So here we are on the Croatian coast – undeniably one of the most wondrous places on earth. The sun is beating down on you like an angry god proud of his brand-new hammer and the beaches are humming with some of the most beautiful people in the world. There really is but one solution. Wrap yourself head to toe in rubber, strap a lump of metal on your back and jump in the water.

The combination of rocky, indented coastline and clear waters is pepped up for the divers amongst us by Croatia’s position on the ancient shipping routes of the Greeks and Italians. At present over three hundred archaeological sites have been discovered in this part of the Adriatic Sea. These results of pre-shipping news disasters were the victims of the weather and torpedoes. Nowadays they suffer the ultimate indignity of being picked over for your pleasure. Many of the wrecks are excellent tourist sites for divers and lie at shallow depths, encrusted with molluscs and sponges and bursting with visiting sea creatures sniffing out old stashes of booze.

At the end of the nineteenth century, spongers from the island of Krapanj would farm the seabed whilst using helmets supplied with oxygen piped from above. The first scuba diving course was organised on the military island of Vis in 1943. In the 1950s the first diving clubs appeared in Pula and Split. Since that time there have appeared seemingly endless centres that will suit you up and dunk you beneath the waves whilst you suck life-giving gasses through a tube hooked up to a metal cylinder.

In actual fact there are a whopping 130 diving clubs and 150 diving centres in Croatia. They offer courses and guided dives for the whole range of talents and experience; from absolute beginners to the expert. Nearly all diving in Croatia takes place from boats as the rocky nature of the shore means getting in and out is a bit of a pain. An increasingly popular version of the Croatian diving experience is the ‘live-aboard’ dive. Just as the name implies, this involves paying to get press-ganged for a week or so and then, in-between keel-hauling you for not peeling the potatoes quickly enough they will happily throw you overboard to play with the fishes on a regular basis.

Biševo: Modra špilja (Blue Grotto)
Just off the small island of Vis is the tiny island of Biševo. If you can avoid the constant boatloads of tourists then this is a wonderful diving site. The entrance to the grotto is visible from the surface and, along with the passage to the main chamber, an easy swim. The grotto takes its name from the effect of refracted light that enters via several openings into the space. Exit through the deeper of the two openings to find a wall playing host to sponges and various other sticky creatures. Throughout the grotto complex there are lots of nooks and crannies that are home to conger eels and scorpionfish. Extra points go to anyone finding the discarded lobster shells and champagne bottles from Tito’s picnic with Churchill held in a boat here.

Hvar: Pakleni otoci
Just across a small strait from Hvar town, Pakleni Otoci (Resin Islands) are part of the Hvar archipelago; a series of 21 islands and islets. There are bountiful bays to anchor in and many reefs and walls to explore in the area. The best known of all spots here however is Vodhjak reef. Found on the southwestern side of Stambedar Island, the top of the reef lies just 5 m below the surface. From this point it falls to a depth of 50 m, creating a canyon at the bottom, which is filled with a forest of richly red, violet and yellow gorgonians that at points reach up to 2 m high. Schools of fish roam the are at all depths. Currents can get quite strong around this part.

Krk: Bay of Klimno – wreck of Peltastis
Just near the village of Silo in 1968 a storm washed the Peltastis on to the rocks. This means that the wreck can easily be accessed from the shore – it lies about 50m out. The local inhabitants of Krk call her Grk (Greek) because she sailed under the Greek flag – so that makes it easy if you are in the area and asking for directions. The ship is half buried in the silt seabed but you can easily find the masthead at a depth of only 7m down. Most of the main body of the ship is accessible to experienced divers. The engine room is in the stern and can be inspected via a narrow staircase into the guts of the vessel – taking care of course top look out for the ghost of the captain who went down with her in classic fashion. This is a favourite spot for large sea bass. Occasionally currents can get up a little and because of the muddy conditions at the bottom create poor visibility.

Premuda: The Cathedral and the wreck of the Szent Izstvan
The island of Premuda is the furtherest west of all Croatian islands. The island’s whole coast offers good dives. However, the top recommendation is a rarity in Croatia as this site is very close to the land and is therefore accessible from the shore. In the Bay of Siroka is ‘the cathedral’. This site is suitable for all levels of experience. The cathedral is a series of fissures, and cave systems which can be explored. The porous rock allows sunlight in to many of the chambers, and as it is refracted through the water produces a wonderful display of colours on the walls for your amusement. Also accessible from Premuda is the wreck of the Szent Izstvan: an Austro-Hungarian battleship that was sunk by the Italian navy in 1918. The ship now lies at 67m and thus is only accessible to highly advanced divers.

Rovinj: Baron Gautsch Wreck
Only advanced divers should attempt to abuse the grave of the 240 people that lost their lives when the Baron Gautsch passanger ferry sank in 1914. The ship was on its regular route from Trieste to Kotor in what is now Monte-Negro, (or whatever they call themselves officially these days), when it struck a mine and booked its place in history as scene of the worst disaster in the history of the Austro-Hungarian merchant navy. The upper deck of the wreck lies 28m below, the crew and engineers peer out at the scenery of 42 metres depth. Graffittied with sponges, coral and molluscs, the interior is not only full of ghosts but additions such as tuna and large eels that similar to those lovable rats of the sky (pigeons) are more than familiar with rubber-clad human life forms and organise mugging gangs to get at your choccy bars. Beware. Special permits and an escort are obligatory.

For the more experienced amongst you, Istria, and especially the area around Rovinj, hosts numerous wrecks. The Istria was an Austrian cargo vessel that was sunk by aeroplane bombs during World War I. The hull reveals the power of the weapons dropped upon it and lies at a depth of 33 – 40m. The Maona, an Austrian armed barge sank during the same conflict. The vessel is 30 – 35m below the surface. The Giuseppe Dezza is an Italian destroyer that went down to the north of Veli Brijun, a small island lying between Rovinj and Pula. The ship is snapped into two pieces 30 – 35m down and still had it’s gun batteries on the forward deck. There are many resources on the internet that can give you further details on even more locations.