Materials and structures for marine applications are often required to combine high mechanical performance with lightness, but traditional solutions are not always adequate to the scope. The application of biomimetic science could provide innovative and efficient solutions, whose research is the aim of the present paper. In the current work, bamboo samples were subjected to impact both on the outside and on the inside surface. It was found that the impact strength is correlated to the third power of thickness and that the softer inside layers may act as an energy absorbing structure, which enhance impact resistance. Impact tests were also performed on specimens whose outside surface had been abraded and on whole cylindrical sections. The role of graded and hierarchical structure in impact response, suggested some guidelines for bio-inspired structures design. Four bamboo-inspired structures were designed, based on the idea of combining corrugated panels with different geometrical characteristics to resemble bamboo graded and hierarchical structure. These structures were made using 3D printing and tested in compression. The best performance was obtained by the structure which more closely replicates bamboo's hierarchy. Structure performance could be predicted with reasonable accuracy using buckling theory.