Fragile Hope launches Pinnevik Below the Surface: A New Project for Lysekil’s Marine Environment

Every summer, thousands of people come to Pinnevik to swim, snorkel, paddle, dive and enjoy the sea. Few ever see what lies beneath the surface.

This summer, that is about to change.

Led by Fragile Hope Foundation together with Dive Team Lysekil and KustNav, Pinnevik Below the Surface is a new field-based project that will map the underwater environment before, during and after the busiest weeks of the summer season.

Through underwater fieldwork, photography, film, drone imagery and GPS mapping, the project will create a clearer picture of how seasonal activity influences eelgrass and the surrounding marine environment.

Why Pinnevik?

Photo: Joakim Odelberg

For the marine life beneath the surface, Pinnevik is far more than a popular swimming area.

Eelgrass meadows provide shelter, nursery grounds and feeding habitats for a wide range of marine species. They also stabilize sediments, support healthy coastal ecosystems and help preserve the qualities that make places like Pinnevik so valuable.

Most visitors never see this part of the bay.

That is exactly why this project exists.

Looking Below the Surface

Photo: Patrik Karllon

Throughout the summer, Fragile Hope Foundation, together with Dive Team Lysekil and KustNav, will return to the same locations before, during and after the busiest period of the season.

By combining underwater surveys, photography, film, drone imagery and GPS mapping, the project will build a detailed picture of how the underwater environment changes over the course of the summer.

The knowledge gathered will provide Lysekil Municipality with a stronger foundation for future decisions before changes become more difficult to understand or manage. The ambition is to help protect what makes Pinnevik unique while ensuring that nature, recreation and boating can continue to coexist.

Looking Ahead

This is only the beginning.

Pinnevik Below the Surface is designed to create practical knowledge that supports future decisions, inspires local engagement and helps preserve one of Lysekil’s most important coastal marine environments.

For the life beneath the surface. For everyone who enjoys Pinnevik. And for the future of Lysekil.