Wreck Diving in Croatia

When it comes to wreck diving, the southern European nation of Croatia is a gold mine. The country offers a combination of a warm, gentle climate and a coastline that saw several small combat actions during World War I and World War II. So, in addition to the normal fishing boats and transports than sank in bad weather, the sea bottom off the Croatian coast also is littered with war wrecks.

  1. Identification

    • Croatia is a former Yugoslav republic on the Adriatic Sea, due east of Italy. The Croatian seaside has long been an important tourist destination, especially for visitors from central Europe. Combined with the reefs, caves, walls and shipwrecks off the Croatian coast, Croatia has become a European diving destination.

    Types

    • Shipwrecks off Croatia's coast can be divided into two categories. First are the wrecks in less than 130 feet of water that are open to recreational divers. After those are the shipwrecks in deeper water, which are the purview of technical divers.

    Recreational Wrecks

    • Among the noteworthy recreational shipwrecks off Croatia's coast is the wooden fishing boat Ribolovac near the island of Solta. It's an intact wooden wreck, which in saltwater is a rarity. Croatia has war wrecks such as the British destroyer HMS Aldenham, sunk off the island of Skdra in 1944 by a U-boat. Another is the German torpedo boat S57, sunk in 1944 off Peljesac. The Ribolovac is a wreck suitable for beginning divers, while the Aldenham and S57 are in deeper water and require more technical diving experience.

    Technical Wrecks

    • Technical divers venture below the standard 130-foot diving limit imposed on recreational divers, and such expeditions require multiple scuba tanks, special training and prolonged decompression to safely return to the surface. Some of these wrecks, such as the Francesca Di Rimini, are just deep enough to qualify as technical dives. Others, such as the Nunnici, a freighter sunk by a World War II British submarine, rest in water more than 300 feet deep.

    Dive Conditions

    • Croatia's seas are noted for their relatively high visibility. On a good day, Croatian seas are as clear as those in the Gulf of Thailand or some parts of the Caribbean. During the main diving season between May and November, surface water temperature in Croatia's part of the Adriatic is between 71 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit, but the deeper waters explored by technical divers are much colder.