Carlsberg and BCW Stockholm have installed a bar at the bottom of the ocean. It is there to warn summer Swedes not to drink and boat.  

The Don’t Drink and Boat bar measures 3.5m in width and 2.5m in height, and comes fully equipped with a bar counter, bar stools, neon signs, a bar fridge and taps – and a menu of purely non-alcoholic beers.

For a limited time in July, visitors to the seaside town of Smögen (on the Swedish west coast) can view the underwater bar, located just outside the main pier. There will also be opportunities to dive down to the bar for a round of non-alcoholic beer on the bottom of the ocean, under the guidance of the local diving club.

“As a leading brewery and distributor of alcoholic beverages, we have a responsibility for how our beverages are consumed,” stated Henric Byström, communications manager at Carlsberg Sweden. “Our ambition with the underwater bar is that it will be an important reminder to abstain from alcohol at sea, and choose an alcohol-free alternative instead.

“For those who still want to enjoy a good beer on the lake, there is a large selection of tasty non-alcoholic beer. At Carlsberg Sweden alone, we currently have 15 different non-alcoholic beers in our portfolio,” added Byström.

According to a retrospective study by BMC Public Health 54% of boating fatalities in Sweden were alcohol positive over a ten year period. This is comparable with the figures in the US, where Boat US Foundation reported that “about half of all boating accidents involve drugs or alcohol.” Alcohol use was involved in 296 boating accidents in the US in 2020 and 115 deaths.