Franck Daouben is French born instructor based in Lanzarote who’s work as a professional diver and his passion for free diving led him to travel the waters of the world: from Antarctica to Iceland via the southern lands and Africa. You can say simply say that Franck is in love with the sea.
He is also the president of the association “Les Enfants de l’Océan” (Children of the Ocean), established in 2015, which main purpose is educating new generations about the importance of taking care of the most valuable asset of our Planet: its Oceans. The association has been carrying out projects to raise awareness and conserve the oceans ever since: from conservation work, to releasing animals into the wild, to studying the great sperm whale of the Azores… As Franck says himself: “let’s take care of the Oceans as if our life depended on it… because it does”.
Hence, he has set himself a challenge to raise funds for the association’s new project to study sharks: he will swim around the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands in 8 days!
He is planning on swimming 150km around Lanzarote in 8 consecutive legs between the 25th and the 31st of July, 2022. No mean feat!
Why sharks, in particular? I hear you ask. Well, sharks are an essential link in the ocean because of their role in the food chain.
Every year, 100 million sharks are killed by man for their fins, fear or pollution. Sharks help maintain the balance of species and indirectly maintain algal and coral reef habitats. The disappearance of sharks has led to the decline of coral reefs and kelp beds.
By learning about the essential role of sharks and by showing that sharks and children can coexist in the same space, awareness can be raised among new generations about the beauty and usefulness of these animals in nature.
If you would like to know more about this challenge, you can follow it on social media on https://facebook.com/tourdelanzarote or on their website, available currently in French and Spanish: https://lesenfantsdelocean.fr/es/el-reto-lanzarote-2022.
To donate, please use this link: https://lesenfantsdelocean.fr/es/donations/formulario-de-donaciones.
Are you a swimmer and you want to support Franck in his quest? Join the virtual challenge!
Follow these simple steps:
1. Join the virtual challenge on https://umbali.org/challenge/tour-a-la-nage-de-lile-de-lanzarote
2. Choose the amount you want to donate
3. Swim the distance you want (with or without a Garmin or other sport SmartWatch)
4. Add manually this distance or do so through your Strava account
You don’t need to wait until the 25th of July, when Franck will start his swim. The virtual challenge is already on and it will close on the swim’s last leg, the 31st of July.
