Mrežnica River in Croatia - Donji Zvečaj

Описание: Mrežnica, and specifically these small cascades, is one of my absolute favorite places on earth. I used to spend 2-3 months of my summer holiday here in my middle and high school days, swimming and lounging, and from time to time gardening (depending if my grandma wanted me to do work in the garden haha!). It is beautifully serene and so incredibly fresh. There is always a loud tune going on, the sound of the water flowing down the cascades and the continual movement of the water that is so alive and full of life.

The river, Mrežnica, is 64km long and has over 100 travertine waterfalls. A few years ago, at the beginning of 2024, the county of Karlovac (a small city close to Zagreb that has 4 rivers flowing through it) won a battle in nature conservation. After many years of battle, and continual initiative they were able to protect the river; the upper flow received the natural monument protection, whilst the lower flow received the protection of being a significant landscape.

The compiled videos in this little story are a combination of my first moments in learning how to use the GoPro, where I was experimenting with the angles and learning about the settings. Additionally, these are some of the first moments where I dive down under the cascade and to the river bed. The depth filmed here is at about 8 meters whilst holding my breath. River waters are quite murky, because the beds are filled with sand and rocks that are brown, resulting in that contrast with the sun creating a green look. I must admit, it is a bit scary going down, particularly after having had quiet moments, alone with the river, and hearing loud splashes from fish jumping.

A big difference is the amount of pressure felt on the body and the sound when diving down into the river opposed to the sea. In the river, the pressure feels much lighter, there is no salt bringing you back up to the surface, so going down is a breeze. When getting to the bottom it is silent, there is no crackling that is heard in the sea. While creating the video, there were moments where I got pulled into the recording because it was so silent - incredible that under the cascades, it is quiet and still.

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See you next Tuesday! ꨄ︎