It is three in the afternoon on a remote island in Croatia. We have been doing the only thing we did not want to do for the whole day: staring on our phones, sleeping here and there and somehow killing the time. In the early morning, our little energetic group wanted to start off on an open water Seatrekking trail to reach another smaller uninhabited island a few kilometers away. But since a storm got stuck just above us, we have been glued to our screens, following the colorful satellite weather movements and different forecasts. We hoped for a small window of time without lightning and with the right wind direction that would make it safe for us to cross safely. Everybody has been looking forward to the trip for weeks, which explains the level of silent frustration that we all shared while sitting in a harbour cafe from which we could see our remote target wrapped with rain in the distance.

All equipment was packed and we were ready to go. There were two options: waiting until tomorrow (what would have crushed our plans) or starting at around 4pm when we expected less rain and no lightning. We were keen to head off and finally jump into the sea to start our long-awaited Seatrekking journey.

You might ask yourself, what exactly are these people doing? Seatrekking is a new and unique nature experience through which we explore coastal regions in and around the sea on trips that last several days. We spend most of our time in the water and move solely by snorkelling, freediving and flowdiving. Alternatively, we hike on land, right along the coast. We spend the nights on beaches under the open sky and cook on the campfire.

All needed things, such as food, sleeping bag, mattress and dry clothes are packed in a floating streampack, which can be blown up and gets pulled with an elastic, long leash that is fixed to your leg, enabling you to carry all your equipment in the sea. You can move freely, are able to dive down and have everything you need for a few days in nature. Just you and the sea.

Maybe it sounds extreme, but Seatrekking is something for everyone as long as you are not afraid of water. Back on the rocky beach, while we squeeze ourselves in our wetsuits, slip in on our freediving fins, put on our diving weight, snorkels and masks, the sky opens up sporadically and let some sun rays shine onto the flat ocean surface. We blow up the streampacks and immerse ourselves in the still grey and dark water. We’re happy to be back in the sea.