We swim in the ocean, it's our duty to protect it. UltraSwim 33.3 measures every aspect of our event footprint, reduces our impact wherever we can, and compensates what remains through Seatrees accredited sequestration projects. Being Ocean Positive means giving back more than we take. Everywhere we go we aim to leave a positive legacy.
Sustainability
RESPECT FOR NATURE
We’re lucky enough to spend our time in some pretty incredible places and we want to keep them that way. The ocean, rivers, coastlines, forests and landscapes that host our events aren’t just our playground; they’re living ecosystems that deserve our respect.
We acknowledge the rights of the ecosystems hosting our events and pledge to respect their fragility. We will refrain from disturbing marine life, vegetation, and natural formations. We will avoid using sun tan lotions that harm water quality.
WASTE REDUCTION AND ZERO PLASTICS
Our first rule when it comes to waste is simple: don’t create it in the first place. We’ll choose reusable bottles, cups, food containers and utensils wherever we can, and encourage everyone joining us to do the same. If something does need to be thrown away, we’ll make sure it goes where it should and recycle where that genuinely makes sense.
We will minimise waste by using reusable non-plastic water bottles, food containers, and utensils wherever possible. We commit to disposing of any waste responsibly and pledge to recycle fully, when there is no other choice to avoiding it (but we accept its not a sustainable solution). We are committed to eliminating single-use plastics from our events. Our gear and supplies will be chosen with a focus on sustainability, favouring materials that are biodegradable or easily recyclable. We will reject use of plastic bottles and single-use packaging/bags.
MEASURE AND OFFSET CARBON EMISSIONS
We believe that you can’t reduce what you don’t measure. That’s why we track emissions generated by our events, from travel and logistics to energy use. We use our partner bloomUp to measure our footprint and help us with strategies to make our event the most sustainable it can be. Once we understand our footprint, we take responsibility by offsetting it through verified environmental projects. We use SeaTrees by sustainable surf to offset unavoidable emissions.
ECO FRIENDLY TRANSPORTATION
Getting there shouldn’t have to mean adding another car to the road. Whenever we can, we’ll choose lower-impact ways to travel to and from our events whether that’s jumping on public transport, riding a bike, walking, or sharing a car with a few friends. We’ll encourage our community to think about how they travel and make greener choices where they’re practical.
And when we’re planning events, we’ll consider transport from the very beginning, looking for ways to reduce unnecessary journeys and the emissions that come with them.
LOCAL ENGAGEMENT
We love discovering new places, and we think being a good visitor means getting to know the people who call those places home. We’ll work with local businesses, guides, suppliers and organisations wherever we can, helping our events support the communities around them. We’ll also take the time to listen and learn about local environmental challenges because the people who live there know its landscape better than anyone.
We're aiming to add local NGOs to each of our events to benefit them through communication and fundraising. Our best example so far is Léman hope at our Swiss event.
Our aim is to leave communities feeling a connection to our event and their experience was a positive one.
MINIMISED FOOTPRINT
We’ll follow Leave No Trace principles, stick to appropriate routes and areas, avoid disturbing wildlife and vegetation, and take everything we bring with us back out again. And if we spot a bit of litter along the way, we won’t walk past it just because it isn’t ours. Looking after these places is everyone’s job.
WATER CONSERVATION
Water is at the heart of everything we do, so wasting it makes very little sense to us. We’ll be mindful of how much water we use during training, events, cleaning and preparation, and avoid using more than we need. That means turning off taps, being sensible when washing equipment and looking for opportunities to reduce water use wherever we can. We’ll also think beyond the water we can see, considering the wider water footprint of the products and services we use.
We recognise the importance of water conservation. In Croatia, we supported and raised money for the Dalmatian Islands Environmental Foundation with their project to install water fountains across the island of Hvar. We will work hard to protect the waters that we swim in.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
The more we understand about the natural world, the better we can look after it. We’ll keep learning about the challenges facing our oceans, rivers and aquatic ecosystems from plastic pollution and biodiversity loss to climate change and the pressures facing marine habitats. And we’ll share what we learn. Whether that’s a useful tip, an interesting fact, a local conservation project or a simple change that people can make in their everyday lives, we want our community to feel informed and inspired rather than preached at. We’re learning too, and there’s always more to discover.
ADVOCACY
As ambassadors for the natural world, we will use our platform to advocate for environmental protection. We'll leverage our events to raise awareness and support conservation initiatives, and we’ll use our influence on people and businesses to help them evolve.
We believe that caring about the environment shouldn’t stop when our event does. We have a communit and we want to use them for something positive.
We’ll champion organisations doing great conservation work, share stories that deserve attention and encourage the people and businesses around us to make more sustainable choices. We’ll also use our influence to ask better questions of our partners, suppliers and sponsors. We don’t expect everyone to have all the answers, but we do believe that everyone can do a little more and that collectively, those little changes can become something much bigger
Nine short questions, about two minutes of your time. We read your submission, then share information with you to help you select the right event for you.
We compensate our remaining footprint through Seatrees, whose accredited projects restore coastal ecosystems like mangroves and kelp that lock away carbon and bring marine life back. Choosing accredited projects matters to us. It means the impact is measured, verified and real, not a promise on paper.
Accredited blue carbon and restoration projects. Verified outcomes, not unchecked claims. Restoring the coastal habitats we swim near.
Sustainability claims should stand up to scrutiny. We are happy to explain exactly what Ocean Positive means for us, how we measure it, and where the offsets go. Here are the questions swimmers ask most.
It means we measure every aspect of our event footprint, reduce our impact wherever we can, and compensate what remains through accredited projects. The aim is to give back more than we take, so the net effect on the ocean is positive rather than simply neutral.
Sea Trees is our compensation partner. They run accredited coastal restoration projects, such as mangrove and kelp planting, that sequester carbon and rebuild marine habitats. We choose accredited projects so the impact is measured and verified.
We account for the parts of an event that carry an environmental cost, including travel, logistics, accommodation and catering. Measuring first is what lets us reduce honestly and compensate accurately, rather than guessing.
A lot. Plan lower impact travel where you can, bring a reusable bottle, follow the leave no trace approach at every venue, and respect the marine life around you. Small choices across a whole community add up to real change.
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