Dario Mariani is an ultrathlete that next September crossing to swim the Strait of Bonifacio.
He accomplished in 2018 his first 255 km self-sustained ultramarathon across the Gobi Desert in Mongolia to fundraise for the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) in the Galapagos Islands to help the archipelago to control the impact caused by industrial fisheries.
Three years later Galapagos Marine Reserve is facing pressures again from industrial fishing fleets skimming its borders.
Crossing the Strait of Bonifacio for CDF’s research to understand the impact of El Niño and climate change on the Galapagos shark populations.
So this year he wants to raise awareness about the protection of endangered marine species.
The last time he did this, funds were used to continue CDF’s research to find out where female hammerhead sharks go to give birth, and to understand the impact of El Niño and climate change on the Galapagos shark populations.
At the present moment, CDF is working to better understand shark migratory routes and their conflicts with industrial fisheries.
Dario Mariani stated: “I dare to hope that, despite everything, sharks and other marine wildlife will survive, even in a ravaged ocean: that is my motivation for this year’s fundraiser.
As I face only about 100 days of training due to the pandemic-induced closure of workout facilities and swimming pools around Aberdeen, I have to believe in this. Next month, I will be attempting to swim across the 16 km (approx. 10 mi) Bonifacio Strait, from Corsica (FRA) to Sardinia (ITA).
I trust the discipline that my old triathlon team instilled in me to complete a full Ironman in Copenhagen in 2016, and I revere the way Define helped me hold paramount the wellness of my mind and spirit with as much dedication as I nurture my body, which got me across the finish line in the Gobi.
Join me by investing in a future with thriving seas. We can surely pull the world through its present crises and lead the way to a happier time ahead, for ourselves and for sharks“.
Please donate on www.darwinfoundation.org