Snorkeling in Croatia
When I think about snorkeling in Croatia, two stories come to my mind immediately. And they are just slightly connected with snorkeling in Croatia.
A friend of mine operates a glass bottom boat in a tourist resort in Croatia. Every evening he takes a group of tourists on a glass bottom boat tour. And every tour ends without spotting any fish. With an incredulous expression on their face, they tell a well rehearsed story: What a bad luck! This has never happened before. Now you’d think that they are just liars, but that wouldn’t be fair. They care! And because they care, they tried hard to produce some sightseeing: like planting the colorful, plastic fish on their route. It didn’t work, the currents were too strong. Now they just try to make the best party glass bottom boat tour. Their tour is no longer about the underwater, it’s about partying.
Snorkeling in Croatia
Anyway, all this not to say that there aren’t beautiful sites for snorkeling in Croatia, but to prepare you to distinct Adriatic from the Caribbean sea. Fish here are simply not colorful, tropical fish.
Another story that comes to my mind when I think about snorkeling in Croatia has a very different moral to teach. My first neighbor grows mussels in the sea right in front of his house. Now you need to imagine his house being literally two meters from the sea. He’s got a small tavern at the ground floor where he spends 18 hours a day everyday. He’s watching his mussels, and pretty much everything and everybody around. This is all he does (in case you wander).
Imagine now, it’s August, the high season in Croatia, and a French family is arriving to the village for their 2-week holidays. A minute later the husband is jumping in the sea, head first, and fully-equipped (mask, snorkel, fins, and yes, even weights). Three minutes of floating around, he dives in, and comes back with a bag full of mussels. A proud wife is cheering him from the balcony, getting ready a nice big casserole. You should have seen the face of my neighbor. He remained calm, and never said a word. As for the french tourist, the entire village still refers to him as a chasseur de moules.
This is to say that Adriatic sea is still rich in underwater life. And sometims you can get yourself a lunch. However to fish you need a permit and we’ll cover that one in a separate post. So just don’t dive in assuming you can pick up anything you see and find. Watch it, but don’t touch it.
Snorkeling in Croatia / Photo credit: Makarska Riviera Beaches, Makarska Beaches, and Tempet Makarska
If you like to snorkel, just get your best gear with you, and you are set to go. Dip in the sea, mask, snorkel, and fins on, it’s as simple as that. However if you are snorkeling nut, and search only for the best sites for snorkeling in Croatia, then you should consider following destinations in Croatia.
Pros & Cons of snorkeling in Croatia
On the positive side, the sea in Croatia is very clear, and clean. The sea bed, especially in the shallow waters, is pebble. Thus the underwater visibility is excellent. The Adriatic Sea is very safe to swim and snorkel. No sharks, whales or other dangerous species live in these waters (there are some small sharks, but not the dangerous ones). You can encounter lots of dolphins in the Adriatic. The most famous site for dolphins is on the island of Losinj. There are also lots of ship wrecks all along the coastline.
On the negative side, the underwater life is not as exciting as it is in the tropical seas. Also, snorkeling is not popular as an organized tour, but rather as an individual activity anybody with a snorkeling gear can partake in.
Snorkeling in Croatia is not this colorful
Six best places for snorkeling in Croatia
1 I National Park Brijuni is an archipelago at the south coast of Istria. We recommend snorkeling in Brijuni for couple of reasons. The islands have very rich history dating back to Roman times. There are some archaeological underwater sites that can be explored on a guided tour. The islands were protected as a national park back in 1983. Since then any fishing in the sea around the islands is strictly regulated. This makes the underwater flora and fauna better preserved and simply richer than elsewhere. The seabed is full of sea urchins, crustaceans, shellfish, sponges, and fish. You can even see the two protected species: the pen-shell and the date-shell. Dolphins can also be seen in the waters of Brijuni.
2 I Cape Kamenjak is a nature park located at the southernmost point of Istria, not far from Pula. This park is worth a visit if you enjoy nature, like long walks, cycling, and water activities like swimming, snorkeling, diving kayaking, or windsurfing. The entrance fee to the park is relatively cheap (you actually only pay a daily fee of 5 euro for the car). The coast is mostly rocky, with few pebble beaches (pebbles here are round, but rather large). The underwater caves around the cape are home to the Mediterranean monk seal (one of the most endangered mammals in the world). If you are lucky you might see it on your snorkeling adventure in the waters of the Cape Kamenjak. The sea here is crystal clear, there are lots of underwater caves and passageways, and very rich underwater life.
