Lynette and Jeff got plenty of opinions about seaplanes before they ever boarded one. Family and friends back in Australia were convinced it would be terrifying. Lynette’s verdict afterwards: gorgeous. The pilots clearly knew their stuff, and because the plane landed three times to drop people at different atolls, the transfer turned into a sightseeing flight over the Maldives. It was part of the program, too, which made it a decent way to start.
The couple joined the Maldives – Marine and Turtle Conservation program on Naifaru island, and the welcome was warm from the first boat ride. The heat took some getting used to, especially for Jeff. Lynette lived in Queensland for thirty-odd years, so she had a head start. Everyone on the island made them feel welcome, and the air-con in their bedroom, as Jeff put it, saved them.
Seagrass, sunrise and a turtle who got a daily hello
Ask Lynette for her best memory and she doesn’t hesitate: collecting seagrass for the turtles. She’d dive down, gather it up, hand it over in a container, and say good morning to one turtle in particular. A marine biology student still on the program sends her videos of herself saying good morning to that same turtle, so the morning ritual carries on even though Lynette has gone home.
The team made the experience. The marine biologists and vets let volunteers help and work alongside them, and they gave talks on whatever they were passionate about. Lynette picked up a fair bit about life deep under the sea, and Jeff is taking it back to the kids at his school. There were fun evenings too, like fish identification and bingo. A long-term volunteer ran the place so well that Lynette assumed she was paid staff, and she made everyone feel like part of the team. Her read on the whole thing: if you’re a young person thinking about marine biology, go. You spend every day working with professionals.
The excursions
The program runs weekly excursions, depending on weather and season. Lynette and Jeff paid extra for a controlled manta ray swim with a ranger, and on another trip Lynette, who finds the sharks back home in Australia scary enough already, got in the water with a diver holding her hand. She got out when she’d had enough, and Jeff said he was just proud she came. Wildlife encounters like these depend on the day and are never guaranteed.
Then there was night fishing. Jeff’s one wish was to say he’d fished in the Maldives, so the local team arranged it. They expected a couple of hours on the boat they’d been using all week, and instead found a big local fishing boat, a barbecue drum, and locals climbing aboard, grandmothers and kids included. Some of the turtle team came along too, and it was a better way to meet the locals than a wave in passing. They caught plenty, the fish went straight on the barbecue, and then someone added chili. Lynette scraped hers off.
Two weeks, and a calmer way of living
Two weeks felt like a lot and not enough at the same time. The program page recommends at least three, if you can swing it. For Lynette and Jeff, it was one more good chapter in a life that already had plenty, and she says the memory of getting up each day to go and see the turtles isn’t going anywhere.
Then she told us the part we loved most. Coming home, she said to Jeff, “We are not changing this. We’re just going to stay chilled.” Life had been hectic around their move, and the Maldives slowed them down. They’ve kept it up so far, and they plan to keep going. “So thank you,” she told us. “You did that to us, that was wonderful.”
We’re passing that thank you on to the whole team. They’ll be glad to hear it.
Maldives – Marine and Turtle Conservation – Click Here To Apply Now
