We row for Biodiversity
We, 44west – Julian, Luca, Lorenzo, and Matthias – are four former professional athletes who are taking on one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world: crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat. But for us, this adventure means more than just rowing across an ocean. It’s about protecting the very oceans that make this journey possible in the first place.
Coral reefs, some of the most diverse and important ecosystems on our planet, are rapidly disappearing due to pollution, overfishing, and rising water temperatures. To counteract this development, we have joined forces with the rrreefs team. Together with Josy, Marie, Hanna, and Ulrike, we want to use our expedition to raise awareness and funds for the protection and restoration of coral reefs.
Our goal is to work with you to build our own 44west coral reef in the Philippines in 2026. In this way, we want to work with you to contribute to the restoration of marine biodiversity and support local scientific initiatives.
44west training on La Luna 
Team photo: 44west and rrreefs 
An artificial reef built last year
What will happen with your Donation
With your donation, you are directly supporting the construction of the 44west coral reef in the Philippines. Every contribution helps to create new habitats for fish, corals, and countless other marine species, and strengthens a scientifically based initiative dedicated to restoring important underwater ecosystems. But your support doesn’t just contribute to a single coral reef. Each reef built by rrreefs acts as a catalyst, accelerating the healing of our oceans.
rrreefs is a former ETH spin-off dedicated to protecting and rebuilding coral reefs worldwide. rrreefs has developed a modular system of 3D-printed coral reefs and has set itself the ambitious goal of rebuilding 1% of all coral reefs by 2034. The rrreefs bricks are designed to attract marine life, promote coral colonization, and support long-term reef recovery.
Restoring these ecosystems brings back valuable marine biodiversity and strengthens healthy oceans that benefit both nature and people. We are very excited to work with the 44west community to build our own 44west coral reef in Pujada Bay in the Philippines and contribute to this global goal.
At least CHF 15,000 are still needed to build the 44west coral reef, and every additional donation will increase the size of the reef and its ecological impact. So far, we have already raised CHF 17,500 through donations and product sales on our webpage. Therefore this crowdfunding will be essential for the success of the project. All proceeds from this campaign will go towards the construction of the 44west coral reef in Pujada Bay.
The rrreefs coral reef not only provides structure for coral larvae, but also habitat for many marine creatures. 
Pujada Bay – this is where our 44west coral reef will be created together with you 
rrreefs projects deliver measurable results and generate valuable data in close collaboration with researchers. 
A slightly more advanced reef.
How does it work?
You choose the amount you want to donate. Every contribution, large or small, helps our joint project.
After our Atlantic crossing, we will sit down with rrreefs and finalize the construction of our 44west coral reef. With rrreefs, we will then build the 44west coral reef brick by brick in the Philippines, probably in the fall.
After construction, local scientists and community partners will monitor the reef’s development over time. They will track biodiversity, measure ecological progress, and ensure that the reef remains healthy. As the reef grows, fish will return, corals will settle, and a vibrant underwater ecosystem will gradually reemerge.
Your donation will make a lasting contribution to the health of our oceans. Thank you very much!
Reward: Adopt a reef-brick 
Reward: 44west cap 
Reward: 44west socks 
Reward: rrreefs socks 
Thank You!