Diving in Croatia

[fras85]

Hi,

I am going to be travelling in the area of Split around the start of June this year and was wondering where the best place to base myself to do some diving would be. I will be traveling alone. The places I have considered so far are either Bol or Vis. If anyone has any information on the diving, and the above water activities in either area it would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[ElChe]

I've been to Croatia for several times, maybe I can help. I haven't visited Vis island yet but I know it's famous about the wreck diving in the southern Adriatic (in the north the Istrian Peninsula has the most wreck spots). The dives are quite similar all around the Adriatic, you can expect some deep walls, and quite cold water under 20 meters. The dive spots in Dalmatia are usually more colorful, but there aren't too much big fish anywhere in Croatia. I think from Split I'd go to Rogoznica area, they have some nice spots there. Above water many tourists like to visit the Krka waterfalls and Plitvice lakes national parks. Feel free to ask, maybe I can help with some more advices.

 

[tamas970]

I've heard good things on the Biograd area - however I've never been there. If you understand german, you can do a little research here: Misi/Biograd, Kroatien - Erfahrungsberichte - Tauchen auf Taucher.Net . German speaking divers like Croatia, since it's accessible for them by car, the coast is very nice and prices are cheaper than e.g. Italy.

 

[Halifax]

This is a great thread for me! My girlfriend and I will be flying to Dubrovnik at the end of May and spending 2 weeks (more or less) up and down the coast between there and Zadar. Fras85, let's share info here!

ElChe and Tamas: thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to look into it.

 

[ElChe]

I'm just published a longer article about Croatian diving: The blue Adriatic

 

[Halifax]

ElChe - THANKS! That is excellent info and beautiful photos!

In your experience, what size wetsuit for the waters around Zadar Archipeligo in May/June? I'm used to diving in the North Atlantic where bottom temperatures rarely get above 5 deg Celsius.

Also, many of your pics are showing very calm waters around the dive boat. Is is that protected in this area? (for example from the Najada dive centre in Murter).

Cheers!

 

[ElChe]

I use to dive a lot in May/June in Croatia, and I have a very good 7/5mm semidry suit, which is OK for me anywhere in the Adriatic, and in the Zadar region it can be even warmer, I'd say 20-22 degrees in the surface, 15-18 at 30 meters. For you it's anything but cold.
In Croatia there are some typical winds, like the bora, the jugo, etc. Every morning the dive centers check the weather and they don't use the boats in rough weather at all. In the summer usually there aren't too much wind, and sometimes the sea is extremely calm, especially in protected bays. Most of the dive centers have dive spots in protected places for windy days. If you check the map, there are a lot of small islands with small bays to every direction, so they simply choose one where they can anchor easily.

---------- Post added March 24th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ----------

By the way, the Najada in Murter is a really good dive center, I've been to there last year and we had a really great time. They have a fast boat, and dive the Kornati National Park often, so I can recommend Anna and her crew to anyone.

 

[tamas970]

I'll check out Murter in the beginning of May If time & weather allows.

 

[Auburn910]

I'm just published a longer article about Croatian diving: The blue Adriatic

Nice Article, thanks for sharing. Do you know of any operations out of the Pula area for diving? I am going to be there the first week of September. I am an experienced diver off of North Carolina,USA and used to heavy seas, long boat rides and diving 30 to 40 meters. You mentioned the price is more diving the wrecks off of Istria. What prices are we taking?

 

[ElChe]

I think diving in Istria will be nice for you, as you have experience in challenging dives. Luckily the beginning of September is a great time to visit the region.
The price? Well, there are dive centers who says the price of boat diving is about 25 euros. Not that much, but sometimes it doesn't include rental of the tank (5-8 euros because I guess you won't travel with tanks...), and the extra price for specific wrecks (8-15 euros) so a single boat dive can be as much as 50 euros, but at least 35.
Because of the prices, we usually prefer cheaper diving in the southern Adriatic where the water is warmer and the visibility is better. So I don't have that much experience in the Istria, but I heard about some reliable dive centers:
Vitez Wrecks Website
Diving Center Indie
Orca dive center - diving Pula, Istria, Croatia