Definitely worth it!

After getting into scuba diving as a hobby last year and as an ocean lover, I decided to participate on a volunteer program for marine conservation through GVI. I was there for a month in February, living in a remote location called Pez Maya on the Caribbean side of Mexico.

There were 30 people on base including staff and volunteers from UK, USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Russia, Holland, Mexico and Australia. We had no electricity or running water and shower with buckets of water from a well. Creatures at base included iguanas, spiders, scorpions, snakes, bats and crocodiles in the mangroves nearby. Oh, and mosquitos, lots of them!! But the deadliest thing to look out for would probably be falling coconuts - don't laugh, they kill more people than sharks.

The day started at 7am with duties including cooking, cleaning and preparing the boats. Amongst the diving and dive training, there were science lectures; fish and coral monitoring, and beach cleans. In only a 2 month period we collected 522 kilos of rubbish! Quite sad to see how much plastic and other trash is in our oceans and on our beaches. A weekly visit to the small fishing village of Punta Allen where we play games and teach English to kinder, primary and middle-school kids was quite rewarding. They don't have much in this town of 500, so a visit from the GVI Pez Maya volunteers is a highlight for them. A 5.30am wakeup and 2 hour bumpy road trip to the town was worth it.

Back at base, we slept in huts on bunk beds with not-so-comfortable mattresses, but each night we fell asleep under a sky full of stars and to the sound of the waves. Life at Pez Maya was interesting and exciting, and very simple. An escape from the outside world (no Wi-Fi) of limitless contact at our fingertips is a breath of fresh air and a realisation that we take the small things in life for granted, such as a sunrise, a hot shower or conversations and laughter with friends over a game of cards. Being part of a volunteer program was such a great experience. You are there for a purpose with other like-minded, passionate people, having a great time for a great cause – and doing your part in making a difference.