15-Day Seychelles Marine Conservation & Diving Expedition

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Sustainable Development Goals

The actual itinerary for this expedition will be structured around your required dates. In the mean time, here's a general itinerary with some important impacts that your participation on this Expedition will have.

Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (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 expedition, helping to fulfill our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

The SDGs that this expedition aims to support are:
Goal 4: Quality Education
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 13: Climate Action
Goal 14: Life Below Water
Goal 15: Life on Land.

Main Destination:

Baie Ternay Marine National Park

Accommodation:

Cap Ternay Research Station

• Budget bush camp located the park

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Corals and fish surveys

At over 20 sites across the north-west coast of Mahe, we'll 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 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 around the globe.

Main Destination:

Baie Ternay Marine National Park

Accommodation:

Cap Ternay Research Station

• Budget bush camp located the park

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

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.

Main Destination:

Baie Ternay Marine National Park

Accommodation:

Cap Ternay Research Station

• Budget rest camp located the park

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

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.

Main Destination:

Baie Ternay Marine National Park

Accommodation:

Cap Ternay Research Station

• Budget bush camp located the park

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Island fauna and flora surveys

Your participation in surveys will likely include the following activities:

• Invertebrates: monitoring species composition, diversity and abundance of species along the coast and in the shallow water system.

• Seagrass and sharks: conducting shallow water surveys to monitor seagrass ecosystems and track shark pups.

• Mangrove ecosystem: collecting data on the composition, diversity, abundance and zone patterns of mangroves.

• Local birdlife: conducting surveys on the composition, diversity, abundance as well social, mating, hunting, habitat selectivity and nesting behavior of local bird species.

• Amphibian and reptile: monitoring species composition, abundance and diversity of reptile and amphibian species.

• Invasive species: tracking invasive species spread and its impact on negative flora and fauna.

Main Destination:

Baie Ternay Marine National Park

Accommodation:

Cap Ternay Research Station

• Budget bush camp located the park

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Marine plastic pollution

Beach cleanups 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 organization established to monitor the abundance and diversity of marine debris around the world.

Main Destination:

Baie Ternay Marine National Park

Accommodation:

Cap Ternay Research Station

• Budget bush camp located the park

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Environmental education

Environmental education is also important. 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.

Main Destination:

Baie Ternay Marine National Park

Accommodation:

Cap Ternay Research Station

• Budget bush camp located the park

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

It's not farewell but rather see you soon

After an early morning dive or snorkel in the shallow water reefs and breakfast at the Cap Ternay research station base, it's time to arrange when to see your newly found dive buddies again as you depart for Victoria and your onward destination.

Main Destination:

Victoria (City)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Non-alcoholic drinks

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.