Page 261 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Croatia

OUTDOOR A C TIVITIES  259

Rijeka UKW channel 24, Radio abound in the Adriatic and are
Split UKW channels 07, 21, 23, useful not only for hiring
81 and Radio Dubrovnik UKW equipment but also for going
channels 07 and 04. on guided tours with English-
speaking instructors.
Areas off-limits to divers are
Windsurfing around military installations,
Most coastal resorts offer protected cultural monuments
windsurfing courses and boards and some, but not all, nature
for hire, but serious surfers will reserves. Diving is forbidden
enjoy two places in particular: in Krka and Brijuni parks for
Bol, on the island of Brač, example but, with a permit, is
and Viganj on the Pelješac allowed in the Kornati National
Peninsular, close to Orebić. Both Park and the islands of Mljet.
resorts have many renowned Check beforehand if you intend
windsurfing clubs, offering kit The clear waters off Croatia, rich in marine to be adventurous.
and courses from beginner to life and coral
expert. Also, note, both places Fishing
play annual host to international try Vis – thanks to its military
championship events in July. background the island was The Adriatic Sea is one of the
The windsurfing season runs never commercially fished and richest in Europe and draws all
from early April to late October consequently has the richest kinds of fishermen. In order to go
and the westerly winds are at marine life. The best underwater fishing you will need a licence.
their peak in the early afternoon. caves are around the beautiful These are issued by tourist
Conditions are ideal in late May/ Kornati Islands, while interesting offices, authorised agencies and
early June and in late July/early shipwrecks can be found near diving centres and clubs which
August – though the latter, of Rovinj (Baron Gautsch,1914 have an arrangement with the
course, is in the high season. passenger ferry), Dubrovnik Ministry of Agriculture and
(Taranto, 1943 merchant ship) Forestry. The cost of a licence is
and the Pelješac Peninsular not terribly great and depends
(S57, another merchant casualty on its duration – you can
of war, from 1944). purchase licences valid for
There are, however, rules and 1 day, 3 days, a week or 30 days.
regulations about who can dive The licences permit fishing
where. To dive at all, you will with a rod and line or a spear
need to show a current diver’s gun and it is possible to fish
card issued by an internationally everywhere except in the
recognized diving organization. protected areas of the marine
For a small fee, this is then given parks (that is, Kornati, the Brijuni
a year-long validation by the islands, Krka and Mljet). Along
Croatian Diving Federation with the licence you will receive
or any of its agents – which a list of the areas which are off-
could be an authorised tourist limits and indications of the
agency or the nearest diving number of each fish species
Windsurfing, a very popular sport along club to your hotel. Diving clubs that you are allowed to catch.
the Croatian coast
Diving
Although Croatia may not be
the Caribbean or the Red Sea, it
nonetheless has its fair share of
interesting dive sites. Nature has
fashioned plenty of underwater
caves from the porous karstic
limestone along the coast, to
which you can add the further
attractions of sea walls and
shoals of fish and, at greater
depths, shipwrecks and corals.
Lošinj Island has all the above
features and is probably the
most comprehensive dive site in
Croatia. If fish are your interest, Locals showing the wide variety of fish and shellfish in the Croatian sea

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