Experiencing the intricacies of the marine environment first-hand enabled the students to gain important insights, such as that of 12-year-old Leanne Appoo. She explains how her opinion of sharks was transformed during the trip. ‘Abi and I were snorkelling and a blacktip shark swam right past us. It didn’t even notice us. My friends on Mahé are always talking about people going boogie boarding and having their legs bitten off by sharks, but now I think they were just trying to scare me. From what I’ve seen, if you don’t bother sharks, they won’t bother you. If I tell people at school they might not believe me, because they only know about sharks from movies. Most movies discriminate against sharks, but they are actually really calm animals.’

During their week on the island, each of the two groups of D’Arros Eksplorators spent time in different parts of the D’Arros and St Joseph Atoll system and were encouraged to write about their favourite experiences. ‘Out of the shallow blue a juvenile green turtle jetted past, grabbing the eyes of everyone on the boat. Delight and excitement rippled through us as we clung to the sides, eagerly waiting for the appearance of another magnificent creature. In the distance, tiny black-tipped dorsal fins could be seen breaking the surface. They belonged to juvenile sharks. It is only at low tide that these small creatures can be seen, because the shallow water protects them from the larger predators,’ wrote 16-year-old Sean Pillay after a visit to St Joseph’s lagoon.

For 15-year-old Carol Hoareau, discovering a nesting turtle during a very early morning beach survey was an emotional and illuminating experience. The children had been woken before sunrise and had walked around most of the island before they came across the large female green turtle that had just finished laying her eggs. ‘It felt amazing, standing so close to an animal that I had only learned about in the classroom. It was the first time I had witnessed such a special event. Every single thing that I had learned about turtles this week came to life right in front of me. Hearing it breathe and move through the sand brought this feeling of joy and admiration,’ Carol remembers. ‘I knew turtles were important, but seeing one up close on land created this sense of urgency. It is truly my duty as a member of the growing generation to do something for their well-being and to protect this species from the threats it faces,’ she adds.

And that is a perfect example of what Socrates, the aforementioned Greek, was getting at. The concept of conservation may not have existed for him and his peers, but had they been given the chance to share these insights about the delicacy of our natural world, we would probably be in a far better position now. Socrates also said, ‘Let him that would move the world move himself first’. By that logic, planting the seeds of environmental respect and responsibility in even a few young individuals is an invaluable contribution to the future of our oceans.