Croatian freediver Kristijan Curavić took an appeal for ocean protection beneath the Adriatic Sea today, undertaking an underwater plastic clean-up world record attempt off Krapanj in approximately 90 kilograms of traditional diving equipment. Organised by Ocean Alliance Conservation Member (OACM), in cooperation with the World Tourism Network, the event brought island residents, international supporters and television crews together around a message that deserves to travel far beyond Croatia: people protect what they love.
Croatian freediver Kristijan Curavić took an appeal for ocean protection beneath the Adriatic Sea today, undertaking an underwater plastic clean-up world record attempt off Krapanj in approximately 90 kilograms of traditional diving equipment. Organized by Ocean Alliance Conservation Member (OACM) , in cooperation with the World Tourism Network , the event brought island residents, international supporters and television crews together around a message that deserves to travel far beyond Croatia: people protect what they love.
On this beautiful, sunny day, I was privileged to be among them.
eTurboNews publisher and World Tourism Network Chairman Juergen Steinmetz said:
“I came as a journalist, a supporter of Kristijan’s work and as Chairman of the World Tourism Network. I left with an even stronger conviction that tourism’s relationship with the sea must involve responsibility as well as enjoyment. Being on this peaceful island also renewed my hope that peace can prevail worldwide, with tourism playing a meaningful role in bringing people together.”
A small island with a message for the world
Krapanj provided a setting that gave this undertaking its meaning. Here, diving is part of the community’s identity.
I stayed at the four-star Hotel Spongiola and enjoyed a wonderful, deep night’s sleep in a place where you can hear the silence.
The island’s only hotel stands on the site of a former sponge cooperative, connecting Krapanj’s working past with its tourism present.
On an island with little more than 100 residents, the gathering felt deeply personal. Local people joined international guests, including Greece’s Ambassador to Croatia, Athanassios Paressoglou, and the outspoken deputy mayor responsible for tourism in Kalymnos, Greece.
Television crews from Croatia, Greece and Germany were there, alongside the teams providing livestream coverage for international media.
The connection with Kalymnos mattered. Both islands have strong sponge-diving traditions. In his prepared address, Kristijan described a brotherhood agreement intended to help preserve their shared marine cultural heritage.
Watching the gathering, I saw a community drawing on its history to speak about its future.
A copper helmet, a hand pump and extraordinary trust
Then came the moment that made everyone’s attention sharpen.
Kristijan entered the water wearing traditional diving equipment, including a copper helmet. Organisers put the total weight at approximately 90 kilograms.
His breathing air came from the surface through a manually operated pump. Volunteers took responsibility for keeping that supply moving.
It was a striking demonstration of trust. A man beneath the sea depended on the people above him, on their concentration, their effort and their willingness to keep working.
That relationship gave physical form to the day’s wider message. Protecting the ocean requires people to depend on one another and accept responsibility for something they cannot always see.
Around Kristijan, camera divers worked in far more modern equipment. The contrast brought a small smile, but it also made the demands of his undertaking unmistakable.
The traditional equipment connected this contemporary appeal with generations of divers whose livelihoods depended on the same sea.
A voice from beneath the Adriatic
After approximately 90 minutes underwater, Kristijan delivered his address.
Listening to him speak between audible breaths, I heard passion, sincerity and the determination of someone who has spent years trying to make people pay attention.
The prepared speech expressed his central demand plainly:
“We must unite. We must unite before it is too late to preserve the very natural resources that sustain all life on Earth.”
Read the full prepared address: https://eturbonews.com/kristijan-curavic-underwater-ocean-speech/
He directed that appeal to heads of state, corporate leaders, international institutions and ordinary people.
From beneath the surface, he challenged the distance between environmental promises and the pollution divers encounter on the seabed. His argument was that commitments must produce practical work and measurable results.
There is room to debate the design of any environmental programme. But the question he raised is one every tourism leader should be prepared to answer: what has actually improved in the places we invite people to visit?
Why this matters to tourism
Tourism sells the sea every day.
It appears in hotel advertising, cruise itineraries, destination campaigns and holiday photographs. For coastal communities, it also supports jobs, businesses and cultural identity.
Those benefits carry an obligation.
A beautiful view from a hotel terrace tells visitors very little about the condition of the seabed. Clear-looking water alone cannot establish that a marine environment is healthy or free of debris.
For me, today’s event made that gap between appearance and responsibility particularly clear.
Hotels, tourism boards, boat operators and destination authorities have opportunities to support sustained clean-up work, reduce waste at its source and explain their progress honestly.
The useful questions are practical. What was removed? From which area? How was it documented? What happens to the recovered material? And what will prevent pollution from returning?
Those answers give environmental commitments substance. They also give travellers reasons to trust them.
The sea connects people across borders
On peaceful Krapanj, it was easy to understand why Kristijan’s message extended beyond environmental protection.
Croatian islanders welcomed Greek guests. People from different countries worked together above and below the water. Their shared concern gave them a reason to listen, cooperate and build something together.
To me, this is where tourism can make one of its most valuable contributions.
Travel creates opportunities for people to meet as hosts, guests, colleagues and friends. Those encounters can help build the understanding on which peaceful relationships depend.
The connection between Krapanj and Kalymnos offered a small but meaningful example. Their shared diving heritage provided common ground across national borders.
Watching that cooperation, I felt renewed hope. Tourism has people, networks and influence that can help turn such encounters into lasting relationships.
A larger initiative in the making
Krapanj is intended to mark the beginning of the White Flag Clean-Up Record Series.
According to the organisers, the plan calls for 20 underwater clean-up and record attempts across multiple continents between 2026 and 2030.
Any Guinness World Records recognition remains subject to official verification. The Krapanj undertaking should therefore be described as a record attempt, with its final results and any recognition to be confirmed.
In his prepared address, Kristijan also appealed for support for OACM’s proposed Ocean Heritage ACT – Sea Treaty, which the organization aims to launch in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2027.
He presented it as a framework connecting governments, companies and measurable aquatic preservation.
That is an ambitious proposal. Its credibility will depend on its published terms, participating institutions, financing, independent verification and results over time.
Today’s event showed the commitment of the person asking others to help build it.
Why I am proud to stand alongside this effort
I am extremely proud to have been associated with Kristijan and his projects.
Through the World Tourism Network, we have followed his initiative’s development over several years. Today felt like testimony to that persistence, and an indication of something greater taking shape.
My involvement is also something readers should know when considering this account. I attended as a supporter and as chairman of an organisation cooperating in the event.
What moved me most was the human effort: the volunteers at the pump, the islanders gathered above the water, the divers documenting the undertaking and Kristijan continuing his appeal from below.
Together, they made ocean protection feel immediate.
Krapanj gave the world a small, tangible example of people accepting responsibility for the sea around them.
People protect what they love.
Today, on this Croatian island, I watched people put that belief into action.
Read Kristijan’s full speech; click here:
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