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Croatian part of the Adriatic is truly full of life! There are 7000 species living in the Adriatic. Thankfully (for every swimmer), dangerous sharks are not among the 7000, so you can calmly take a swim, or a dive whenever you like! There are however fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, mammals, and more. Every few years even some whales are spotted cruising the beautiful Adriatic. In this article, however we’ll focus on the most interesting, popular if you will creatures to encounter in Croatia. They are however rare, which makes spotting them even more amazing!
Chartering a yacht in Croatia gets you the privilege of being the amazed observer of the magnificent nature of the Adriatic. Before we continue, there’s something important to say. The Adriatic is a clear, clean, beautiful patch of seawater, and one of the very few unspoiled places remaining in the world. With yacht charter in Croatia, you become a guest in this beautiful world, so please do your part in preserving the Adriatic, and #keepitclean for generations to come!
Sea turtle
There are a couple of turtle species in Croatia. The most common one is the loggerhead sea turtle(carretta carretta). Turtles are the only reptilians in the Adriatic sea, and they are highly rare here, so if you’re lucky enough to spot one, please be very careful. Sea turtles spend their lives in the Mediterranean Sea, sometimes the Adriatic, laying eggs on the sandy beaches, and eating small crustacean, and fish on the sea floor. This peaceful creature should live a long and happy life in the Adriatic, so again if you spot one, enjoy the moment, take some photos, and leave with the most amazing experience!
Dolphins and whales
Ulješure kod Visa / Sperm whales near Vis island, Croatia from Blue World Institute on Vimeo.
Dolphins are fairly common in the Adriatic. Common dolphin is the most… common one. They are most frequently spotted around Croatian islands, such as Cres, Hvar, Vis etc. Dolphins are playful creatures, and are not uncommon to swim near the yacht when sailing. However, you should never sail closer than 100 meters from a dolphin to insure they are safe. Always turn the engine away from the dolphins if they approach you to insure you won’t hurt them. Whales, however are quite rare in the Adriatic. The Adriatic is often to shallow, or too warm for whales, but every now and then a whale, or a group of whales wander into the Adriatic. Now, if you see a whale on your sailing holiday in Croatia, consider yourself extremely lucky, and perhaps try buying a lottery ticket! Fin and Sperm whales where spotted a couple of years back in the Adriatic.
Mediterranean monk seal
Saved the best one for last! Or at least the most exotic one… The Mediterranean monk seal was a fairly frequent visitor to the Adriatic islands in the past, but sadly became endangered mostly due to being caught in fishing nets. There is still a few of these amazing creatures left in the Adriatic, and are known to visit specific places. In the past they were seen mostly around the caves of Bisevo, where one of the caves is literally called the Monk seal’s cave. Lately they are mostly seen in the northern Adriatic, more specifically Pula.
The monk seal had a strong impact on the culture of the Adriatic, as this interesting and mysterious animal was called “morski covik”, or “sea human” and was often thought to be a mermaid by the fishermen in Croatia. There are even some folk stories, and legends in Croatia made to honor the monk seal.
