Every year, the Solagratia Foundation organizes a special snorkel challenge: a crossing of approximately 5 kilometers from the mainland of North Sulawesi to Bunaken Island. This will be the 16th time the event will take place.
The participants are the students of the Senior Highschool SMK Solagratia, a school that is being sponsored by the Kehidupan Anda Foundation, Thalassa Dive Resort and its founder Simone Gerritsen since 1997.
Through fundraising, the construction and maintenance of the school building and continuous educational support, the Kehidupan Anda Foundation and its sponsors Simone and the Thalassa team have helped generations of local children grow up with work opportunities connected the tourism industry and more specifically, the ocean.
This crossing is much more than a sport challenge. For these 14 – 16 year old students, swimming across these waters means showing resilience, courage and trust in themselves. One of the messages Simone has always encouraged is simple: Never give up! If you really want something, you must fight for it.
Inspired by this message and by their growing connection to the ocean, the students have agreed and decided to dedicate this year’s crossing to supporting NTTI (No Thrash Triangle Initiative) and their “School on the Beach” project in the school in Tongkeina.
We are asking your help. To support this action, we are asking for a minimum donation of 1 euro for every student who successfully reaches Bunaken.
There will around 40 snorkelers. The event will take place on the 17th of June, starting at 05:30 in the morning. The swim usually takes 2 – 4,5 hours to complete
If you want to help cheer on our brave snorkelers, you can make a donation via the Kehidupan Anda Foundation here: https://www.kehidupan-anda.com/en/bunaken
We will make sure that NTTI receives all money donated. We will keep you posted about the event through our social media channels and a life stream on the 17th of June.
