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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Europe and Mediterranean

Europe and Mediterranean

Croatia

A resident bottlenose dolphin community at Lošinj, watched from the boat, and protected island reefs.

Boats in the harbour of Komiža below green hills on Vis
Komiža, island of Vis · Photo: Ian Mackey on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 26 Sep 2026. Sources: Code of conduct, Blue World Institute; Cres-Lošinj area, Blue World Institute; Rako et al., Leisure boating noise as a trigger for displacement of Cres-Lošinj bottlenose dolphins, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2013.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The UK FCDO travel advice for Croatia covers entry rules and health, and a recent update highlights security advice for festivals, large gatherings and public behaviour rules. Sources: UK FCDO travel advice, Croatia · Foreign Office updates travel advice for Brits visiting Croatia Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

FreedivingScubaDolphinsCoral reefsWildlife watching

Why Croatia

Lošinj is home to a resident bottlenose dolphin community, watched from the boat, with long-running conservation work. Vis and Komiža offer island reefs with gorgonians and sponges for scuba and freediving, plus good island food. Lastovo is a protected island area for Mediterranean scuba diving.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

W. SaharaKazakhstanUzbekistanRussiaNorwayGreenlandFranceMauritaniaIsraelLebanonPalestineTunisiaAlgeriaJordanKuwaitIraqTurkmenistanIranSyriaArmeniaSwedenBelarusUkrainePolandAustriaHungaryMoldovaRomaniaLithuaniaLatviaEstoniaGermanyBulgariaGreeceTurkeyAlbaniaCroatiaSwitzerlandLuxembourgBelgiumNetherlandsPortugalSpainIrelandItalyDenmarkUnited KingdomAzerbaijanGeorgiaSloveniaFinlandSlovakiaCzechiaSaudi ArabiaN. CyprusCyprusMoroccoEgyptLibyaBosnia and Herz.MacedoniaSerbiaMontenegroKosovoLastovo, CroatiaLošinj, CroatiaVis and Komiža, Croatia

When to go

Jun, Sep. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Around Lošinj, a resident dolphin community has been studied by scientists for many years, and there is a clear code for boats. But in summer, heavy boat traffic and noise push the dolphins away from their key areas. So we avoid the peak summer weeks, watch only from the boat with a calm distance and time limit, and never swim with the dolphins.

Checked 26 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Croatia

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Lastovo

Exploring

A protected island area for Mediterranean scuba diving.

🤿 In the water: Protected Mediterranean marine life

Lošinj

Exploring

A resident bottlenose dolphin community, watched from the boat, with long-running conservation work.

🤿 In the water: Loggerhead turtles (possible)

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Bottlenose dolphins (resident, from the boat)

When: Year-round. The resident bottlenose dolphin community lives here all year, and we would only watch from a quiet boat. Sightings are never promised.

Vis and Komiža

Exploring

Island reefs with gorgonians and sponges for mixed scuba and freediving, plus good island food.

🤿 In the water: Gorgonians and sponges, Mediterranean reef life, Turtles and devil rays (possible)

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Bottlenose dolphins (documented around the island, never guaranteed)

When: Jun, Sep. June and September are the two months we would look at first, with warm sea and fewer summer crowds. The wrecks and walls are the draw, not any single animal.

Animals

Animals recorded in Croatia

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Common bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableCommon octopus crawling over a rocky seabed in FranceCommon octopusOctopus vulgarisSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBasking shark swimming underwater in green water off Argyll, ScotlandBasking sharkCetorhinus maximusSeen in 23 countries in the AtlasEndangeredSpinetail devil ray gliding in blue water off Crete with small fishSpinetail devil rayMobula mobularSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredCuvier's beaked whale surfacing, pale scarred head and small dorsal finCuvier's beaked whaleZiphius cavirostrisSeen in 42 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMediterranean monk seal head above blue water, whiskers visibleMediterranean monk sealMonachus monachusSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasVulnerableNoble pen shell in Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, FR, iNaturalist research-grade observationNoble pen shell (fan mussel)Pinna nobilisSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredMauve stinger jellyfish in Girona, ES-CT, ES, iNaturalist research-grade observationMauve stinger jellyfishPelagia noctilucaSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedPod of common dolphins surfacing in calm blue seaCommon dolphinDelphinus delphisSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernStriped dolphin leaping, dark flank stripe clearly visibleStriped dolphinStenella coeruleoalbaSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAngelshark with a flat, mottled brown body swimming just above a sandy seabed in dark waterAngelsharkSquatina squatinaSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredA Black Sea seahorse in the shallow water at Eforie-SudLong-snouted seahorseHippocampus guttulatusSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedSpiny dogfish resting on the seabed at the Josephine Marie shipwreck, Stellwagen Bank National Marine SanctuarySpiny dogfishSqualus acanthiasSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasVulnerableDusky grouper underwater at Cabo de Palos, SpainDusky grouperEpinephelus marginatusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerableAtlantic bluefin tuna leaping out of choppy water, recorded in Hovedstaden, DenmarkAtlantic bluefin tunaThunnus thynnusSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed coral colonies with white open polyps on a rock wall among sponges and encrusting growthRed coralCorallium rubrumSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedSilver-cheeked toadfish resting just above sandy seabed, with its pale belly and dark-spotted backSilver-cheeked toadfishLagocephalus sceleratusSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite-tailed eagle in flight low over calm water with a fish in its talons, near Raftsund, Lofoten, NorwayWhite-tailed eagleHaliaeetus albicillaSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernCommon smooth-hound swimming just above a sandy seabed, with a slim grey-brown body and two dorsal finsCommon smooth-houndMustelus mustelusSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a northern gannet face, with pale blue eyes and a golden headNorthern gannetMorus bassanusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernScopoli's shearwater skimming just above calm blue waterScopoli's shearwaterCalonectris diomedeaSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernEuropean shag sitting on its nest of dry grass, dark green-tinged plumage and yellow gapeEuropean shagGulosus aristotelisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo pygmy cormorants perched on a bare branchPygmy cormorantMicrocarbo pygmaeusSeen in 26 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a small-spotted catshark head, with dark spots, resting on the seabedSmall-spotted catshark (lesser spotted dogfish)Scyliorhinus caniculaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernYelkouan shearwater lifting off the sea surface with wings raisedYelkouan shearwaterPuffinus yelkouanSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasVulnerableMarbled electric ray lying on a sandy seabed, spotted pattern visibleMarbled electric rayTorpedo marmorataSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBrown ray resting on a sandy seabed, with a blue-centred eyespot on each wingBrown rayRaja miraletusSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernThornback ray swimming over a rocky seabed in shallow green waterThornback rayRaja clavataSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedNursehound resting on a rocky ledge among spongesNursehoundScyliorhinus stellarisSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerableCommon stingray resting on a bed of seagrass, with its eye and body edge in viewCommon stingrayDasyatis pastinacaSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasVulnerableCommon eagle ray seen from above, gliding over a rocky seabed with its long tail trailingCommon eagle rayMyliobatis aquilaSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredStarry smooth-houndMustelus asteriasSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedLongnosed skateDipturus oxyrinchusSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Read before you go

Whales and wildlife ethicsLovina Dolphins: What to Know Before a Sunrise Boat TripRead ↗
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