Marine Science Internships in Fiji

I went to Israel for agriculture internship for 2 years from 2019 to 2021. It was a great opportunity for me to learn more about agriculture and how can be horticultural production can integrate with aquatic or fish farming. Apart from that I learned about Jewish culture and pay visit to different places as written in the Bible about Israel

My major is actually Journalism, but the diving world really draws my attention that much. So, I took the plunge and tried this IGS internship program. What we did everyday was preparing gear for dives, conducting reef surveys and even website management to highlight threats to reef systems. My journ experience was also used, as I have created contents for the shop's website, also some SEO stuff, and some copywriting. Staff are always smiling, and Hawaii is extremely beautiful. How I wish I could spend eternity there.

In general, a Divemaster course will take on average anywhere between 6 weeks - 6 months to complete. Here, it took me 3.5 months. :) On mornings and afternoons, we assist visitors in their tours, coordinated with the other staff, did researches in the back office, and even did some marketing stuff when there are just few visitors. On days when no visitors are around, they teach me towards my PADI certification goal and really made time to orient me. Grateful for this beautiful opportunity. Serving dual purpose - enjoying and learning in the internship... also getting a certification. Insane.

Got the chance to work with local and foreign staff in Cebu, Philippines. Working in the dive shop got me an opportunity to meet diff kinds of people, so I get to learn their language also. Good thing Cebuanos are very fluent in English, I had no difficulty in understanding them. Among the many tourist destinations I went to, I think that taoist temple, tops lookout, and the whaleshark spotting are my top favorite adventures.

I thought that living in Australia for this aquaculture internship would cost me so much. Glad to be proved wrong. I liked that there is a wide range of housing options, provided to me by Dr. Adams. The hotel has so many amenities too. I enjoy that it also has a pool for tenants and that they have nice showers. As to cost of living, it's fantastic. My college savings aren't totally used up. Good internship, over all.

Ever since I was a kid, I really have this burning passion for the environment and marine ecosystem, so when my mom knew about this internship she really took the time to message the IGS staff to accommodate me. luckily I passed the standards and screening of IGS and they assisted me in every way possible. i am grateful because I got to see hawaii in person and got to visit Haleakala National Park and the Waikiki beach. truly an amazing internship for me!

my internship in aquaculture is a good way to spare time. i am interested in this field and I took different internships abt it already. good thing that IGS also gives imtermship positions even to those who already graduated, not students anymore, like me. good people and good experience

Kudos to IGS for a great summer! We were assigned to a local dive resort in beqa islands, assisted clients on dive trips and work on some graphics and emails to promote tours. the fire walkers are so cool!!!

We taught adorable children and lived in a Fijian village. As a native English speaker, it was easy for me to teach them basic English words. But the most challenging for me was making some kids calm down after they had tantrums. It was still a great experience. The school treated us as own employees, own teachers. Seems a like a new life for me

Fiji’s beaches are the real deal! For my marine research internship, we worked under a world-renowned reef ecologist and did researches on MPA’s (marine protected areas). We were given trainings before our actual work so everything was smooth. Every detail was well thought off. Im glad I put my savings into this memorable experience.

I always thought that intern-ing in Fiji would be very challenging to me. I have little knowledge about the country and I did not even know that they speak English there. I only knew about that when I lived with the families there. English is the primary language of instruction in schools and most villagers can converse in the language. It was helpful for me because English is the only language I know.

After we finished our training, we are appointed to different research locations.... As far as I know, some were assigned to the Taveuni Island and some were in Beqa Island... As an advocate of the protection and conservation of coral reefs, I so love the tasks designated to us. Also, we lived with a very sweet Fijian family, that taught us about their lovely culture and stunning traditions... My Social Science teacher would be super proud of me for having this kind of immersion....

IGS prepared our accommodation at the South Seas Hostel and we had to commute a short distance to the training site. I don’t mind the commuting time though because that was actually the best time to explore the city and visit botanical gardens and cultural museums. There are plenty of them near our hostel that we sometimes forget to go home before dinner time!

My IGS mentor was adorable. He made sure I was having the best experience by having an up close and personal immersion into the Fijian way of life and marine ecosystems. Miss Sykes was very well-informed about her craft. She trained us on how to lay transects and how to observe and record species they will encounter on the reefs. Fiji was awesome!

Since Marine Biology is my college degree, this internship became the perfect option for me. IGS took care of our travel to the islands of Fiji and prepared our programme in learning about coral reefs, island customs, and cultural ecology. Ever since I got back from Fiji, I’ve been telling my Marine Bio friends how they are missing a part of their lives if they would not intern here! This is probably the best career decision I did for this year.

I had the opportunity to explore the city and visit botanical gardens and cultural museums. And, learn a lot about coral reefs, island customs, and the cultural ecology that links them together. I made so many friends. This is realy amazing experience. My supervisor was great, she always had tasks to give me, but also was open to me asking her for assistance, which I did a lot. At the office, i felt always welcomed.

They gave me a nice choice of job duties doing event planning, working in their herb garden, and assisting in stream conservation. Any time the lab needed help, I would also help there with things like sediment samples and coral disease research. This internship put me in the field and let me see how other researches do their jobs. It was a really good experience, and I am glad I got the opportunity to do it. I am really glad I chose this internship.

It was neat working with a nearly all-female staff of professionals. They gave me a nice choice of job duties doing event planning, working in their herb garden, and assisting in stream conservation. I really appreciated their mission of helping to educate the community and to conserve the fragile freshwater ecosystems in the mountains above Auckland. They were super helpful and I am really glad I chose this internship.

I took this internship for me. I didn’t take it for hours or credits. Even though, I did get some animal husbandry hours that counted toward my degree, I really just wanted to see what the field was like, and I really got that from this internship. The Institute found a house to rent for me. My flight and transportation were a smooth, easy process. It all worked very well. In my job, I gave a lot of tours. I helped maintain the touch tables in the education department. Any time the lab needed help, I would also help there with things like sediment samples and coral disease research. My favorite day including snorkeling to collect samples of an invasive species of seaweed. This internship put me in the field and let me see how other researches do their jobs. It was a really good experience, and I am glad I got the opportunity to do it.

Before this internship, I had never travelled alone. I lived in Votua Village, which lies in the middle of the coral coast. I lived in a little house with a wonderful family. As soon as I walked inside, I was greeted with firm handshakes and open arms. I worked in a dive shop while I was there. The dive shop is part of the village and is run by people who live there. A percentage the profits goes to the village. I also did MPA (Marine Protected Area) surveys. Our job was to survey the MPA area calculating the percent of live coral and dead coral. Our data was then compared to surrounding areas that were not protected. I made so many friends. I cannot communicate with them due to the remote area, but the one thing they said to me is, “Eric whenever you want to come back, you just come straight to the village because this is your home.” Not only have I made so many friends…I’ve become family.