The whole Šibenik bay, its riviera and archipelago represent one of the best locations for scuba diving in Croatia.
Actually, we can say without any exaggeration that some of the local sites are TOP scuba diving sites in Europe. All, be it rookies or old veterans will enjoy diving here. There are sites suitable for recreational divers and sites for experienced technical divers. Lovers of deep walls and overhangs, caves and canyons, as well as wrecks will have a blast here. In the context of the Mediterranean Sea we can also speak about rich underwater fauna and flora, or high above average visibility, especially when it comes to the sites in the open part of the bay (i.e. the western part of the Žirje island, the Kornati National Park, the Jabuka island area, etc.)
There is a two digit number of wrecks in the Šibenik Archipelago area, all of them suitable for recreational or technical diving. Let us mention the wrecks of the ships Gladiator F98, Francesca di Rimini, Borak, Borko, Plavi Jadran, Luka, or the wreck of the WWII bomber Junkers JU 87 Stuka. Most of them with a captivating history and tragic circumstances that led to their sinking. The number of yet undiscovered wrecks remains an unanswered question. A couple of the previously mentioned wrecks were as late as in the last decade. This is due to the fact that the area of the Žirje island and its surroundings was until the early '90s of the 20th century occupied by the Yugoslavian army without an option of free entry, leaving the area almost intact.
Nevertheless, this region is rich also in rock walls, overhangs, canyons and caves. Some of the examples include the overhangs in the north-east part of the Kaprije island, close to the Francesca wreck, walls at Škrovada, or massive walls in the distant Jabuka, a stunning canyon near the Bakul island, and the cave at the Drvenik island.
Last but not least to mention is thriving underwater life – locations such as distant Jabuka, where you can easily come across a school of barracuda or tuna fish, a small island with the Blitvenica lighthouse with extensive coral and gorgonia gardens, or Plič Grmeni (famous under the name Camel Back) typical for its rich fauna and flora, and ancient wreck remains. All these sites can pride themselves also with a usually very good if not excellent visibility 30m plus.
The National Park Kornati represents a separate category of diving locations, which will compensate the higher price for the dive and the longer distance (additional fee for the fuel and longer journey similar to the Jabuka variant, and a fee for the National Park entry and diving) with majestic rich underwater life and great visibility. Mana, Rašip or the epic Kampanel are some examples of locations in the National Park Kornati.
Note: Upon request from groups we can provide trips to more distant, or less visited but all the more attractive locations, such as the previously mentioned diving spots at the island Jabuka, in the National Park Kornati, but also the fresh water attraction Izvor Cetina – inland diving below the Dinaric mountains in the spring of the wild river Cetina. The latter represents an absolutely unique diving experience in a "European Cenote", although the temperature of the water here is around 4 to 7 degrees Celsius.
