A little update after our first 4 days in Greece!

Day 1

After a pretty smooth transition through Gatwick the students enjoyed a relatively quick flight and all enjoyed the excitement of getting closer to our destination. Stepping off the plane into a dry 32 degrees C was a nice experience and a different sort of heat to home. We got a coach to the campsite which is 20 minutes from the airport.

 

We enjoyed a fresh lunch and the watermelon went down a treat. The staff commented “we have some good eaters here!”, since when there has been mountains of food laid on for us! We enjoyed the afternoon and evening unpacking, with a walk to the local town, spotting our first turtle in the harbour on our walk home and then a sunset swim.

 

Day 2

This was our first full day with a morning full of presentations on camping orientation, nesting training, harbour training, and a swim / snorkel competency test. After a lunch and well deserved rest the students had some more presentations on sea turtle biology and data collection and analysis.

Dinner went down a treat and we spent the evening taking a small walk in the cooler air to a local lighthouse where students got some great pictures and enjoyed exploring.

 

Day 3

An early start with a 6 am wake up in preparation for our Harbour survey, where we took a scenic walk to the town where we met the wildlife team and were split into smaller groups to be given our patrol sites. Within the first few minutes of patrolling students had spotted sea turtles! It was amazing to see and we felt extremely lucky to be given this opportunity and so lucky to see so many this close.

When we returned to camp, two groups completed their snorkel survey in the afternoon whilst the others enjoyed some free time swimming and at the beach.

The evening presentations were on sea grass ecology and fish identification. Students were seeing so many varieties whilst snorkelling and had loads of questions. It was great to see the engagement from all.

 

Day 4

The first nest survey - 4am wake up. A struggle, but all in good spirits surprisingly. (They can get up when needed!). A breakfast eaten and snack packed we headed out for a 20 minute coach journey to the South Island. Splitting into tribes 1&2 and Tribes 3&4 we started from either end of the beach, working our way towards the middle surveying for tracks of turtles. Luck was on our side as both groups found tracks immediately. Throughout the survey tribes 1&2 found 2 positive nests and an abandoned attempt, whilst tribes 3&4 had a very rare nest relocation on their hands. 119 eggs were excavated and relocated into a safer nesting area higher up the beach. An incredible experience for all involved. The afternoon held presentations on sustainability where our students have begun coming up with creative ways to help the area/turtles and be sustainable. The evening was capped off with an injury and rescue presentation led by the co-founder of Wildlife Sense which was very engaging, and students were identifying injuries and accessing for remedies or rehab.

 

Day 5

A treat waking up for a 6:50 breakfast. All 4 tribes had at least a 2 hour snorkel survey today through the day and when they were free they had the option of heading to town for a break to get well earned snacks and drinks. Quite a few trinkets and souvenirs have also been purchased. The students have identified several “Best ice cream places in Greece” (although us staff are convinced each place sells the same flavours all for the same price...)! Even though, it is nice to hear them exploring and taking their tips on where to go. The evening’s presentation was on drone use in conservation which gave some context behind all the students' drone practice and surveillance.

 

Day 6

Our final 4:00 am wake up. Another nest survey saw our tribes switch their starting points on the beach. This saw a slight shift in luck and whilst tribes 1&2 found many tracks, the unveiling of the nests did not bear any fruit or signs of eggs. This was quite a common occurrence unfortunately but it shows the process and dedication from the Wildlife Sense team and efforts out in from tribes 1&2 to keep going and help out. Tribe 3&4 were a little more fruitful and found several with eggs in their nests, but also found more tracks without nests at the end.

For the afternoon tribes 3&4 had another snorkel survey whilst tribes 1&2 had the option to go to town or relax - most chose to go to town. This is something that will be flipped tomorrow.

Tonight there will be a light pollution presentation and how it impacts the sea turtles, followed by a careers talk by the Flooglebinder team about the ins and outs of their experiences in work throughout their life - having discussed with them, it is extremely varied and very very exciting.