Mediterranean · Croatia
Lastovo & the Lastovnjaci
Walls of gorgonians off Cape Struga that reach 80 m
Photo: Dijana Župan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lastovo is a Croatian island and nature park with the Lastovnjaci, a miniature archipelago of islets, along its eastern side. Diving runs only with the island's two authorised centres, by fast boat to cliffs, walls and islets: the gorgonian walls off Cape Struga, the open-sea cliffs of Seka Drašan, the underwater passage through Bijelac and the cave at Tajan. Between the sites, the seabed also holds old boat wrecks and amphorae.
About diving in Lastovo & the Lastovnjaci
Diving around Lastovo is allowed only with a guide from an authorised dive centre, and the island has two: one in the Zaklopatica lagoon and one at Pasadur. Dives run from fast boats. The 12-diver boat out of Zaklopatica reaches even the most distant sites in under 30 minutes. Yachts cruising past the island can contact the Zaklopatica centre and arrange a dive around their own schedule.
Underwater the island is a coast of cliffs and walls. At Cape Struga the walls of gorgonians drop to 80 m, while Seka Drašan rises from open water less than a mile offshore, opposite the bay of Zace. Corals, algae, fish and shellfish live on the rock, and old boat wrecks and amphorae lie on a seabed protected by the Ministry of Culture for its numerous archaeological sites.
Lastovo and its archipelago were declared a nature park in 2006 for their natural beauty and biological diversity, and the guided-only rule means no dive here is independent. The walls run deep: Maslinjak is planned to about 35 m for the average diver, so the island rewards divers already at home on deep walls. For those who want to learn, the island has two diving schools.
Best time to dive Lastovo & the Lastovnjaci
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
The swimming season runs from June to November; the water peaks near 25 °C in August and falls to about 14 °C in February.
Best months: June, July, August, September, October, November
Dive types & marine life
Octopuses, lobsters and sea snails fill the wall at Maslinjak, close to the inhabited coast, and gorgonians cover the walls at Cape Struga, where they reach 80 m.
- Wall
- Cave & cavern
- Octopus & cuttlefish
Best dive sites in Lastovo & the Lastovnjaci
- 1
Struga
Cliffs at the foot of the Struga lighthouse on the southern cape, hung with gorgonian walls.
- 2
Seka Drašan
Open-sea cliffs off the north-east coast that break the surface by a metre at low tide.
- 3
Bijelac
Islet with an underwater passage running right through it.
- 4
Tajan
Islet with an underwater cave.
- 5
Maslinjak
Wall five minutes by speedboat from Pasadur, close to the inhabited coast.
Site guides
Wall
Lobsters and octopuses tucked into a wall five minutes from Pasadur
Pinnacle
Open-sea rocks that barely break the surface at low tide
Cave & cavern
An underwater cave inside a small islet off Lastovo
How to get to Lastovo & the Lastovnjaci
A daily hydrofoil and ferry service links Lastovo with Split on the mainland, stopping at Hvar and Korčula on the way. The two authorised dive centres are in the Zaklopatica lagoon and at Pasadur.
Questions divers ask
Can divers dive Lastovo without a dive centre?+
No. Diving is allowed only with a guide from an authorised centre: the one in the Zaklopatica lagoon or the one at Pasadur.
Can divers rent equipment on Lastovo?+
Yes. The centre in Zaklopatica has complete diving equipment for rent, and its boat carries an oxygen set and a dive ladder.
Why are the wrecks and amphorae around Lastovo protected?+
The seabed is under the protection of the Ministry of Culture because of its numerous archaeological sites, which include old boat wrecks and amphorae.
Sources
- Diving - Tourist Board of Lastovo island — Tourist Board of Lastovo
- Diving - Lastovo.org — lastovo.org
- Diving center Ankora — Ankora
- Lastovo — Wikipedia
- Lastovo water temperature — seatemperature.info
- Maslinjak — scuba-diving-croatia.com
Photo credits
- Bare limestone hillsides above a deep blue bay with a small rocky islet, a few houses on its shore and a white lighthouse on the far headland by Dijana Župan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
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