Vies Braves, a pioneering initiative worldwide!
Vies Braves is a public network of marine and open water routes designed for sporting, leisure and educational activities.
The routes are marked with signs and buoys, providing a safe way of enjoying open water. They turn the coastal landscape into a tourist destination where people can do open water swimming and snorkelling.
Vies Braves allow you to combine activities such as swimming and snorkelling with trekking or running, as most of the routes run parallel to existing “camino de ronda” footpaths all along the shore, allowing people to discover the landscape from different perspectives.
In all towns with Vies Braves, we organise free promotional swimming and snorkelling sessions for everyone. Our aim is to promote meetups to swim in a group, get people started with open water swimming and try snorkelling. All sessions are run by qualified, trained instructors.
This initiative, unique in the world, is a sustainable, quality product designed to foster the landscape as a tourist destination. This type of sustainable tourism boosts the area’s economy and mobility, as well as making it less dependent on seasonal factors.
«Swimming in the sea makes me feel free and alive, in intimate contact with nature.».
Vies Braves have something for everybody
Nature-lovers: snorkel and explore the seabed with the immense natural wealth of the Vies Braves.
Sport-lovers: swim enjoying the privileged natural environment of the Vies Braves.
Triathletes and swimmers: Vies Braves are the perfect place for open water training.
Free divers and scuba divers: Vies Braves offer a unique space for training and enjoying your favourite sport.
The Vies Braves philosophy
To bring people closer to the sea and open water swimming, allowing them to discover beautiful natural environments and underwater landscapes.
To promote open water swimming and snorkelling, promoting healthy physical activities in a safe and beneficial way.
To encourage respect for the environment and help protect the seabed.
To boost the area with responsible and sustainable tourism.
The beginning and the present
The Vies Braves project started in the Costa Brava in 2014. In its first season, the network included 10 routes in 7 Costa Brava towns, and 1 inland in the province of Girona. The initiative was the brainchild of the open water swimmer Miquel Sunyer and the company TechnojetSwim, with the support of the Costa Brava Tourist Office, Dipsalut and the councils of towns with a Via Brava.
We currently have 14 routes in 11 towns on the Costa Brava, 5in 5 towns in the province of Barcelona, and 4 more in the city of Barcelona.
