35 hrs of fieldwork per week
1:6 staff to participant ratio
Includes GVI Experiences
Travel to the warm, crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean to contribute to coral reef recovery research and coral rehabilitation. Learn about how climate change is causing coral bleaching, what is being done to limit the damage, and encourage recovery. In the process, earn your PADI Advanced Open Water and PADI Reef Ecosystem Diver (RESD) Specialty.
On this program, you will be trained up on diving best practices and earning your PADI Advanced Open Water certificate before starting your monitoring of the reef. Please note that you will need to be PADI Open Water certified before joining this program. Receive the PADI Reef Ecosystem Diver (RESD) Specialty segment of the PADI Divemaster course. This unique offering by GVI & PADI teaches you about best practices when conducting underwater coral reef surveys. This is offered to participants staying for longer than two weeks on the program.
After completing your dive training and learning how to identify coral species and carry out different coral monitoring techniques, you will assist our international team of researchers to monitor specific dive sites for coral reef recovery. Depending on weather conditions, we aim for all participants to have the opportunity to experience one or two dives or snorkels per day during weekdays. All the data collected on these dives is passed on to the Seychelles National Parks Authority, for use in their management decisions.
You will also have the opportunity to participate in our coral reef rehabilitation initiatives, where we work to grow the most resilient coral in shallow water, protected coral nurseries and then transplant the, now larger and more established, corals onto the reef.
Some of the example typical activities you could participate in on this program.
Some of the partners we work with on base.
A short three-minute walk from the beach, our Cap Ternay research station is based in Baie Ternay Marine National Park, a picturesque location with tropical weather. With a thirty-minute walk to the nearest village and shop, our base is in a protected and secluded area. It almost feels like we have a private beach all to ourselves (the road ends at the base). The variety of marine life makes this an amazing location – you can see a plethora of life around the island and in the sea, such as reef sharks, dolphins, eagle rays, tropical fish, endemic birds and interesting coastal creatures and critters.Â
Originally a school, the building has been transformed into an environmentally-aware research station with classrooms for presentations, a library containing marine identification books and resources, and a recreation room to relax in after a day of diving.Â
There are also giant hammocks (for more relaxation) and a large grassy area for volleyball. We also have party and BBQ themed nights, and enjoy film and documentary nights in the rec room cinema. Outside in the seating area, participants like to sit and play cards, or just enjoy the weather. Life on base is much like a big family and we share cooking, cleaning, and dive operation duties on a rotation basis.
Being an eco-minded base, there is a recycling area on base, and planters for growing local endemic plant species, which utilise the harvested rainwater. It’s great when participants bring their own ideas and get involved with more eco-friendly practices, such as ecobricking and non-recycling storage methods.
Days start early, with boat or coastal equipment preparations or training, and end with dinner, followed by an evening debrief where we share with the group all the exciting things we have seen, and go through the schedule for the next day. After this, it’s time to relax, take in the beautiful sunset, and share stories. There are also a number of base dogs (who love lots of attention) to keep you company. If you’ve joined a diving program and have completed your intensive survey and dive training, you’ll enjoy short boat trips to nearby dive sites. Depending on the weather conditions and schedule for the week, dives take place once or twice daily, five days a week. On other days, you’ll either conduct marine debris surveys or environmental education sessions including awareness raising with the local community members, depending on the needs of the project at the time. Staff will often deliver presentations throughout the week, with study time included in the daily schedule.Â
For island conservation and wildlife programs, you’ll head out after breakfast to help with surveys, either by snorkelling, hiking or doing beach patrols. Depending on the conservation projects at the time, you might collect data on nudibranchs, island birds, crustaceans, mollusks or seagrass, to name a few.
We want you to make the most of the chance to live in – and contribute towards – the most diverse and unique wildernesses and communities on earth. Introducing GVI Experiences – immersive adventure, cultural and wellness activities exclusive to GVI that have been specially designed in collaboration with our local partners to support and stimulate sustainable economic development.Â
Enhance your impact. Expand your adventure. Explore your world.
By joining a GVI program, you not only contribute to preserving unique ecosystems but also get the chance to explore the surrounding area or venture further to see what else the region has to offer on weekends.
