumerable island rats that carry various viruses and bacteria. Currently there isn't one, and it's up to the individual to clean up the fouled common areas ...or not. On a positive note, a hand-washing station was implemented after it was suggested. As there were eight new born puppies being handled by the four resident young children and volunteers alike, there were several cases of sickness which poop scooping, washing of lodge floors and tables, and hand-washing should alleviate. At the suggestion phase are steps to minimise rodent presence in the kitchen and cabins. Notably absent is the lack of an orientation to an emergency plan in the case of severe illness, accident, or fire. This should be of concern, because even if the risk is small, there should be well circulated plans known to all residents, and the fire extinguishers should be dated with their last inspection.

The final safety issue concerns the condition of the dive equipment. Tanks should have an annual inspection stamp, be cleaned, and every 5 years be pressure tested. Dust caps should be in place. Regulators are life support equipment and should be serviced at least annually. The BCDs here are worn and prone to auto inflation. Luckily the risk of rapid ascent from depth is nil in these island conditions (my deepest dive was 5.2m)!

If the above safety measures were seriously addressed I would recommend this programme to those not expecting too much of an academic experience, but wanting a first time away from home adventure.