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Istria peninsula is famous for its variety of shipwrecks, which are one of the favourite places of our diving guests. We organize diving trips to this amazing places everyday.
In our area we have 7 shipwrecks, one of the most famous is Baron Gautsch often called Titanic of the Adriatic sea, next there is Coriolanus, “Istra” Hans Schmidt, Giuseppe Dezza, Maona, Varese and Numidia.
Apart from the wrecks you will find here richness of underwater nature, beautiful walls, caves, underwater clearings with many sea anemones, sea horses, shells, sea sponges and many many more.
Diving places
We organize diving trips to this beautiful places everyday.
Shipwrecks in Croatia
It is one of the most popular shipwrecks on the Adriatic sea, often called Titanic of the Adriatic sea. Baron Gautsch is an Austro-Hungarian passenger ship that sank in 1914, when during its voyage from Kotor to Trieste it ran into a minefield. On its last journey the ship was full of military leaders and their families, state officials and other refugees travelling from Bay of Kotor and Dubrovnik. Around 150 people died that day. Now the shipwreck lies 40 meters under the water surface. The ships framework is in a very good shape and it is possible to enter the shipwreck, but only for the experienced divers, as there is a lot of sediment on the bottom of the ship that when moved can reduce visibility. Upper deck starts on the depth of 28 meters and the lower deck is located on the 36th meter. The shipwreck is overgrown with algae, red and orange moss animals and colorful sea sponges. Inside the ship you can meet shoals of fish, conger eels and lobsters. Baron Gautsch was registered in the Register of Croatian Cultural Monuments, diving and sightseeing is possible only with diving centers that have a special permission.
Depth: 28 – 40m
Length: 84,5m
Difficulty level: Only for advanced divers
Coriolanus was a British espionage ship designed for anti-submarine defense. On May 5th of 1945 the boat ran into a mine and sank along with 35 people that were on it. The ship remains lie on 30 meters of seabed. The mast of the ship reaches 18 meters below the water surface and is covered with sea sponges while upper deck lies at a depth of 22 meters. The wreck is overgrown with a variety of sea creatures. You can meet there conger eels, rockfish and shoals of fish that are swimming around the wreck. Entering isn’t possible. Divers have to pay attention to the fishing nets that are everywhere on the wreck.
Depth: 18 – 27m
Length: 49m
Difficulty level: Only for advanced divers
Hans Schmidt was a cargo ship that sank in January of 1943. During the sinking it split into two parts and he prow lies apart from the rest of the ship. The upper deck lies at a depth of 28 meters, and the bottom at a depth of 42 meters. The wreck is entwined in fishing nets and overgrown with colorful sea sponges. Many shoals of fish are swimming around it and it’s the place where you can meet lobsters and conger eels. It is possible to enter the wreck and see the remains of machine room and captain’s bridge. Remains of the motor, masts, nets, scattered shipment and a few anti-aircraft bombs lie around the wreck.
Depth: 28 – 42m
Length: 90m
Difficulty level: Only for advanced divers
An Italian ship used during the First World War as a minesweeper. Before the Second World War it was rebuilt to be a gunboat called Giuseppe Dezza, also known as “Insisdioso” – fearless. In 1945 the torpedo destroyed the ship and it broke into two pieces distant about 100m from each other. The prow is said to be more interesting for diving than the stem. The upper deck lies at a depth of 22 meters and the bottom at a depth of 35 meters. There is a big anti-aircraft gun on the upper deck, which is characteristic to this kinds of ships. Apart from the gun there are the remains of pedestals, ammunition, and various ropes. The wreck is overgrown with a variety of sea sponges and algae, and you can meet rockfish and lobsters on the deck. Around the wreck you will meet shoals of beautiful fish, and if the visibility is good you can see the wreck from a depth of 15 meters.
Length: 35m
Difficulty level: Only for advanced divers
Maona was a small Austrian merchant ship. It’s shipwreck is located at a depth of 36 meters, near the well-known Saint John (Sveti Ivan) lighthouse. The wreck is overgrown with sea sponges, and it’s a place where you can meet lobsters, octopuses and conger eels.
Depth: 30 – 36m
Length: 40m
Difficulty level: Only for advanced divers
WVarese was an Italian merchant ship. It was a type of a steamship with two masts. It was transporting goods between Venice and Tunis. During a very strong storm in 1915 while it was entering the port in Pula, it ran into a minefield and sank. The wreck lies at a depth of 41 meters and is buried in the sediments of mud. The remains of the front part are entwined in the fishing nets. You can see the opening of the front room under the deck, the remains of the weather deck, and the opening of the back room under the bridge deck. The wreck is a home to a few conger eels, rockfish and on the bottom you can meet a few lobsters.
Depth: 32 – 41m
Length: 65m
Difficulty level: Only for advanced divers
John Gilmour was an English merchant steamship with unknown history. It is called John Gilmour because of the tile with this name that was found on one of the engines, but there is not enough proof to claim that this is the original name of the ship. It is believed that the ship was built in Scottish shipyard of the same name, and that it was one of the first ships that sunk during the First World War. What is even more interesting, is the story of its discovery. It was found during the gas pipeline works that were supposed to connect Croatia and Italy. The wreck lies at a depth of 42 meters on the seabed covered with sediment. Next to the wreck there are two broken masts, and in the wreck you can meet a lot of conger eels, lobsters, shoals of Diplodus vulgaris and other small fish. On the bottom you can see common soles ,who seem to keep track of the divers with their widened eyes.
