Get your PADI Divemaster qualification and boost your scuba or marine conservation career when you join a scuba diving and marine conservation apprenticeship in the endless turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, on Mahe Island and then to southern Thailand.
Travel to the stunning waters of the Indian Ocean and contribute to vital marine research projects. Undergo an extensive training programme and gain in-depth knowledge into the marine ecosystem in Seychelles, then put this knowledge to work when you join a team to compile crucial research on tropical coral reefs and fish species.
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 2 weeks on the program.
In Thailand, you will gain your PADI Dive Master and work at a local dive shop having the opportunity to dive or snorkel regularly, learn about how to set up and run dives, and gain a holistic understanding of the diving industry.
Complete your PADI Divemaster certification in Seychelles. Then travel to Thailand, where you’ll complete a 3-month placement at a dive centre and gain experience selecting dive sites, leading dives, teaching dive lessons and working with customers.
Across two spectacular countries – Seychelles and Thailand – experience some of the best dive sites in the world and encounter the ocean’s most charismatic megafauna.
Participate in three months of intensive fieldwork training to ensure you’re ready to launch directly into your conservation career.
Work for a conservation partner for three months to get real practical experience and build a network of industry contacts.
Join a targeted career-readiness program that’s based on two decades of experience to grow your leadership and career skills.
Because our apprenticeships are so intensive and comprehensive, you’ll get a guaranteed job offer if you complete all components.
Gain international experience, receive four recognised qualifications and get a LinkedIn reference to boost your CV.
We know what it takes to work in conservation – that’s why our apprenticeships qualify for preferential recruitment when applying for GVI vacancies.
Participate in three months of intensive fieldwork training to ensure you’re ready to launch directly into your conservation career.
Work for a conservation partner for three months to get real practical experience and build a network of industry contacts.
Join a targeted career-readiness program that’s based on two decades of experience to grow your leadership and career skills.
Because our apprenticeships are so intensive and comprehensive, you’ll get a guaranteed job offer if you complete all components.
Gain international experience, receive four recognised qualifications and get a LinkedIn reference to boost your CV.
We know what it takes to work in conservation – that’s why our apprenticeships qualify for preferential recruitment when applying for GVI vacancies.
This internship is specifically useful for someone who has or is actively studying the below subject areas at school, university or college, or has an interest in these subject areas.
Some of the example typical activities you could participate in on this program.
Learn how to identify species and conduct surveys so that you can contribute to data collection efforts and help build an inventory of marine species in both Seychelles and Thailand.
Assist with reef ecosystem monitoring to assess bleaching and growth/recovery rates of the coral. You will also get involved with invertebrate, fish, seagrass, shark and other megafauna surveys.
Assist with additional activities as needed. This might include: seagrass ecosystem monitoring, marine megafauna sightings, weekly beach cleans, and entering data from beach patrols and cleanups into citizen science databases.
Get additional training in: Impact and Ethics, Intro to Project Management, Effective Communication, Leading Teams for Impact, Off-Site Safety Management, Participant Management, Self Leadership & Well-being, and GVI Policies and Procedures.
Take on additional responsibilities such as entering data, writing reports and summaries, and updating species lists and fieldwork checklists.
Work on an individual project that aligns with your personal interests like analysing target species data or monitoring the coastal pollution.
Meet weekly in a small group with other interns and an experienced mentor to receive project guidance and feedback on your leadership style.
Gain more diving experience by completing different types of adventure dives: deep water, underwater navigator, peak performance buoyancy, underwater naturalist, night diver, search and recovery diver, and boat diver.
Learn primary and secondary care theory and then practise applying these skills in role-playing scenarios designed to improve your first aid knowledge and prepare you for an emergency.
Undertake a PADI specialty that is exclusive to GVI – the PADI Reef Ecosystem Diver (RESD) Distinctive Speciality. This certification has been uniquely designed to advance your conservation diving skills and teach you how to conduct coral reef surveys.
Increase your awareness of diver safety, manage more complex situations and apply direct intervention techniques via role-playing rescue scenarios. Only applies to programs longer than 8 weeks.
Organise and direct a variety of scuba-diving activities, including classroom presentations, pool sessions, ocean training sessions, and assisting on courses and guided dives.
Some of the partners we work with on base.
A short three-minute walk from the beach, our base in Baie Ternay Marine National Park is located in 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.
Originally a school, the building has been transformed into an environmentally aware research base with classrooms for presentations, a library containing marine identification books and resources, and a recreation room to relax in after a day of diving. 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.
Those who’ve completed their intensive survey and dive training can look forward to short boat trips to the 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. Days start early, with boat 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.
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.
See what it’s like to live off the beaten track! You’ll sleep in dorm rooms of up to eight people. The gender-separated bathrooms are shared, with showers and flush toilets. The...
We provide transfers from the airport to our base in Baie Ternay National Park, which is about an hour’s drive. The beach is very close to our accommodation so we simply walk do...
We are based in a protected natural reserve, which means that mobile signal doesn’t cover the entire area. There are spots with good phone coverage and we have a phone on base f...
Sample the many flavours of Seychellois cuisine, from fresh coconut water sipped out of the fruit to green papaya salad. All food is provided by GVI and prepared by participants...
The Seychelles has an equatorial climate, which means sunshine and warm water all year round, with temperatures averaging 26ºC – 30ºC (79ºF – 86ºF). Tropical rainfal...
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.
Enhance your impact. Expand your adventure. Explore your world.
Joining a GVI program not only allows you to collaborate with communities or work toward preserving unique ecosystems – but it also offers plenty of opportunities to explore the surrounding area or travel further to see what other parts of the region have to offer over weekends.
Field staff are a great source of advice and have helped us put together the following information on local travel options. You can choose to travel before or after your experience with GVI (subject to immigration restrictions), solidifying the lifetime friendships you’ve established on the program. Please note that the below options are not included in the program fee, and would be up to you to arrange at your own expense.
The rum distillery at Pointe Au Sel is a popular destination for volunteers to visit. There’s also a tea plantation and local handicraft village ...
The capital of the Seychelles, Victoria (one of the smallest capital cities in the world) is only an hour away from our base in Baie Ternay Marin...
The most popular tourist spot on the main island of the Seychelles, Beau Vallon offers a massive stretch of beach, lined with shops and restauran...
Other than diving, there are many other water sports in the Seychelles, like surfing, kayaking, sailing and snorkeling. And of course, there̵...
Cap Matoopa is the highest point next to our base, and offers spectacular views of Cap Ternay Bay. Climb the jungle-encrusted granite rocks to th...
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 yo...
The inner islands of the Seychelles, where you will be staying while on this project, are made of granite, which means there are many opportuniti...
From the capital of Victoria, you can catch a ferry to many of the other inner islands, like Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette, Felicity and Sister. ...
Engaging intimately with a new context teaches global awareness, adaptability and critical thinking – skills highly valued in the modern marketplace. Local and cultural immersion is encouraged on all our programs around the world, and will also be one of the most enjoyable aspects of your experience. Luckily, there are many different activities that you can get involved in during your free time, or before and after your program.
On our community programs, the focus is on cultural topics, while on marine or wildlife programs the emphasis is more on the environmental element. Use your evenings and weekends to explore topics like local cuisine and religion, or how sustainable development challenges are affecting local contexts.
GVI’s marine conservation program in the Seychelles is based on the main island of Mahe – the largest granitic island in the Seychelles, surround...
The Seychelles is a tropical archipelago off the east coast of Africa, consisting of over 100 islands. The islands located near the center of the...
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.
Program Manager
This is Jasmine, also known as Jazzy, our wonderful Program Manager at the GVI base on Mahe Island, Seychelles. Jazzy grew up with a keen interest in conservation which lead her ...
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.
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.
