Photo credit: Eric Mathon / Palais princier de Monaco.
On Tuesday, June 17, Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco attended the 2025 edition of Water Safety Day at Larvotto Beach. The event, organized by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation in partnership with the Académie Monégasque de la Mer, focused on teaching aquatic safety and rescue techniques to middle school students from across the Principality.
Since its launch in 2014, Water Safety Day has been held annually to promote drowning prevention and raise awareness among young people about water safety. This year, nearly 100 students from Monaco’s 6e and 5e classes participated in the program.
Throughout the morning, students rotated through a series of practical and theoretical workshops, including coastal rope rescue, rescue using a tube buoy, Nipper Board techniques, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and coordination games such as musical sticks. The training was conducted by Pierre Frolla, four-time world record holder in freediving and ambassador of the Princess Charlene Foundation, alongside professionals from the Académie Monégasque de la Merand volunteers from the Monaco Red Cross.
Photo credit: Eric Mathon / Palais princier de Monaco.
Several athletes affiliated with the Foundation joined the event to support and guide the students: Jérôme Fernandez(handball), Kevin Crovetto (gymnastics), Julien Lalanne (coastal rescue), Antoine Zeghdar (rugby), and Marine Simonis (freediving).
This year’s edition also featured a special international presence. A group of New Zealand swimmers, currently training in Monaco ahead of the summer competitive season, participated in the activities. They were accompanied by their coach Graham Hill, former swimming coach to Princess Charlene.
Photo credit: Eric Mathon / Palais princier de Monaco.
The presence of Princess Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer, reinforced the event’s core message: that prevention and education are essential to saving lives. Her foundation continues to prioritize community outreach and practical training as key tools to reduce the risk of drowning.