THEThe sea is full of stories: seen from land, searched in the waves or glittering on the seabed. In his new book, THEthe feeling of the sea (Einaudi), Evelina Santangelo explores events and adventures which always have something epic, mythical and extreme.
There’s her, the writer, caught in a moment of drift in her life. There’s Carmelo, who tried to give a new life to a sperm whale killed by man by reassembling the skeleton for years.
There are two freedivers, Fausto and Gaetano, who transmit with visionary concreteness what it means to «feel at one with water, feel like a fish, sea…».
The sea is a feeling
Those who love it know that the sea is indeed a feeling. But also a reservoir of memory, a possibility, a treasure, a danger. The sea belongs to everyone. And it is full of stories to be experienced. But it must be protected. It’s known.
This is why the non-profit organization Worldrise, on its tenth anniversary, has decided to celebrate the second edition of Festivalmar, a traveling marine festival, in Golfo Aranci, Sardinia, in the heart of the Costa Smeralda.
Right here, in 2014, he launched one of his first marine protection projects, “The gulf of dolphins”, for the promotion and enhancement of “dolphin watching”, the sighting of these mammals.
The Festivalmar between dolphins and mermaids
For over ten years, a herd of bottlenose dolphins has been “dwelling” in the waters between Capo Figari and Golfo Aranci. Every day it is possible to see them in their natural environment as they play, eat, swim, jump and look after their young.
Just looking at them conveys serenity and amazement. «The sea is the lifeblood of the planet, but for too long we have taken it for granted» reflects Mariasole Bianco, marine conservation expert and president of Worldrise.
The non-profit organization also has actress Anna Favella among its ambassadors.
Biowalks and mermaid diving at Festivalmar
And the one launched by the non-profit organization is really a call to action and well-being.
In line with the theme defined by United Nations for World Oceans Day 2023, “Planet Ocean: tides are changing” scheduled for 8 June, has developed a program of outdoor activities.
From sunset yoga sessions to guided snorkelling and kayaking – to (re)connect to the sea and your balance.
If the benefits of sun and salt water exposure are well known (improve skin and metabolism, strengthen the immune system), the real purpose, in reality, is to get people to understand that you can feel good only if you treat nature well.
A “dive” into nature
Thus biowalks are planned to discover the local herbs on the Baracconi beach, but also experiences such as beach clean up, beach cleaning, and breathing sessions to recover one’s Qi, the vital flow.
Feeling good, however, also means letting go fantasy and imagine mermaids, for example.
Like the ones that could have seduced Ulysses if he hadn’t had his ears plugged by his sailors. Seaworld Cagliari offers diving to practice the so-called “mermaiding” with tails and monofin.
Just like in the Disney film The Little Mermaid, in theaters from May 24 and filmed in various Sardinian locations, including the beaches of Cala Moresca, Rena Maiore di Aglientu and Castelsardo.
Seaworld runs such a school in the waters of Marina Piccola, in Cagliari.
The city has become – moreover – last May 30 “city kind” by adhering to the Manifesto promoted by the Movimento Italia Gentile: kindness is a natural medicine that affects our well-being and that of the community.
Inside Seaty
Inside Seaty to discover the enchantment But immersion inside Seaty (from the fusion of Sea and City, city of the sea) is the main focus for those who really want to understand our precious blue planet.
And feeling part of a potentially perfect universe.
It is the first local marine conservation area established in Italy where vegetation and fish fauna live in symbiosis.
The project, which started in June 2022, is part of the 30⊗30 Italy campaign which aims to protect at least 30 percent of the Italian seas by 2030.
In a few months the marine biodiversity – immersed in the stretch of coast from the Baracconi beach to Cala Moresca for about 1300 meters – has practically multiplied between sea urchins, banks of posidonia and starfish.
Here you can swim, but not dock or fish. An experiment that demonstrates how nature, if left in its course, has the ability to regenerate quickly.
We should take an example: to feel good you must first of all respect yourself.
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