Snorkeling in Croatia: crystal clear sea
3 I Pakleni Islands near Hvar are an archipelago just a quick boat ride from the town of Hvar. You can reach the islands by a private taxi boat, or you can rent simply rent a boat for a day and explore the islands by yourself. The Hvar Adventure Tour Company offers also a kayaking tours to the Pakleni Islands, with a swimming and snorkeling break at the less visited beaches on the islands. The islands are stunning, with lots of bars, restaurants, but also pretty beaches. The sea is azure blue with very good visibility. The most popular beaches are a sandy beach Perna, and pebble beaches of Vinogradisce Bay.
4 I Makarska Riviera is a coastal area from Brela to the north to Gradac to the south. Here, you’ll find the best Croatian beaches. All along the Makarska Riviera, you have wonderful snorkeling options. Just get your gear, and dive in. The underwater visibility is excellent.
5 I Vis Island is perhaps the best for snorkeling in Croatia. The island of Vis is the farthest inhabited island off the Croatian mainland. Vis used to be an important military base for the Yugoslav National Army, from 1950 until 1989. The foreign visitors weren’t allowed to the island. This left the island really preserved, and its authenticity, nature, food, and wine attracts many tourists these days. The most popular snorkeling spots on Vis Island are Stiniva and Srebrna Beach, waters around the Blue Cave on Bisevo Island, and around Green Cave on Ravnik Island. Vis also has old military sea tunnels that served as war ship shelters. They are interesting to explore. Stiniva is a small, pebble beach with emerald waters. We highly recommend taking a kayak tour to the beach. Our friends, Xania and Craig, over at Wearactive offer kayaking tours.
6 I Mljet Island is the greenest Croatian island, and a home to one of eight national parks in Croatia. Similar to Brijuni island, as a protected natural site, all water activities and especially fishing, are controlled and limited. The underwater life is very reach. Within the national park (but elsewhere on the island as well), the sea is crystal clear, clean, and you can see lots of sea urchins, cucumbers, interesting underwater rocks, etc.
Practical Info:
There are not too many organized snorkeling tours in Croatia. Snorkeling will more likely be offered as an optional activity on some other tour: e.g. kayaking tours with Adventure Travel in Hvar has scheduled breaks along the Pakleni Islands beaches where you can swim, snorkel, or simply relax. It’s up to you. There are scheduled swimming and snorkeling stops on any boat excursion offered along the coast, but again it’s an optional activity.
We’ve never seen a place at the beach or in a resort where you can rent a snorkeling gear. However, most of the places has small shops and stands along the beach where you can buy cheap snorkeling gear. The price of a snorkeling package (mask, snorkel, fins) in the local stores is usually around 250 kn (approx. 35 €). We highly recommend that you bring your own snorkeling gear. Bear in mind that the snorkeling gear is usually provided on kayaking tours (and in this case only, you won’t need your own gear).
Don’t forget that Croatian beaches are mostly rocky and pebble beaches. You’ll need jelly shoes or water shoes to comfortable enter the sea and walk around. Cheap water shoes can also be purchased at stands, and shops along the beach. The price of a cheap pair of water shoes is around 50 kn (approx. 7 €). It’s worth buying them prior to your arrival, so you can really buy the shoes that you actually like.
Recommended snorkeling gear:
We are not the snorkeling mavens, but we do snorkel sometimes. However, we’ve reached out to our friends who love snorkeling and travel around with their own snorkeling gear. Here is the gear that they recommend.
Snorkeling packages:
For men: US Divers Admiral Snorkel Set
For women: U.S.Divers Diva Snorkel Set
Our friend John, over at at In The Loop Travel suggested this snorkeling package that he uses: U.S. Divers Icon/SeaBreeze/ Proflex/Cbag
Camera & other electronics:
Capture your underwater activities with the GoPro HERO3+ . It comes in a protective waterproof case, and can withstand depths of up to 40 meters.
GoScope Extreme Pole is an awesome accessory to go with your GoPro HERO3+ camera. The pole is light-weighted, it extends from 17″ to 37″, and it can have two cameras attached. You’ll be able to take great selfies (beside capturing some awesome underwater shots).
What do you like the most about snorkeling? Have you done any snorkeling in Croatia? Let us know in the comments below.
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Frank About Croatia