October the 3rd, 2024 – The swim from Pula to Savudrija has been announced for summer next year as part of Rokpoluotok 2025.
After the first season of swimming around the Istrian peninsula from Rijeka to Pula, the RokOtok Association has announced plans for Rokpoluotok 2025 – a swim from Pula to Savudrija scheduled for June and July next year.
Things don’t stop there, either. Following the first season of swimming around Croatia’s largest peninsula and doing so for a hundred kilometres, Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish and the RokOtok Association are continuing with this noble project.
It isn’t only some swimmers swimming such long distances for the first time. Children can come, play and have fun without screens, and their parents can learn new ways of socialising with them and together with new friends.
During the 25-day maintenance of the first part of the RokPoluotok project in June and July 2024, Ribafish swam an average of five kilometres a day accompanied by other swimmers, kayakers, SUPers and even a dog. Receptions and workshops were held on eleven beaches across Eastern Istria and Kvarner, more specifically in Preluk, Lovran, Mošćenička Draga, Brseč, Plomin Luka, Rabac, Sveta Marina, Tunarica, Ližnjan, Medulin and Pula.
At the last reception in Pula, following a short lecture on the dangers of single-use plastics, ecology and quality free time spent by children and adults, the RokOtok team distributed over 200 gifts to the present children. The number of them reached a round figure of 1000 bags containing educational material and games that encourage socialising and less time spent in front of screens.
plans for rokpoluotok 2025
At the conference, Ribafish recounted the first stage of the RokPoluotok, announced the continuation of swimming from Pula to Savudrija as part of Rokpoluotok 2025. He then invited both amateur and professional swimmers to join him.
“It’s important to emphasise that these are very large sections, intended exclusively for professional swimmers accompanied by a boat. That means that swimming with children will be organised only on the beaches – where the protective buoys start. The plan is to swim to the most beautiful beaches of the western part of Istria in the summer of 2025 through 20 sections (with a free day every five days of swimming). 10 interesting workshops with an emphasis on ecology, nature protection and the preservation of Earth will be held. We’ll also organise a search for hidden treasures, set up geocaches and carry out beach and environmental clean-up operations,” Ribafish revealed.
Every child who comes to the workshop will receive interesting and educational gifts that, like the start of the project itself, were made possible by the following sponsors: Sport Vision Croatia, Raiffeisen Bank in Croatia, Hyundai, Croatian Tourist Board, Kaufland Croatia, Fina, JGL, Rio Mare, UHU, Lareto Food and donors White Shark, Speedo Hrvatska, Geocaching Croatia, Adriatic Osiguranje, Offset.hr, Fish Clash, Doppel Herz Hrvatska, Linolada, Destilerija Rossi and many others.
The exact start of RokPoluotok 2025 will be known at the beginning of next year. The beaches in Pula, Fažana, Barbariga, Rovinj, Vrsar, Poreč, Novigrad, Karigador, Umag, Zambratija and as the final one in Savudrija are planned stops. Of course, the programme remains subject to minor changes going forward.
In the winter part of the year, the RokOtok Association will dedicate itself to cleaning up the continental part of Croatia with its sister association, Čisteći medvjedići (Little Cleaning Bears).
“Take care of nature, throw your rubbish away in the right place, talk to your parents and look forward to every little thing with lots of play, adventure and exploration. And of course, come to RokPoluotok!”
rokotok 2024 in numbers
The length that was swum: 97.408 metres
The number of individual swims: 17
The number of steps: 233.357
Duration: 25 dana
The number of cleaned up beaches: 10
The amount of collected/removed rubbish: Approximately 120 kilograms
The number of gatherings with kids: 11
The amount of hours spent learning and playing: Approximately 30
The number of swimmers, those on kayaks and SUP users: 20
The number of children at the gatherings: 700
The number of parents, guardians, teachers and grandmothers: 600
The number of gifts fiven (to kindergartens, schools and children’s homes): 1000
The number of jellyfish stings: 1 (but it was painful!)
The number of kilograms lost: 4 (there’d have been more, but we were taken care of well!)
what is the rokotok association?
The message the RokOtok Association wants to send out to the wider public is that both children and adults need to engage in more quality socialising and time spent in and with nature. Through lectures, workshops and socialising on the beaches, the association will try to encourage kids to spend a few hours outdoors playing and having fun with the intention of proving to everyone that everything is better when it is in balance and that instead of staring at screens, time is better spent with others in the fresh air.
RokOtok has so far taken home numerous awards. It was declared the most beautiful story of the summer of 2019, and Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish himself awards for this project, including those awarded by the Ministry of the Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, Local Hero and Ponos Hrvatske (Pride of Croatia).
During the colder part of the year, hundreds of environmental clean-up actions were carried out with the Čisteći medvjedići (Little Cleaning Bears) Association, including the now legendary Čikolov, where people come out and remove a huge amount of non-degradable cigarette butts.
These actions are held every week throughout Croatia, so if you like volunteering and want a cleaner environment, contact [email protected] and help to create a better world.
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RokPoluotok – Swimming Around Istrian Peninsula Starting Soon!
Phase 1 of RokPoluotok Project Complete – Ribafish Swims 100 km From Rijeka to Pula!
Welcome Heroic Ribafish at RokOtok Finish at Okrug Gornji, Ciovo Tomorrow!
He Did It! RokOtok 2019 Completed as Ribafish Swims to Ciovo. Congratulations! (VIDEOS)