Depth: 35 – 42m
Length: 60m
Difficulty level: Only for advanced divers
Walls and Caves
Banjole cave is one of the most beautiful diving areas of the Adriatic sea. Bright colors of sponges, from yellow through red up to pale blue, many shades of algae, purple sea anemone, brown corals and variety of fish create amazing atmosphere that motivates divers to return to this place. Inside the Banjole island, at a depth of 5 meters there is an opening to the cave. You go through a colorful corridor to reach the central hall, in the upper wall there is an opening that lights the cave beautifully. To the left from the central hall, at a depth from 7 to 16 meters you will find two more smaller caves that are very safe to dive in.
Depth: 3 – 18m
Level of difficulty: all levels
This is a very interesting place for both beginners and advanced divers. On the wall you will see small caves overgrown with colorful sea sponges. While diving here you can come across sea anemones, seashells and many underwater creatures like rockfish, octopuses, a variety of crabs, lobsters and starfish. It’s a really great place to dive, and it’s very close to our diving base 🙂
Depth: 3 – 30m
Level of difficulty: all levels
This place fascinates with its various seabed. There is a small spongy wall full of various wildlife where you can meet squids, many kinds of fish, lobsters and small clearings with seahorses. It is a great place for night diving.
Depth: 3 – 25m
Level of difficulty: all levels
Eufemia is a small island located opposite the Rovinj city. Around the island you can find terraces of various plants that are cascading down to the water. Inside of them you will meet different kinds of crabs, lobsters and sometimes even conger eels.
Depth: 2 – 18m
Level of difficulty: all levels
We are diving around a small flat island where we can see many underwater rocks overgrown with a beautiful wildlife. It is a home for sea anemones, crabs, a variety of fish and sea sponges. It is a perfect place for the divers who are beginning their diving journey.
Depth: 5 – 27m
Level of difficulty: all levels
Sturago is a very interesting diving place, mainly because of the underwater rocks and canyons that make you feel like you are diving in a maze. This small island is located near the city of Rovinj, and it’s full of various kinds of fish, crabs, and shells. If you are lucky you can even meet an octopus here.
Depth: 5 – 15m
Level of difficulty: all levels
It is one of the most beautiful places in our area. The place is located near the adorable island called Saint Ivan, where you can find the antique romantic lighthouse. The island is full of beautiful wildlife and just spending your time there makes you happy. Under the water we have enormous rocks and terraces located on different levels. You can meet a variety of animals here, like rockfish, lobsters, crabs or crawfish. This is truly a beautiful place.
Depth: 5 – 25m
Level of difficulty: all levels
There is a beautiful lighthouse close to the port in Vrsar, we are diving there to see many stones overgrown with colorful plants and meet animals like crabs, squids and fish. This place is very characteristic for the ancient clay amphoras scattered on the ground. In the past they were used for transporting wine, olive oil and honey.
Depth: 3 – 18m
Level of difficulty: all levels
A few minutes away from our diving base, near the Tuffo island is a very interesting diving destination. Spongy seabed is an asset of this place. In the nooks we can find hidden crabs and fish, and in the places where the seabed is sandy, we can come across squids, or even sole fish hidden under the sand.
Depth: 3 – 18m
Level of difficulty: all levels
La longa is another interesting diving destination that is close to our base. A green island around which you can see a cascade seabed and underwater terraces. The place is interesting because of its colorful plants, variety of wildlife and a large amount of shells. You can find here clearings where you can meet seahorses.
Depth: 5 – 20m
Level of difficulty: all levels
Interesting terraces and enormous rocks between two islands Small and Big Figarola are another interesting places where you can meet a variety of underwater wildlife. From the shoals of small fish, through rockfish, lobsters, and conger eels hidden in the nooks around the rocks. In the sandy seabed we can come across squids and octopuses. It is one of the most amazing places for diving.
Depth: 5 – 20m
Level of difficulty: all levels
Valkanela Coast
It’s a place in front of our diving base, where we dive everyday with our course participants and we do the intro diving. Our coastline is a perfect place to do a weight check, and try a first relaxing dive. The seabed is very diverse, with many stones and rocks where the sea creatures like crabs, snails and fish are hiding. The rocks are covered with colorful plants and sponges and you can sometimes find seahorses hiding there. You can also come across big shells, colorful sea anemone and squids. From the shore you can dive everyday whenever our base is open. It’s beautiful here.
Depth: 3 – 10m
Level of difficulty: all levels
Our offer is directed for both beginners as well as for advanced divers. We plan our diving in many different ways, one sail out and two different dives, e.g. a wreck and a wall, one sail out and two shallow dives, e.g. a cave and a wall. Sometimes we do one distant sail out to the wrecks, early in the morning, and in the afternoon we do a second one, e.g. to the walls. Of course we organize night sail outs for those who love night diving. Every diving day is planned in advance, but we try to adapt to the needs of our customers. In the case of organized groups we create a diving plan individually with you.