Our 2024 Winner, Coen.

I follow a lot of conservation and exploration accounts on Instagram and, when I saw this competition, I immediately thought this is my chance!  When I won, I couldn’t believe it at first, this was my dream trip. I could think of no better way to spend 8 days on the island with conservation all around me and being able to see a unique healthy environment everywhere.

I’ve been diving in lots of places (Egypt, Maldives, Indonesia, Australia, Philippines, Bonaire) but this was by far the most beautiful place I have ever been. The freedom you have to go to places and be ‘interrupted’ by a school of Spinner dolphins, Risso’s dolphins or a mating pair of Green turtles is absolutely magical. The team has time to explore and really tailor the experience to help you see animals and places you never expected!!
The reefs were the most vibrant and healthy I’ve ever seen, with so much fish life! The fish biomass was incredible with tiny anthers, groupers everywhere, snappers in giant schools and sharks circling around them. Every dive felt like a magical dream.

I learned a lot about the life on the island from the team there. It’s so much fun to talk to people that know so much about the local environment and marine life in general; especially life underwater and the birds on this island. The frigate birds, for example, and their way of obtaining food was interesting to learn about and see in action from the beach. The tortoises were also a big part of the experience. Learning about their behaviour and way of life was eye opening for me and my girlfriend! Every time we saw one we had to stop and admire their beauty. The island is a manta ray hotspot with tens of individuals swimming 20 meters from the beach. It made us realize how little we actually know about the migration of these animals and why research is essential to find out how and where we need to implement laws or marine parks etc.

Seeing the heard work undertaken to understand and help the environment is a real game changer! The researchers carry out very important work both for the local species as well as the greater Seychelles area. Even a remote island like this has plastic pollution which really shocked us. The changing environment with higher temperatures had its impacts as well on corals and other spots around the island. This all the more signifies the importance of research to find out why certain corals are able to withstand these temperatures and how impactful coral bleaching can be.

The trip as a whole was magical, but I think 2 things stood out. First was snorkeling early every morning. I jumped out of bed at 6am, grabbed my snorkeling gear and did an hour snorkel around the house reef. The reef waking up, the beautiful colours, the fish, the turtles, the sharks, the tiny life in between the coral branches were almost too much to comprehend. There was always a surprise somewhere during the snorkel with a close turtles encounter or a ray getting really close. A giant nurse shark swam past on the last day as well. On the 5th day we saw a giant manta ray feeding on the surface and we could swim with it for 20 minutes, a life changing experience.

The last dive was at a new spot called Turtle Town and it blew everyone's mind. I have never in my life seen so much life on such a healthy and vibrant reef. Every nook and cranny was crammed with life, corals, sea fans, sponges, anemones, nudibranchs, shrimp, fish, rays, sharks and of course, turtles. We counted more than 35 turtles in one dive!! Most of them were sleeping on the reef when we passed. Around you were always a few blacktip reef sharks and if you looked on both sides of the plateau you could see the bull sharks swimming over the sand! We saw sharks on every dive, but seeing a bull shark is something else. The sheer size and girth of them makes them stand out. It's a car sized shark, bulky and smooth swimming effortlessly around you and peering at you with its eyes, following every move. The whole dive was perfection, I often dream about this dive and relive it!!

Anything related to sharks and rays has my interest. I love the smaller scale initiatives of stopping small scale shark fishing and providing other ways of income for people by conservation or eco tourism.

The most worrisome challenge for me seems to be the giant scale of solving the warming of the planet. Since there’s no way of doing anything impactful without doing it across borders and with the whole world. This sometimes makes me pessimistic about our chances, but seeing people like the researchers on the island gives me tremendous hope for a possible solution in the future! Especially involving the next generation to experience the island (coexist experience), as they are the ones that can make a difference!

I think the main thing we need to do is show that conservation works! Having actual numbers and local successes shows that what we do as a species to help the environment. This of course has the most impact if you are there, but showing this through videos online via social media helps spread the news and educate people worldwide. It has never been easier to show conservation successes to such a big audience and educate people on what is being done and how they can help!

It totally surpassed anything we expected. The people, the island, the wildlife, everything was magical. It’s a life changing trip that changed me and my girlfriend’s's view on wildlife and marine conservation. Seeing a healthy island and its wildlife was a once in a lifetime chance for both of us and we are so grateful to have had this opportunity!

I would say to anyone considering joining, pour in all your love and time. My submission took a lot of time, but it’s all worth it. Having an opportunity to go to the island is the ultimate reward. I would do anything to get back to the island!!!