The Sea Oasis Piran is an innovative, self-constructed model designed to promote sustainable multitrophic mariculture, offering a novel approach to harvesting food from the sea while creating a unique underwater sanctuary for marine life. Constructed from eco-friendly concrete and limestone, the structure is built to last over a century. Its replicable design makes it a versatile solution for enhancing marine conservation efforts worldwide.
Measuring 5.5 meters wide, 3 meters high, and 3.5 meters long, the Sea Oasis consists of a base topped with five growth plates. Like natural reefs—rare in the Slovenian sea—it increases hard substrate, providing shelter, habitats, and hiding places for various marine organisms, ultimately promoting marine biodiversity. Shortly after its installation, the Sea Oasis became home to marine life, including filter feeders that enhance the sea’s self-cleaning capacity, improving water quality and supporting ecosystem regeneration. Over time, it will also contribute to capturing carbon dioxide, as organisms incorporate it into their shells, helping to combat climate change.
The Sea Oasis creates secondary hard surfaces, offering new habitats for additional species. During oxygen depletion events on the seabed, such as algal blooms, it serves as a refuge and core area for repopulating organisms, ensuring marine resilience. Beyond its ecological benefits, the Sea Oasis will become a destination for marine biologists, researchers, school groups, and tourists in Piran Bay, providing educational lectures, storytelling, underwater tours, and photo safaris led by experts.
The project is expected to boost the catch of high-quality white fish, supporting local fisheries and gastronomic tourism in the northern Adriatic, benefiting the local community. With this first underwater Sea Oasis, we aim to give back to the sea a fraction of what it has always provided, setting the foundation for future installations that will further enhance marine conservation and sustainable development.
Credits
Design
Zavod YouSea; Ugo Fonda, Lean Fonda, Slovenia
Manufacturer
Mar in co d.o.o., Zavod YouSea, Slovenia
Year of production
2024
Photos
Borut Furlan
Project Partners
Mar in co d.o.o. (made and installed the sturcture), BAUHAUS d.o.o. (our general sponsor that made the project possible)
