Above and below the surface: a community day for Bakar’s sea
While children imagined a cleaner, more vibrant sea from the harbour, volunteer divers were working just metres away to remove marine litter from beneath the water.
At the end of June, in Bakar, Croatia, the harbour became the meeting point for a day that brought together underwater cleanup, environmental education and the local community.
The activity was supported by ERGO as part of its partnership with Healthy Seas, which includes a series of ocean conservation and educational activities taking place in different locations throughout the year.
While volunteer divers entered the water to remove waste from the seabed, children, teachers and families gathered along the harbour for educational and creative activities. From the shore, the community could see the cleanup taking place in front of them, connecting what was being discussed and imagined above the surface with the work happening below it.
The underwater operation involved 5 Healthy Seas volunteers and 10 volunteers from the Bakar Sports & Maritime Association, with the participation of local fishermen. Together, they recovered approximately 400 kg of marine litter, including plastics, fishing nets and other waste, and cleaned around 500 m² of seabed.
At the same time, 285 students from the Elementary School in Bakar, together with their teachers and families, took part in activities focused on the marine environment. During an art workshop by the sea, the children were invited to imagine and draw the underwater world surrounding their town.
Their paintings captured that connection beautifully. Alongside colourful marine life, many of the drawings also included divers, marine litter and the recovery work they had just learned about and witnessed in the harbour.
In total, the event brought together around 400 participants, showing how cleanup and education can reinforce one another when they happen in the same place, at the same time.
About ERGO
ERGO is one of the leading international insurance groups, represented in more than 20 countries worldwide and offering a broad range of insurance, provision and services.
