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What to expect
Soon after your arrival into the vibrant city of Suva your expedition life begins, although the modern luxuries of city life are still with you. Project staff will greet you and treat you to a tour what is known as the capital of the South Pacific, Suva.
Suva is a city pulsating with life and full of contrasts, you can find fascinating local markets full of cheap bargains, cosmopolitan eating, and plenty of internet cafes. It is the hub of the Pacific and the place for all volunteers to get some last minute supplies and to purchase anything you may have forgotten!
After a short stay in the capital your island life begins. Although there is ample time to sit and relax on the beautiful beaches of Leleuvia we will do our best to keep you busy and occupied. Aside from learning to dive in the pristine waters, you will be given a series of presentations, lectures and workshops over the first two weeks to help you learn the scientific material that you need to get out there and begin surveying the adjacent reefs as soon as possible. With the amazing house reef available right off our front doorstep you can spend all day in the water, early morning swims can be breathtaking.
A typical day on the island starts with some of the most spectacular sunrises you will ever see, and should not be missed. Shortly after the first dive departs, you will be out there in the water: PADI training, point outs, surveys or recreation dives. We usually conduct two dives in the morning, depending on the group size. By the time we come back from the second dive lunch is waiting to be enjoyed. The afternoon is taken up by other tasks and what needs to be done. We may drop over to the schools, have lectures or workshops, go on a snorkel point out, have an additional dive, enter data or simply just relax.
After the day’s activities volunteers gather on the beach, most with a cold refreshing drink in hand, and watch the sunset over the back drop of the Viti Levu Mountains. The evening is usually left up to the volunteers; star gazing, beach bonfires and night snorkels are favourites, but occasionally a lecture may make its way into the schedule, a showing of a documentary, playing games or sitting back to enjoy a movie in our own cinema!
Island life is not limited to the boundaries of Leleuvia. With our environmental kids clubs we make regular excursions to both Bau and Moturiki Islands. The children’s enthusiasm and energy is amazing and refreshing. Smiles that extend from ear to ear typically greet you as you walk into the school grounds. Previous volunteers have found that school visits are extremely rewarding, the connections and friendships they make with the children truly inspiring.
Community meetings are also common with our local partners, this means donning your sulus, bula dresses and shirts, drinking kava and eating some tasty and locally made delicacies made from fresh and local ingredients. Home stays are also offered to volunteers and are strongly suggested to those that want to experience Fijian Village life first hand. Fijian hospitality is hard to beat and host families genuinely wish for you to join them in their home, a genuine experience of Fijian village life.
There is always something happening with this dynamic and adaptive project and you are invited to make your mark on the development and the implementation of our conservation goals. We encourage individual ideas from volunteers; some of the best new developments of the project have come from our past volunteers. Expect the unexpected.
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