Our field staff are a great source of advice on local travel options. Many participants choose to travel before or after their experience, solidifying friendships made on the program.Â
Engaging with a new context teaches global awareness, adaptability and critical thinking – skills highly valued in today’s world. Cultural immersion is encouraged, and there are many activities to enjoy during your free time or before and after your program. Please note, these suggestions aren’t included in the program fee and are at your own expense.
The most popular tourist spot on the main island of the Seychelles, Beau Vallon offers a massive stretch of beach, lined with shops and restaurants.
The dives we conduct on the project have a strict research focus. There are, however, plenty of opportunities to go for a recreational dive in your free time.
If you’d like to find out what the experience of joining a GVI project is really like, simply contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our many Alumni.
We’ll try to match you to an Alum based on your location, nationality, age, stage of academic career, gender, and program interests. This allows you to gain insights into the experience that is most relevant to you.
Depending on your location you might be able to speak to an Alum over the phone or online, or meet up with them face-to-face at a coffee shop nearby. We also run a series of small events around the world where you can speak to GVI Alumni, Ambassadors and staff members.
When it comes to support, we ensure that each participant is provided with unparalleled, 360 degree support, from your initial contact with the GVI Family, all the way through your program, and even after, as you become part of the GVI Alumni Team.
As part of this promise, we will ensure, whenever possible, that one of our dedicated staff will be available to meet you at the airport. In most locations, we also set up a Whatsapp group to help with managing airport arrivals.
We will arrange with you prior to your departure that, should you arrive in the agreed upon pick up window, a member of our staff will be there to welcome you, easily identifiable in a GVI t-shirt or holding a GVI sign and wearing a friendly smile.
This means there will be someone there to greet you as you land, and from there you will be transported to your GVI base to start your adventure and meet the rest of your team.
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All of our programs have short-, mid- and long-term objectives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the UN SDGs. Then once you arrive on base, you’ll learn about the specific goals we have in this particular location, our various objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to be an active global citizen after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
The Seychelles archipelago is globally recognised as one of Earth’s biodiversity hotspots – both in terms of its terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Recent studies estimate that the islands are home to more than 87,200 species of animal, plant and fungi.
In 1998, a devastating coral bleaching event took place which affected much of the reefs in the nearby waters. The event is believed to have bleached and killed around 70% of the coral reef coverage around the inner islands within the Seychelles, which in turn affected the number of species and endangered many.
Healthy corals are key to the health of our planet – they help fish populations regenerate themselves, provide shelter for juvenile fish, assist in removing excess carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, and protect living spaces near the shore from damage by waves and storms.
In addition to the high seasonal sea temperatures, the coral reefs around the Seychelles face numerous other threats, such as population pressure, poaching, and unsustainable tourism, all of which are challenging to quantify without a solid, scientific basis. In order to effectively manage and conserve the reef, a continuous monitoring program is necessary to build up a comprehensive picture of the ecological health of the reef.
Efforts to monitor the recovery of reefs in the Seychelles were initiated after the 1998 event. This began with a three-year project, named the Shoals of Capricorn, which extensively monitored the entire inner islands. The Seychelles Centre for Marine Research & Technology (SCMRT) was set up at this time to continue the work and to aid the Seychelles National Parks and Gardens Authority (SGPA), with the management of the marine parks. After the Shoals of Capricorn project, the monitoring was taken over by Reef Care International.
This program has a significant impact on local and national marine conservation laws and regulations, including the utilisation of GVI collected data to help establish and set catchment limits each year for key fisheries species.
The country is also a popular tourist destination and relies on tourism to boost the local economy and sustain livelihoods. But with an influx of visitors also comes a negative environmental impact that needs to be managed carefully through initiatives like implementing more marine protected areas and continuing to implement strict fishing laws.
To address these challenges, GVI’s marine, island and conservation programs aim to protect the biodiversity of Seychelles through maintaining and restoring habitats, monitoring of reefs and endangered species, working towards common objectives with partners, and providing education to the local community and visitors to the region.
