Sécurité · Guide de destination
Protected Kornati walls, Adriatic wrecks, and four flexible Dalmatian bases
The principal controls are authorization, weather, depth discipline, surface visibility, and evacuation time. Kornati is remote relative to a city dive site, and even a routine incident can require boat transport before road or air care. Choose operators that brief site-specific current, lost-diver procedure, oxygen, communications, diver recall, and the day's alternate route.
Conservation rules are strict and enforceable. Do not enter closed strict-protection zones, collect artifacts, touch corals or gorgonians, anchor outside allowed areas, build stone piles, light unauthorized fires, use spearguns, or disturb wildlife.
Plan to the least experienced diver and the actual sea state. Kornati park dives must remain within 40 m and cannot be conducted at night. Advanced walls can require negative or blue-water entries, current management, and open-water ascent skills. Wrecks may combine depth, darkness, entanglement, unstable metal, restricted visibility, and historic ordnance.
Before departure:
Freedivers must use qualified buddy supervision, one-up one-down procedures, conspicuous surface support, and no hyperventilation. Snorkelers should remain in the designated vessel or shore zone.
For a life-threatening event, call 112 or have the skipper activate the local emergency plan immediately. Give oxygen first aid if trained and equipped, protect airway and breathing, record the dive profile, and do not delay emergency assessment while trying to choose a chamber yourself.
DAN Europe advises contacting local emergency services or the nearest hospital first in a life-threatening situation, then its 24-hour hotline for diving-medicine and evacuation support. From remote islands, the receiving facility and any recompression referral should be selected by emergency clinicians and DAN based on symptoms, weather, transport, and current availability.
Carry dive-specific insurance that covers treatment, maritime or air evacuation, and repatriation. An EHIC or ordinary travel policy is not a substitute for all diving costs.
Kornati legal restrictions
Independent scuba is prohibited in the park. Use an authorized organized group, remain in an approved zone, stay within 40 m, and do not night dive, touch, remove, or disturb anything.
Bura, jugo, and exposed departures
Wind systems can create chop, rough channels, route changes, port restrictions, or cancellations. The DHMZ warning and skipper's decision override a fixed itinerary.
Depth, overheads, and historic ordnance
Dome, Francesca, Plic Grmeni, and other advanced objectives may involve deep terrain, caverns, wreck instability, darkness, or ammunition. Never touch ordnance or enter beyond training and authorization.
Summer boat traffic
Blue Lagoon, beaches, channels, and popular swim stops carry heavy July and August traffic. Use a conspicuous marker, remain in the skipper's zone, and surface beside the float.
Kornati's underwater value rests on Posidonia meadows, coralligenous growth, gorgonians, caves, and a broad Mediterranean species inventory. The park prohibits touching or taking natural material, disturbing organisms, and carrying tools or weapons other than a diving knife. Night diving is prohibited.
Use excellent buoyancy and keep gauges, cameras, and fins clear of the bottom. Do not feed fish, chase octopus, handle nudibranchs, or stage photographs on seagrass. Report lost line, fishing gear, pollution, or illegal activity to the operator or park authority. On land, stay on marked routes, respect private ownership, remove waste, and follow anchoring and fire rules.
À ne pas faire
Évitez de vous mettre à l'eau quand kornati legal restrictions. Confirmez les briefings locaux avant de vous engager.
| Contact | Rôle | Téléphone | Disponibilité |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Emergency Number | Police, ambulance, fire, and coordinated emergency dispatch in Croatia | 112 | 24 hours, free from fixed and mobile phones |
| DAN Europe International Emergency Hotline | Diving medical advice, case coordination, and evacuation support according to membership or coverage | +39 06 4211 5685 | 24 hours |
| Kornati National Park Public Institution | Park rules, authorized access, ranger, and administrative information; not a substitute for 112 | +385 22 435 740 | Park and office operating hours; verify before travel |