Media Centre for Volunteer in Ghana

Atlanta Kassatly

Arriving in Zakynthos in the middle of the night I won't pretend that I wasn't a little bit scared, the next morning however was far less daunting.

Our house, set on the side of a hill had a beautiful sea view. It was simple, but comfortable, and perfectly suited to the project (lots of sand and people coming and going).

We carried out our tourist and turtle work on Gerakas, one of the 6 protected beaches in The Bay of Laganas; and in my opinion one of the most beautiful. During the day we did Kiosk and Beach Patrol shifts, but there was always plenty of time to sunbathe, swim, or have lunch in Yanni's family Taverna. Our evenings were usually spent on the Balcony, or at the Coffee House or Logos Bar. We also did around 6 slideshows a week in the local hotels. These proved to be a really effective way of getting people interested in the turtles and the work that we do to protect them. Then, after 11pm the excitement really began. Loggerhead turtles nest on the beaches of Zakynthos after dark and this is when we carried out night surveys to tag them and record their nesting behaviour.

For me, the highlight of the whole project was digging an egg-chamber for a turtle missing a hind left flipper. Because of her injury she was unable to do it for herself, but, with a helping hand from us, she laid! I spent two months on the project and it felt like two weeks. I strongly recommend it, whether you have a specific interest in turtles or just the environment in general. It is worthwhile, effective and enormous fun!