Corals and fish surveys
We established our project in the Seychelles in 2004 with the aim of aiding our primary partner SPGA. At over 20 sites across the north-west coast of Mahe, GVI staff and participants use the protocols of Reef Care International in order to survey the reefs. These surveys include noting the health of existing coral, evidence of new young coral growing on the reef, the presence, abundance and diversity of fish and invertebrate species, and select species sizes. Data on coral recovery as well as fish abundance and diversity is passed on to the SPGA to assist with their management and legislative decisions, which might include updates to policies, expanding currently protected areas, or protecting additional areas from overfishing. For example, sea cucumbers are profitable, so we monitor them to assist our partners in making informed science-based decisions. In addition, we use a different citizen science coral monitoring technique to provide data to CoralWatch, a worldwide coral monitoring methodology based at Queensland University, Australia, which aims to monitor coral bleaching and recovery events around the globe.
Sharing our long-term monitoring data to SPGA allows them to better track and monitor changing reef dynamics and the potential recovery of coral species and coral reef associated species. This partnership provides invaluable data which is then used to petition for science backed policy changes to better protect the reefs and marine life in the Seychelles.Â
Commercial marine species surveys
Unsustainable fishing is also a threat to the health of the Seychellois marine life. This affects the well-being of the local community (many of whom rely on fish for daily subsistence), and the growth of the local economy (seafood from the Seychelles is exported and sold to international visitors to the islands). Its underwater treasures are another reason why many people visit every year, bringing capital into the country. We assist the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), through our partnership with SPGA, with monitoring commonly harvested species like octopus, lobster, and sea cucumber populations.
Marine megafauna sightings
Incidental sightings of marine megafauna like reef sharks and sea turtles occur frequently during dives, and this information is noted and passed on to the Ocean Biogeographic Information System or OBIS Seamap, an online database designed to keep track of various large marine species around the world.Â
Island fauna and flora surveys
Marine plastic pollution cleanups
Beach cleans and ocean floor cleanup dives are also regularly conducted as part of the Dive Against Debris (DAD) initiative. For DAD, we dive to pick up marine fishing gear and ghost nets (these account for more than 50% of all marine trash worldwide) as well as discarded plastics and general waste. The data about types and amounts of marine plastics collected is sent to Project AWARE, an organisation established to monitor the abundance and diversity of marine debris around the world.Â
Environmental education
Environmental education is also an important part of our GVI Mahe program. The main aim of this program is to get members of the local community involved in discussions around issues affecting their marine environment. A new program called the LEAP Project (Locally Empowered Area Protection) has been established with our partner Nature Seychelles and aims to enhance coastal and marine socio-ecological resilience and biodiversity conservation in the Western Indian Ocean. With a much higher level of community engagement and involvement with local groups, such as schools and other environmentally focused local NGOs.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals
All of our programs have short-, mid- and long-term objectives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs. We want to be able to measure our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, so all our staff and volunteers know which UN SDGs they’re making a substantial contribution to. This also helps our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Prior to your arrival on base, you’ll be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. Then, once on base you’ll learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also insight into how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
The main United Nations Sustainable Development Goals we strive to support at GVI Cap Ternay are Goal 4: Quality Education, Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 13: Climate Action, Goal 14: Life Below Water and Goal 15: Life on Land.
GVI Cap Ternay, Seychelles long-term objectives:
1. Provide a long-term and consistent collection of data, which assesses the overall health and development of the ecosystems in northern Mahe on behalf of the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority. This data can also be used for regional coastal marine and coastal management and international understanding of changing reef systems.
2. Provide data to conservation partners in order to support regional coastal marine management and international understanding of changing reef systems.
3. Increase the scientific output and awareness of GVI’s projects through publication of findings.
4. Increase in-country capacity by assisting with environmental education and training to members of the local communities and our partners.
5. Continue to minimise our environmental impact at Cap Ternay and raise awareness of environmental issues among our participants and visitors.
The best decisions in international development and conservation cannot be made without accurate and up-to-date data or informed research. Our many field teams around the world collaborate with local and international partners to analyse data and draw conclusions. In addition, many of our participants have used research they have collected on their various GVI projects to complete their Masters, Doctorate, or postdoctoral studies. We also run a fellowship program which connects postdoctoral researchers at globally-respected universities with our many sustainable development programs around the world to support their research and ensure continuous improvement of our best practices on base.
Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association
Journal of Marine Biology
Publication (book) produced by Global Coral Reef monitoring Network (GCRMN), CORDIO, Indian Ocean Commission and the European Union
Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association
Reef Conservation UK 13th Annual Meeting, Zoological Society of London
