Croatia

Croatia is truly a land of islands - it has more than a thousand of them and each one is different. Many of them are inhabited but each and every one is exceptional, with its own story to tell. 1185 of them in fact. That's how many islands, islets and cliffs are located on the 1777 kilometer front of the Adriatic coast. The first trip to the Adriatic coast and its islands is a journey into the unknown. Every other trip will be a journey to the familiar beauty of this country, always different but equally breathtaking.

Natural heritage
Aside from the developed coast, diverse natural resources and attractions characterise the Adriatic. Nature is specially protected according to the constitution of the Republic of Croatia. The quality of the water in the Adriatic is of a very high standard. These results are reached through constant measuring of the water quality on more than 800 beaches to the very strictest criteria.

The ”Blue Flag”
The ”Blue Flag" is a project for preserving the sea and coast which has been carried out in Europe for fifteen years now, and includes beaches and marinas. Beaches and marinas, which carry the ”Blue Flag", offer quality services, have a clean seacoast, and are tidy and adequately equipped.

Nautical tourism
The Croatian coast, abounding in natural harbours, with its countless bays, beaches, ports and marinas is a real haven for navigators. The very nature of the Croatian coast lends itself to rest and stopovers in different surroundings. There are 48 marinas in Croatia, which is a member of the Association of Marinas, and there are 13,000 moorings at sea and 7,500 on land. Marinas continuously work to improve and enrich their services, and to adjust to the new needs and wishes of their guests.

Service additions
Many tourist ports have made some additions to their service: traditional cuisine, water and electricity, doctor services, services of charter companies, accommodation in apartments and electronic surveillance and security of belongings. Adriatic Croatia International Club, better known as the ACI Club, is the leading company for nautical tourism in Croatia and owns a unique chain of 21 marinas which extend from Dubrovnik in the south to Umag in the northern part of the Croatian Adriatic.

License needed
The Croatian Chamber of Finance aims to connect the renters of sea-vessels with charter-companies. The world's largest vessel renters offer their services through local charter companies on the Adriatic. To be able to rent a boat one must be a licensed boat guide and have passed the exam for handling VHF equipment (the exams are held in all harbours).

Diving
The Croatian sea is not only an attractive nautical destination, but it also draws many lovers of the underwater world. To learn about the wealth of Adriatic submarine life we suggest the following top diving locations:

Istrien, Baron Gautsch
Depth: 28 - 42 meters
Necessary experience: advanced divers
Attractions: the wreck of a passenger ferry.
The Baron Gautsch was sunk in 1914 when it hit an underwater mine. It was transporting passengers on the Kotor-Trieste run. The top deck is located at 28 and the lower one at 36 meters. The bottom is located at 42 meters. The wreck is well preserved and one can enter into the interior of the boat.

Susak, underwater reef Margarina
Depth: 5-40 meters
Necessary experience: beginners to advanced
Attractions: the remains of a shipwreck, beams, broken amphora.
To the left from the middle of the underwater reef is the underwater canyon which drops from 5 to 17 meters in which there is the wreck of a ship which once transported construction material. Further on there is a drop to a deeper depth. 100 meters away, at 20 meters, are the remains of the "tegulas”, beams used for construction of boats. At the top of the reef one can see many schools of fish, and in a few places broken amphora can be found.

Susac, Te Vega
Depth: 5-35 meters
Necessary experience: beginner to advanced
Attractions: small sea lake.
A small salt water lake, which is situated near the cape ”Na z¡ene". One can enter only through the underwater tunnel, which is at the depth of 5 meters and approximately 2 meters long. The lake is surrounded by the vertical cliffs and its depth is 5-3 meters. When you dive into the water you can go left or right to the underwater wall, covered in various sea organisms.

Bisevo, Modra spilja
Depth: 3-40 meters
Necessary experience: beginner to advanced
Attractions: Underwater pit, abundance of fish.
Modra Épilja is famous for its glistening blue interior. One can enter via diving or boat through the narrow passage, which spreads out into a large cave, which is partially underwater and the partially above seal level. It is best to visit the cave during the summer at noon, when the light penetrates the darkness to produce an amazing blueness inside the cave. Apart from the cave itself it is also very nice to dive through to the next bay.


Information: Croatian National Tourist Board