Clean-up diving in the Aura River on Turku Day

The Aura River Foundation is taking part in the clean-up dive in the Aura River on Turku Day, Sunday 20 September. Come and meet us next to Turku Cathedral School, talk to us about the Aura River and learn more about our work!

You can find the Aura River Foundation at the event during and around the dive. We will have books about the Aura River and various Aura River products available to browse and buy.

Cleaning the Aura River by diving

Volunteer divers will clean the riverbed from 12 noon to 2 pm along the stretch between Turku Cathedral Bridge and Turku Cathedral School. They will bring up rubbish and scrap that has ended up where it does not belong over the years.

This year, the finds from the dive will also get a new life. During the day, the scrap collected from the river will be turned into a work of art in front of the Old Great Square. The artwork will be completed at around 2.30 pm.

You can also take part in cleaning the riverbank. Anyone can join the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association’s Clean Beach clean-up by picking up litter grabbers and rubbish bags from the association’s tent next to Library Bridge, on the Läntinen Rantakatu side. Cleaning equipment is available from 11 am to 3 pm.

A tradition of more than 30 years

The Aura River has been cleaned by volunteer divers on Turku Day for more than 30 years. The first Aura River clean-up dive took place in 1992, and it has since become a regular part of the Turku Day programme.

The dive also carries an important reminder: rubbish does not disappear just because it disappears from sight. An object that ends up underwater remains there until someone removes it.

This year, the scrap collected from the river will also take on a new form as art – making visible what can be found beneath the surface of the Aura River.

Aura River clean-up dive

📅 Sunday 20 September 2026
🕛 Dive 12 noon–2 pm
📍 The stretch between Turku Cathedral Bridge and Turku Cathedral School

🎨 The artwork made from the collected scrap will be completed at around 2.30 pm.

The event is part of the Turku Day programme and Sustainable Living Week in Turku.

The clean-up dive is organised by volunteer divers from the Turku region together with the Aura River Foundation, Southwest Finland Waste Management, Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association and the City of Turku’s Baltic Sea Challenge.