Biograd na Moru and the Adriatic coastline shines a little brighter from this weekend as the Swimming Club Dolphin (PK Dupin) hosted 21st Biograd Swimming Marathon and in collaboration with Croatian Swimming Federation organised coastal cleanup with youngest participants. Around 150 participants — swimmers, coaches, and volunteers — came together not only to swim, but to give back to the sea and coastline that has hosted this beloved event for more than two decades.
The cleanup was carried out within the framework of the SWIMSAFE project (“Safe Return of Swimmers to Nature”), a cross-border initiative co-funded by the Erasmus+ Sport programme of the European Union with a mission of a safe and sustainable reintegration of swimmers into natural aquatic environments.
Turning a Specific Objective into Action
One of SWIMSAFE’s core specific objectives is to enhance environmental awareness and water quality preservation — and the Biograd cleanup brought that objective to life. In line with the project’s aims, participants took part in a community cleanup at an open water swimming location and learned firsthand about responsible water use and pollution prevention. Armed with gloves and collection bags, participants worked side by side to remove marine litter from the coast — a hands-on reminder that protecting the Adriatic is a shared responsibility. What began as a swim became a collective act of marine conservation and ecological stewardship, directly supporting SWIMSAFE’s goal of keeping natural swimming areas safe, accessible, and ecologically sustainable.
Planting the Seeds of Change
Most enthusiastic participants were the youngest. Through the cleanup, children learned about the importance of caring for the sea and keeping our coastline clean. For many of them, it was a first, tangible lesson in sustainability — understanding that every piece of litter left behind has consequences for the marine ecosystem they love to swim in. By engaging the youngest generation, Swimming club Dupin and its SWIMSAFE partners – Croatian Swimming Federation are nurturing a lasting sense of eco-consciousness and responsibility — exactly the kind of long-term behavioural change the project seeks to embed in local communities well beyond the funding period.
The cleanup reflects SWIMSAFE’s belief that sport, safety, and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. It also embodies the project’s transnational spirit: by promoting responsible engagement with natural water environments, SWIMSAFE contributes to Erasmus+ Sport priorities on health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA), safe participation in sport, and the sustainable use of natural resources, while aligning with the wider goals of the EU Green Deal and the European Climate Pact.
A clean sea is not only more beautiful — it is essential for healthy marine life, safe open water swimming, and the wellbeing of the coastal community. As the spirit shared among participants throughout the day put it: the sea gives us so much, and it is only right that we give back.
Together, Swimming club Dolphin and Croatian Swimming Federation proved that a single event can make a real difference — for the coast, for the community, and for the generations of swimmers still to come.
Here’s to cleaner shores, a healthier Adriatic, and many more years of swimming with purpose.
Organized by Swimming Club Dolphin (PK Dupin) in cooperation with the Croatian Swimming Federation, as part of the SWIMSAFE project.
Co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Sport programme. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission.