Cosplaying David Attenborough – 17 days in South Africa

As an 18 year old girl who was currently in the depths of A-Levels, being told that I had the opportunity to go on a school trip to SOUTH AFRICA was amazing in itself. This was even before I had become familiar with Operation Wallacea, and actually had thought to look into what my trip to South Africa would entail…however I was already sold!

Being an Alevel biologist who is about to study Biological Sciences at university, I was thoroughly encouraged by my biology teacher to consider going on the trip, not because I would be spending two weeks off of TikTok…but because I had the opportunity to develop my knowledge that I had learnt in the classroom to real life scenarios. I was slightly apprehensive at first as ecology and conservation was of great interest to me, and I could not say no to a good documentary by Sir David Attenborough himself , however the fun is often taken away when you are sat in the classroom with a long list of risk assessments that don’t always allow you to go out into the field to grasp a more practical element…

I have not been bribed to say this, but when I say my two weeks spent across Somkanda Game Reserve, and Sodwana Bay were the best two weeks of my life, I’m not joking!

Across my two weeks I learnt many important things about myself that include:
1) I am in fact a complete expert when it comes to poo (not human poo don’t worry)
2) I now have the ability to look at a bird, and successfully name it rather than going ‘is that a pigeon or a seagull?’
3) and finally….as a teenage girl who is somewhat addicted to her phone, I successfully survived both limited access to TikTok and Pinterest, as well as waking up early- so much so that I now consider 7am as a lie in!

The immersive environment, surrounded by like-minded people, made the experience truly special. The staff were amazing—enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and hilarious. Our evenings at the terrestrial site were spent stargazing or playing cards, though my card skills didn’t improve much. A memorable moment was during a group presentation when I split my trousers trying to imitate a monkey—luckily, everyone guessed the animal!

One of my favourite parts of the trip was seeing how captivated everyone was by the nature around us. It was remarkable to see a group of teenagers in near silence, completely absorbed, whether that be during game transects, bird point counts or looking at elephant poo! The excitement was contagious, and even our teachers, who had been on previous Operation Wallacea trips, were thrilled when we spotted eight rhinos on one transect.

The 5 a.m. starts were a shock, but they led to unforgettable experiences. Blasting music on a speaker with the wind in my hair (and hair in my face!) as we headed out for morning dives was a highlight. On our last dive, I was so mesmerised by the coral and marine life that I almost missed the fact that we were following a shark! In the end, we saw three sharks, though no mermaids, unfortunately 🙁

I returned from the trip with a diving qualification, a wealth of knowledge, and friendships that will last a lifetime. I would encourage anyone to go on an expedition with Operation Wallacea. I hope to use our student led Biology instagram page at my Sixth-Form to further post about the experience of this trip, as well as encouraging future biologists to become part of the OpWall family too! I think as a young person it is very important to encourage people like me to get involved and hands on.

I have learnt a lot about myself and the world around me; this trip has made me realise just what a magnificent place we live in, and how important it is to protect it.

It’s an opportunity I never thought I’d have, but now, it’s an opportunity I can’t wait to return to in the future!
Thank you for having me Operation Wallacea!

Photos by Georgie Johnston and title photo by Callum Evans