Istria peninsula

A short break to Moṥćenička Draga in Istria (Croatia) might not have been a good idea in November. Why? Mainly because of the weather. It is a widely known fact that autumn is a period of strong winds in Croatia. Well, I had heard so, but I still decided to go. It seems sometimes it is easier to have a go on your own and later to know better to reject such ideas and to offer advice to others.

 

 

Warm southern wind called JUGO made me optimistic. I hoped to have fun and to enjoy some warm days before my return to Poland to the bleak November everyday life. On 9th of November, at 9 a.m., the temperature was 19°C, the wind was strong but the sun was still shining through the clouds. The sea was rough but I hoped at least for some light underwater and for a pleasant warm feeling after the diving. Hardly half an hour later, when I had already planned an interesting day devoted to diving, the weather changed drastically. The wind changed its direction to northern, a sudden gale came from the Dinaric Alps and as I stood at the sea shore and looked around, I was overwhelmed with the change. The temperature fell to 7°C, dark and stormy clouds covered the sky and the sea became so rough because of the wind that 3-meter high waves hit rocks, splashing the water as high as 10 meters up. Rain came with the wind. The famous sunny Croatia showed us its other nature. It was the famous wind BURA (widely known as BORA). During the night snow covered tops of peaks in Istria and in Dinaric Alps visible on the horizon. It became clear no skipper would take us on his boat to dive at this time of the year. We needed to find a place somewhere near the sea shore.

We decided to trust the experienced owner of the Diving Center where we filled in our tanks and obtained Croatian diving licenses valid for 1 year. The owner Jani kept on warning us against the rough sea. His advice was: Diving is safe only near MEDVEJA, where the access to the sea is quite well sheltered from the waves. That is where we dived on the first day. Going into the sea from the beach was not that easy because of the high waves at the shore. We swam towards the open sea, keeping just behind the breakwater. And finally we had to dive as such a rough sea surface can cause trouble for those with sensitive stomachs.

 

What can be seen underwater? A vertical wall going down to the depth of 20 meters, later on a sandy bottom of the sea falls at a sharp angle. The wall itself is not particularly attractive. It should be kept in mind that Istria is visited by thousands of tourists and hundreds of divers every summer. What we managed to see were virtually bare rocks with few starfish and abundance of moss. Sometimes we could see sea potatoes that are characteristic for the Adriatic Sea. Huge amounts of fish compensate for the scarce flora. You can see black chromis, popular in the Mediterranean Sea, lots of sarpa salpa that are often seen in port areas and the omnipresent saddle breams (Oblada Melanura). As in every diving site, you can see a goby hiding somewhere between rocks or shoals of goat fish (Mullus Barbatus).

 

On the second day we decided to find another interesting place to dive in this region of Istria. There is an abundance of them and many of them are easily accessible. The problem was still the rough sea, as high waves could result in the diver's crash into the rocks or the quay.



Brseč is a location worth mentioning. It is located 10 km from Moṥćenička Draga in the direction of Pula. When you reach Brseč, at the only crossroads in the town you turn left instead of heading for the center. A very narrow and winding road takes us to the parking lot at the sea shore. There are two diving options available there. The first is to take your equipment and go down about 60 meters on the right side of the lighthouse and to swim around the peninsula. At the depth of 25 meters on the sea bed you can see two cars. The second option means taking the equipment to the left of the picturesque bay. You swim from the stony beach to the left alongside the wall, which falls to a maximum of 40 meters. Unfortunately, high waves from the north made it impossible for us to dive there both from the left and from the right side of the peninsula.



All in all, we were forced to dive once more in Medveja. The waves were even higher, which made the water cloudy near the shore. Up to the depth of 7 meters the visibility was below 2 meters. Deeper it was much better - 10-15 meters. If you swim to the left of the bay, at the depth of 12 meters you can find old fishing nets. What we learned from this trip was that the water at this time of the year might be warm (17-20°C) but the northern wind makes it impossible to dive there. You need to plan your diving trips on the other side of the Istria peninsula or decide to visit much warmer places somewhere else.

 

You can find a diving center to organize your diving and accommodation in the vicinity of Moṥćenička Draga in the town at the sea shore. You can also visit their website www.tauchenkroatien.com. The owner has a large boat for up to 18 divers. During summer he takes groups of divers to a safari on the Kornati Islands. The price is about DM 1,700-2,000 per person. As most of the customers are German, the prices are considerably higher than in other centers, but you can always try and bargain for the price. Moṥćenička Draga is close to Brestova, from where you can take a ferry (Croatian "trajekt") to the Cres island, which is a nice diversion during a stay in the region. You should also remember that Pula is only 80 kilometers from here.





Text and photo: Rudi Stankiewicz