Volunteering in the Maldives – Rescue and Rehabilitation

I recently spent a month volunteering in the Maldives on the beautiful island of Naifaru and it is an experience that I will never forget! I’ve taken nothing but amazing memories, experiences and friends from my time volunteering for the Marine and Turtle Conservation project.

The group had gone night fishing the day before I arrived so my first night there we had a barbecue with the fish they had caught and my grilling skills were put to the test!

My second day on the island is when I got to meet and start working with the turtles – which was great! Our main tasks were emptying and refilling the tanks and feeding and numbering the turtles, but once we also had to measure and weigh all of the turtles too. Once a week we also had to scrub all of the tanks to keep them clean which takes a whole day!

Another thing I was lucky enough to do whilst volunteering there was have the once in a lifetime experience of releasing some turtles back into the wild!

All in all I had a great time in the Maldives despite a few ups and downs. Though be prepared for a lot of hard work, when working at the marine center there are no days off! But the trips and island itself are amazing. Whilst I was there I went on excursions snorkeling, camping and visiting uninhabited islands, which was incredible!