Safety · Destination Guide
Limestone walls, pine-framed coves, and fast boat access from Hvar Town
Hvar's safety plan must account for an island setting, active boat traffic, advanced wall profiles, and weather-sensitive access to mainland care. Use registered operators, accept site substitutions, carry appropriate surface signaling, and make emergency oxygen and communications part of the boat plan. Call 112 for general emergencies, 195 or VHF channel 16 for maritime rescue, and DAN Europe for diving-medicine coordination.
Conservation requires equal precision. The Pakleni land archipelago is protected, adjacent waters are Natura 2000, and a 2026 to 2031 project is pursuing stronger marine protection. Keep anchors out of Posidonia, maintain buoyancy above gorgonians and rock growth, leave archaeological material in place, and remove all waste from unserviced coves.
Croatian rules require independent dive areas to be marked with an orange or red buoy at least 0.3 m in diameter or an approved diver-down flag. At night the marker needs a light visible from at least 300 m. Guided center boats manage their own organized-diving procedures, but every diver should carry an SMB and know the boat-recall and separation protocol.
Use direct-ascent limits unless specifically trained for overhead diving. Watch depth on walls that continue well beyond recreational limits, turn before gas pressure becomes marginal, and avoid entering a chimney simply because another team does. Freedivers require dedicated breath-hold rescue coverage and should not share a scuba safety assumption.
DAN's general minimum guidance is 12 hours before flying after one no-decompression dive and 18 hours after multiple dives or multiple days; decompression diving requires substantially more than 18 hours and individualized planning. These are minimums, not a reason to schedule the tightest possible flight connection.
Hvar Town publishes an emergency medical assistance number and a local medical-center number, but the reviewed sources did not verify an operational public hyperbaric chamber on Hvar. A suspected decompression illness, arterial gas embolism, serious breath-hold event, or major trauma can require coordinated transfer to mainland specialist care. Do not self-drive or self-route a diving emergency without medical coordination.
Give first aid, administer the highest practical concentration of oxygen if trained and available, call 112, involve maritime rescue when at sea, and contact DAN Europe. Keep the diver lying comfortably, hydrated only when conscious and able to swallow, and under observation. Save dive-computer data and provide the profile, gases, symptoms, onset time, first aid, and exact vessel or landing location. Weather and sea state can lengthen transfer time, which strengthens the case for conservative profiles and evacuation-capable insurance.
Wind and sea-state changes
Local wind direction can expose one side of the archipelago while sheltering another. A site swap or cancellation is a normal safety response, even when Hvar Town itself looks calm.
Boat traffic
The channels and popular coves carry dive boats, water taxis, yachts, and tenders. Use marked swimming zones, an SMB or visible float, active lookout, and conservative surfacing procedures.
Depth, current, and overhead temptation
Several celebrated sites combine deep walls, chimneys, tunnels, or current. Certification labels alone do not replace recent experience, gas planning, direct ascent discipline, and an operator's check dive.
Heat and reflected sun
July and August combine intense sun with stone streets, exposed boats, and limited shade at some coves. Hydrate, cover up, and move strenuous topside activity to cooler hours.
The Pakleni Islands are a protected significant landscape consisting of nineteen islands, islets, and rocks with Aleppo pine, maquis, and limited rare beach habitats. The surrounding sea includes Natura 2000 site HR3000095. Conservation sources identify Posidonia oceanica meadows, reefs, marine caves, sandy and muddy habitats, and coralligenous communities.
Documented concerns include anchoring damage, rubbish, wastewater, underwater and vessel noise, concentrated visitation, marine heatwaves, and mortality in sensitive coralligenous communities. A 2026 to 2031 project is supporting stakeholder work and the process toward stronger marine protection. This distinction matters: protection and conservation obligations are real, but the whole sea area should not yet be described as an established fee-charging marine park.
Do Not Do This
Avoid entering when wind and sea-state changes. Confirm local briefings before committing.
| Contact | Role | Phone | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| European emergency number | Police, ambulance, fire, and coordinated emergency dispatch | 112 | 24 hours |
| Croatian Maritime Search and Rescue Service | Emergency assistance at sea | 195 or VHF channel 16 | 24 hours |
| DAN Europe emergency hotline | Diving-medicine and evacuation coordination | +39 06 4211 5685 | 24 hours |
| Emergency medical assistance in Hvar | Local emergency medical contact published by Visit Hvar | +385 21 717 099 | Local service; use 112 for urgent dispatch |
| Hvar medical center | Local medical-center contact | +385 21 743 103 | Opening hours vary; call 112 for emergencies |
| Hvar police | Local police contact | +385 21 741 100 | Local service; use 112 for emergencies |