Diving from Split, Croatia?

[MarkH]

I'll Be in Split for a few days around May or June. Are there any dive boats leaving from Split or do you have to catch a ferry to a dive center on one of the islands? Can I just show up by myself a day or two in advance and book a spot on a dive boat or is it more common for large groups to book the whole boat? Thanks.

 

[gypsyjim]

Can't say anything about diving from Slit, but your post caught my eye. I was there in the 70's when it was all still Yugoslavia and I loved the country, and the people. Mixture of modern and old world, communist and free market, and different cultures and languages, but very friendly to visitors. We went up and down the length of the country by the ferry, but never thought of diving (was a stone broke student) :what a beautiful coastline! Good luck. Please post a report when you return!

 

[lobsterlover]

I dove from Vis Island, off of Split, two years ago. I don't remember if there were operators in Split or not. But I was there in mid-June - and it was clearly not the prime tourist season - so you shouldn't worry about booking in advance. In July and August the waters are warmer and things are much busier.

 

[TSandM]

You might PM Stephenawhite and ask him about this -- He has a place in Trieste, and I know he's done some diving in Croatia when he's over in Italy.

 

[kruz]

You better catch ferry to nearby islands such as Brac,Hvar,Korcula or Vis,there is much better diving than around Split(big harbour). I prefer island Vis,diving is great there.Many wrecks around island,walls,caves etc.It's better to book in advance. Here you can find list of diving centers on Adriatic coast. ProDiving Croatia - Tourist Diving Association. How to dive in Croatia?. Just click 3.rd area and there you can find many islands around Split. Enjoy!

 

[Potapko]

There are Dive centers all along the coast of Croatia and finding one in Split should be no problem. I dive with a center about 50 km from Split in Zablace, near sibenik. Deep Sea dive center. Here is a link to their site but it is in Czech or Polish only
Potápìní - Chorvatsko, KUBA, SÚDÁN, EGYPT, KURZY, IANTD, NITROX, TRIMIX - DEEP SEA

I will be there from the 1st to the 10th of June with my family. We will be staying in an appt in Zablace close to the center.
they have employees that speak enough English to get you set up and you can show up a day before or let me know and I will contact them for you if you like. A day on the boat with two dives and air costs about $75.
Hope this helps a little.
Here is a link to a center on the island of Vis. There are a fre great wrecks close to the island there.
http://www.dodoro-diving.com/eng.htm

Here is a link to a couple of centers in Split as well
AKVATORIJ - SCUBA DIVING IN CROATIA - HOME
Gogo diving

 

[kruz]

Here is a link to a center on the island of Vis. There are a fre great wrecks close to the island there.
http://www.dodoro-diving.com/eng.htm

I dive with Dodoro. There are 2 DC's in town Vis and 2 in town Komiza.

 

[kruz]

BTW,if you are trimix diver you can dive with Manta DC(Komiza island Vis),there is trimix fill station. You can see some of underwater photos of island Vis in my gallery. Enjoy.

 

[MarkH]

Thanks for all the info. I don't know exactly when I'll be there or what days I'll have available so I'll try e-mailing some of those places in a month or two. By the way, is it easy to walk on the ferry to the islands with a bunch of dive gear? Are the dive centers close to the ferry terminals? Thanks again.

 

[vn800]

We go to Bol on the island Brac, just south of Split (http:///www.bol-croatia.com/) We dive with Big Blue in Bol (south of the island) twice a year. We get the bus from the airport to Split port (from memory about £3, 35 mins) and get the daily 1600 ferry direct to Bol (c.£2.00 single trip). (Jadrolinija Ancona - Split Ancona Zadar Dubrovnik - Bari.) It returns to Split at 0630 each day in season (Sundays maybe 0730?)

There are other ferries during the day to Supetar (north of the island) and then bus/taxi to Bol.

Can't tell you about the other islands but the ferries tend to have a circuit to other ports/islands.

We take 2 sets of wetsuit gear inc. BCs, fins etc and whilst I wouldn't do it every day it's OK (it weighed in at Split Airport last time at 33kgs!). The port area of Split is generally flat, with loads of eating/buying places. Check out the market (next to port area) in the mornings. Both dive centres in Bol are 10 min walk on good flat surfaces, or taxi maybe £5?. If you stay in Bol, a lot of it is hilly, be warned!

We go for a week and dive twice a day, meet at 0930, back around 1230 and out again at 1400 - all 'small boat dives' with maybe 6-8 divers on average, sometimes only 4, but it can get very busy in July/August. Nice diving from 12-50m, great viz, not as diverse or as colourful as the Red Sea but not as busy or 'organised' either.

try this video from Bol last year for an idea
YouTube - Scuba diving on Island Hvar, Croatia. September 2007

For more general info try this thread from last year.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/central-eastern-europe/201087-general-diving-info-croatia.html

Cheers
Adrian