Volunteering in the Maldives – Hawksbill & Green Turtles

I had an amazing experience over my two weeks volunteering at the Marine and Turtle Conservation project in the Maldives. When I arrived I was introduced to so many amazing people from all over the world and learned about all different cultures.

Everyday I would get so excited to go work with the turtles, they’re so cute and adorable. We had two different type of species of turtles in the marine center over my stay, the Green turtle and the Hawksbill turtle. The green turtle is quite common but Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered. We had five Hawksbill in the marine center.

A daily routine was spilt over two shifts a morning shift and afternoon, each taking two hours to complete. We would feed the turtles and drain the tanks, clean them and refill them. Once a week we would do a deep clean and all volunteers are rostered on and we scrub ALL the tanks and rocks with betadine to ensure everything is clean. Once a week we would also measure each individual turtles weight, length and width once a week.

Every Saturday the team would go out snorkeling to uninhabited islands in the middle of ocean. The sea life was vibrant and full of colors and so many different species I had never seen before. The marine biologists taught me so much about the fish and coral. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Naifaru has some of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen! Working on the afternoon shift and seeing this was absolutely breathtaking. Sitting on the beach and seeing the sunset is a must!