Introduction Day
Your project starts with an introduction day on the first Monday including a tour of the area surrounding the accommodation, available facilities, cultural "do's and don'ts", safety concerns as well as some basic local language lessons.
Monday to Friday
The activities vary according to the beach weather conditions and the number of volunteers, but the time spent with these marvellous creatures is the main aim of our participants' involvement. This program requires dedication and support. Cleaning of the turtles, their tanks and the turtle conservation center are the things to do. It is vital to have a clean and hygienic center for these animals. You will be working from 8.30am until 13.00pm, after lunch at 13.15pm your time is free to explore. Typical activities would include:
- Preparing food (fish) and feeding the turtles (every other day)
- Cleaning the tanks and changing water
- Cleaning the turtles
- Cleaning the beach and the turtle center - Beach cleaning takes place at the beach in front of the turtle center in an area of 200-300m. We basically clean the beach from plastic and plythene, which is a main cause of marine life extinction.
- Helping with the weekly release of over 100 newborn turtles into the ocean (depends on the weather and season).
- Sea Plant collection and feeding the turtles - this happens once or twice a month and depends on the weather and conditions of the sea.
- Sand changing - depending on the requirements, the team may decide to change the sand at the turtle hatchery
- Night Patrol - On pre-arranged days, the team will go on a night patrol along the beach to observe sea turtles nesting and laying eggs in natural environment. This usually takes place on full moon days. You will leave on the patrol at 20:30 and will continue until midnight. However, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to witness turtle sightings on every patrol.
We often run ‘Awareness Camps’ for groups of tourists who make a special trip to this area to see our work, and whilst with us the expertise you gain can allow you to assist in some of the instruction. We also work closely with many local and international conservation partners and regularly collect data to ensure our efforts are having the results we desire, and you will also be part of this data collection process.
Volunteers who are with us for longer than one month will also learn about the tree plantation, another area where your work can have a big long-term impact.
Please note that the schedule is subject to change according to the needs of the turtles, weather conditions, number of participants, the time of year etc.
Turtles lay eggs during the months from December to April every year. Even though it happens all year round, during these months it is very higher than in the other months.