Olympic Champion Gregorio Paltrinieri Joins Healthy Seas at "Dominate the Water" in Cattolica, Italy
Partnering with Arena, Healthy Seas highlights the impact of marine litter and ghost nets through sport, sustainability, and ocean conservation.
This past weekend, Healthy Seas proudly participated in Dominate the Water, an incredible event blending sports with ocean conservation, created by Olympic champion Gregorio Paltrinieri. Held in Cattolica, Italy, this was the first of five events across the country, each focused on promoting open-water swimming and raising awareness about protecting our seas.
As the ambassador for Arena, a key partner of Dominate the Water, Gregorio not only promotes athletic excellence but also aligns with the mission of protecting the ocean. Arena, a leading swimwear brand, shares this commitment to sustainability, making them a natural fit for both the event and the ongoing partnership with Healthy Seas.
At our Healthy Seas booth, we showcased one of our most exciting collaborations—Arena’s swimsuit, made partially from fishing nets recovered by Healthy Seas and suitable for recycling that are recycled by our partner Aquafil, who regenerates discarded nylon into new products. This full circle of sustainability is a testament to how marine waste can be transformed into high-performance sportswear. The collaboration between Healthy Seas, Arena, and Aquafil demonstrates how we can protect the ocean while innovating in sportswear.
But that’s not all—our connection with Arena is growing even deeper! Later this year, three Arena athletes (all Olympic champions) will join Healthy Seas in clean-up missions in the US, Germany, and Italy to help recover discarded fishing nets from the seas. The Italian mission will feature none other than Gregorio Paltrinieri himself, as he continues his journey to protect the seas he loves.
At our booth, we engaged with visitors in creative and immersive ways. One of our activities involved folding origami envelopes and writing a “message from the ocean”—a symbolic act to give the sea a voice. The envelopes were displayed, inspiring everyone who visited our booth to reflect on the importance of ocean conservation. We also offered a virtual reality experience, giving visitors the chance to become divers and retrieve nets from a shipwreck in a fully immersive environment. Throughout the two days, over 100 people participated, learning about Healthy Seas’ mission and the impact of our work.
Gregorio himself stopped by our booth, where he took part in a fun challenge on ocean knowledge. We asked him questions about marine litter and the state of our seas, and while he passed with flying colours, even he was surprised by some of the alarming statistics about ocean pollution and the amount of marine litter Healthy Seas has collected in the last decade.
One particularly heartwarming moment was when a young girl joined us to fold an origami envelope. She shared her dream of opening a school dedicated to teaching people how not to pollute. After creating her envelope, she had the chance to share her vision with Gregorio and even got a picture with him. Moments like these remind us why our work is so important—the next generation is already dreaming of a cleaner, healthier future for our planet, we just need to support them and give them a voice.
As we look forward to the next event in Senigallia, Italy on September 14th and 15th, we’re energized by the passion and excitement we saw in Cattolica. Dominate the Water continues to be a platform not just for athletic excellence, but for spreading the message that our oceans need us—and together, we can make a difference.
