TRACC was one of the best experience ever! I started as an inexperienced diver, but once I was... read more
TRACC was one of the best experience ever! I started as an inexperienced diver, but once I was... read more
Spent an amazing 2 weeks with TRACC as a volunteer : I learned A LOT about scientific diving... read more
Having spent almost 8 months on this idyllic island, both studying the Marine Science A Level, and also volunteering for ocean/reef conservation, I can say this is a great place to do either.
The A Level course was super fun, and I learnt so much, preparing me nicely to pursue a degree in the same field. Having the hands on experience to really appreciate what I was learning was perfect.
The island is beautiful with some amazing diving all around, I’ve spent many hours underwater whilst at TRACC and have come away with an even deeper love and understanding of the ocean than I had before.
Being surrounded by like minded people all giving their time and energy to conservation is so energising.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in diving/oceans/conservation/learning.
Go check it out yourself
I completed my A level at TRACC over 4 months in 2019 and can honestly say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The course itself was very informative, and was continuously re-iterated as we lived and breathed marine conservation – not only were we doing dives and practical experiments associated with our course, but we also helped out with the conservation activities run by TRACC, which was hugely advantageous to our learning (plus it felt amazing to contribute to helping preserve the ocean!) The fact that the course included unlimited diving and the potential to borrow full scuba gear meant we were also able to practise and hone in a really valuable skill in marine science. During my time, I went from being a very new (pretty nervous!) diver with 13 dives, to being a confident rescue diver with well over 100 dives, thanks to the amazing staff on the island as well as other awesome A levellers who spent so much time helping me feel comfortable. It was also great to be surrounded by so many like-minded people with a love for the ocean and a passion to conserve it. I loved my time there so much that I even returned after the end of the course as a volunteer, and fully intend to return to the island whenever I can in the future. Thanks guys for such an amazing time!!!
After 4 intense months, I struggle to find the right words to describe the experience I lived. Tracc is a unique place, where like-minded people from all over the world, all in love with nature, scuba diving, conservation and the ocean meet on this tiny island in the middle of the celebes sea. I arrived last January on Pom Pom to study the A-level in marine science and felt immediately at home. The « glamping site » is great, with all the amenities you need, from a jungle bathroom and toilets to the kitchen, the laundry site and the gym, all with an exotic DYI style. I had the chance to live in a cube tent and these 4m2 were my lovely home for 4 months, in which I felt cosy. This castaway kind of life is a great way to connect again with nature, living with the minimum and just dedicating oneself to Mother Nature. The food is really nice as well, with vegan/vegetarian options available and nice diversity. After the A level course and the exams were done, I decided to come back for my last 2 weeks of travels, as I loved being a volunteer, just scrubbing, building, taking care of the artificial reefs and cleaning up the sea and the beaches. The diving is awesome with loads of macro and tons of turtles, cuttlefish, octopi, and even eagle rays glimpsing around! They’ve done an amazing work for years, restoring the biodiversity in front of TRACC’s beach, this is truly mind blowing! Just living the life, on the beach, being able to dive and go for a snorkeling whenever you want, drinking beers on the jetty while watching the sunset and laugh with new friends was amazing. Just loved this experience, I really recommend TRACC to anyone wanting to live simply, connected with the ocean.
Spent 5 weeks at TRACC volunteering and getting my PADI Advanced open water, EFR and Rescue certifications.
During my time there I learnt so much about marine conservation and was really happy to be around people who care so much for their environment. I enjoyed being part of the reef restoration projects and underwater debris collections, which has inspired me to minimise waste at every opportunity.
The staff at TRACC work very hard to keep the volunteers happy and helpful. I was happy to have such a warm welcome on to the island and felt right at home straight away. Despite the huge efforts which they put in to the several scientific projects, I was very pleased that they educated the volunteers about all the different projects, and about the ocean and marine life. And they were a lot of fun during our free time together :)
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Some of the highlights of my trip included releasing baby turtles, learning how to cook rotis in the kitchen, observing beautiful sandperch, eagle rays, and plenty of nudis.
I really miss Tracc and pulau pom pom and can't wait to come back soon.
❤️
I stayed at TRACC from Mid December 2018 until Mid April 2019. It was a life changing experience! My plan was to stay for a month originally and complete my Advanced course and Rescue diver and do some volunteering. After being at TRACC for 10 days I knew I had to stay and do my Divemaster!
I came to TRACC with 4 dives and left with over 150 dives. I fell involve with the people, the island, the courses, the marine creatures, nights drinking a beer around the fire or on the jetty and making friends for life.
It's a group of like minded individuals who have a passion for the ocean and all living creatures. TRACC will change your mindset and make you more aware of the everyday waste you create and how to live a more ecologically friendly life.
I have a degree in Conservation Ecology, but you don'y need a background in conservation to enjoy, learn and be a an asset to the community.
There are all kinds of conservation projects going on, from turtle releases, coral fragment collection, crown of thorns removal, coral rehabilitation etc!
You will enjoy living in a tent, eating Malaysian food,learing the culture of the locals, taking cold showers in the jungle toilets, going on amazing dives and feeling like your making a positive impact on the environment.
I would recommend anyone to go to TRACC for volunteering or completing courses. The staff is wonderful and you will have an amazing island experience. I hope to one day go back to TRACC and see how the reef has changed through the years of conservation efforts.
Just spent 3 months with TRACC for my Marine Science A-level - what an amazing and fulfilling experience!
Got a last minute spot, so arrived a month after the actual start, but had non trouble organizing my stay with the help of Robin and catching up on what I've missed thanks to our great teacher Maddie :D
So every week we would have 1 or 2 half days of proper class (1 chapter of the book), 1 half day for review of the previous chapter (done by a couple of students - that was so much fun and truly helpful to memorize), usually one day would be a field trip (went to a local island to raise awareness on single plastic use, climbed a very close island/mountain, carry on an experiment like biodiversity survey on a more remote reef...)
The rest of the week would be to carry on experiments nearby, help/learn with/from TRACC usual activities (coral planting, ARC/biscuits building, fish/invert/turtle ID, Cots removal...), self study, dive, relax.
The A-level also includes a 10 days field trip that was quite an experience :D
We visited a few local fish markets in order to understand the different ways of fishing and their impacts on the environment - we stayed in the jungle 2 nights where we learned some survival skills & made a trip to Kinabatangan river.
At the end of our course, we stayed 2 weeks in Kota Kinabalu - 1 for revision week and 1 for the actual exam that was taken in an Institute near KK.
Overall, I am really glad I had this experience at TRACC as, even if at time it felt a little overwhelming (so many new words, unfamiliar topics, not a native English speaker..), I have gained so much knowledge and I was quite confident when taking my exam.
One thing you have to know when you stay at TRACC is it is not a fancy place and every day you will have to do you share of "work" (like can crushing, dishes, beach clean up...) but you will for sure learn so much and have an unforgettable experience with like-minded people.