Volun­teering Seychelles North Island – Claudia

Profile

Name: Claudia

Age: 30

Project: Species conservation on North Island/Seychelles

Location: North Island/Seychelles

Duration: Mid-December 2021 to mid-January 2022 – 4 weeks

Rating

Support from the Natucate team:

Arrival:

Project partner:

Accommodation:

Volunteering in the Seychelles – Feedback: Eight questions for Claudia

1) Could you give us a short overview of your tasks in the project?

• Daily beach patrols in the morning, later also in the early evening
• Collecting rubbish from the beaches
• Data entry into a trash database
• Measuring the turtle tracks, entering in the logbook, marking by GPS
• Recording the nests
• Recording Hawksbill turtles when they have come to the beach
• Recording the coral reef and the animals living there with the help of a camera, so that they can then be identified and entered into a database
• Data entry of the collected beach patrol data
• Keeping accommodation clean
• Searching for terrapins plus measurement, weighing and sex identification of these

2) What were the biggest challenges for you during the project?

Everything went well. After a few days of getting used to the new environment and the tasks, I felt super comfortable. Unfortunately, I had sustained an injury to my splint leg which was quite persistent. This cost me some nerves but the nurse was able to help me well.

3) Was there anything you liked most? Or anything that left you with a negative impression?

There were several things I particularly liked. My highlights were:

• watching the little baby turtles hatch
• swimming alongside a turtle in the ocean
• when the turtles have come ashore to lay their eggs
• the indescribable starry sky

4) Did you have certain expectations before you travelled to the project?

I simply expected a lot of nature and this was more than 100% fulfilled.

5) Did you do anything in your free time that you can recommend to future participants?

Look at the starry sky, get involved with the local environment and people and you will have an unforgettable time. The abundance of photos I was able to take are a great memory.

6) Which recommendations would you give to other participants?

Pack a funny board game in case of rainy days. Few clothes of your own, possibly one or more pairs of trousers that can be worn as a uniform (can get permanent stains).

7) Can you estimate how many additional costs you had on site?

There is a small shop where you can stock up on biscuits, coke, beer, etc. Of course, it depends on your own needs. I still had to spend about 50 EUR which does not include souvenirs or other costs from Mahé.

8) Here is some space for further stories or suggestions:

It was an awe-inspiring trip that gave me a lot in many ways. I would go on a plane immediately to experience it again. I can only encourage everyone to join the project as well.