Hi, my name is Oneal, I’m 16 years old and I attend English River Secondary School in Seychelles.

Oneal Tambou

This school holiday I’m a student at the Academy by the Sea. I’m following a two week marine education training programme about how we can conserve and protect our marine friends.

Oneal pulling in the plankton net

The point of the programme is that a lot of our marine friends are endangered and are being threatened by all sorts of pressures like overfishing and pollution, and so the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles is helping to promote awareness of these threats to the young generation like us.

Oneal looking at the plankton sample

On Thursday 30th August, one of our topics was about the types of sea turtle found in the Seychelles. We then had a snorkel in front of the academy on Beau Vallon beach and saw a Hawksbill turtle. This is one of the two types of turtle that are found nesting in the Seychelles (the other one being the Green turtle). The Hawksbill turtle is critically endangered and the Seychelles is an important area for them as it has one of the largest populations of nesting Hawksbill turtles in the world. It was so amazing to see the turtle because it was the first time I had seen a turtle. He was feeding on algae on the rocks and was really impressive.

Oneal with others looking at turtle nest at Intendance

I’m really enjoying the academy and am getting lots of experiences and prospects for the future. I‘m looking forward to the following week and taking part in the activities that are planned!

Oneal and Randy at Banyan Tree wetlands

Oneal Tambou