On April 24, 2024, Dina Levačić swam around the first of 104 Dalmatian islands, islets, and rocks as part of a humanitarian project that is scheduled to be completed in November with a swim around Škoj in the Kaštela Bay.
Three goals:
- To promote Dalmatia and Croatia as tourist destinations, especially since long-distance swimming is one of the fastest-growing sports, bringing more and more foreigners to Croatia.
- To raise awareness of the need to keep the islands and the sea clean.
- To raise money for charities and non-profit organizations that carry out projects on the Dalmatian islands.
The swims vary in length, from a mere 50 meters to the 16 kilometers of Sveti Klement (Palmižana). In total, Dina will swim around 160 kilometers. The biggest challenge is the organization, getting to each island and everything that goes with it. The most demanding are the open-sea islands of Palagruža and Jabuka, where she will have to wait for an ideal day to avoid danger for herself and the crew of the boat accompanying her.
Dina started the project in Split, and the final swim will also be to the Split islet Škoj off the northern side of Marjan. The entire project should be completed in November.
The exact schedule is unknown as it will depend on the weather. Dina knows that she will swim in May and June, then after a break again in September and October, and hopes to complete the entire project by mid-November. Due to her private obligations and the crowds at sea, she will not be swimming in July and August. The last one should be Školjić in front of Lučice in Spinut, so that the project starts and ends in Split.
The sea was cold, about 15 degrees, but that didn't bother Dina. She jumped in ready, accompanied by Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish and a few friends who are usually with her.
"The weather is perfect, no waves, no rain..., ha, ha, ha... and in these 180 meters I wouldn't have time to freeze even if it was much colder," Dina said after the ten minutes it took her to swim around the Ježinac rock.
Unfortunately, she has not yet been able to secure the financial side of the entire project.
"It's always a pull-and-drag with sponsors - we haven't covered everything yet, not even the basics, the fuel for the boat that takes us, the accommodation costs on longer routes... But that's nothing new, we're used to it, so if anyone can help, I would be grateful," Dina concluded.
Source: 24sata.hr, Dina Levačić facebook page, 24.04,2024.
