June the 23rd, 2022 - The second of a planned five meteorological-oceanographic buoys have has been set up near Palagruza as part of a much wider strategic Croatian project in the field of meteorology.

As Morski writes, last week, Plovput completed the installation of the second of five meteorological-oceanographic buoys at the pre-planned Palagruza site. The Palagruza buoy was anchored to a depth of 190 metres and the anchoring was done with two-part concrete blocks with a total weight of 30 tonnes.

The process surrounding the anchoring was performed using unique technology consisting of the controlled laying of the anchor blocks, developed within Plovput for the needs of this and all future similar projects.

The Palagruza buoy installation project is a strategic project of the Republic of Croatia in the field of meteorology, and is being implemented by the State Hydro-Meteorological Institute. They will provide very high-quality, reliable and timely data on the state of the atmosphere and the sea across the entire territory of the Republic of Croatia (www.meteo.hr).

All of the above represents a historic moment for the meteorology and oceanography of the Republic of Croatia and is an undoubted contribution to raising the level of navigation safety in the territorial sea of ​​the Republic of Croatia on the whole.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 23 Jan 2022 - The Palagruža association, based in the town of Komiža on the island of Vis, preserves and promotes the maritime heritage of the local community which includes making replicas of historical boats. The association has completed the building of models "Sandula" and "Ofalkono Gajeta" and is now in search of partners to build "Leut" and "Loja" replicas.

The association is also active in collecting and preserving traditional tools and promoting local crafts, artisanal products, and cuisine.

The head of the association, Miro Cvitković, recently told Hina that in the beginning, members made replicas of more simple traditional boats such as the "Gundula". Upon completion, this was followed by building replicas of "Sandula" and "Ofalkono Gajeta-učilo" vessels.

The association takes part in many festivals and events abroad to promote Croatia's maritime heritage.

For instance, its members attended the European maritime festival in the Gulf of Morbihan, France, to promote the "Sandula" vessel. On this occasion, they also managed to establish cooperation with the French town of Rochefort-sur-Loire.

"Sandula" is a "work boat" which was used for everyday fishing activities and short voyages along the local coast.

"Loja" is a boat used in fishing for oily fish, or for communication between bigger vessels during fishing activities.

Cvitković has said that currently the association is trying to find partners for its project to build replicas of "Leut" and "Loja" vessels.

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Croatia's most remote lighthouse island is Palagruža. Looking like a secret paradise during summer and like something from an Alfred Hitchcock film in the winter, this far-flung and somewhat forbidding island is sometimes considered the ''last frontier'' in Croatia, it is extremely difficult to reach and definitely is not geared up for any type of tourism.

Surrounded by smaller, rocky outcrops made from dolomite, Palagruža is in the middle of the Adriatic sea, and consists of ''Vela'' (or Velika Palagruža) a larger island, and Mala Palagruža, a smaller one. Over 100 kilometres from the City of Split and 53 kilometres east of the Gargano peninsula over in Italy, this is certainly not a place to be when it gets stormy.

That being said, the lighthouse keeper on Palagruža, Vojislav Šain, captured some amazing footage of a twister above an angry sea from the island.

As Morski writes on the 3rd of October, 2019, after a series of interesting (and rather daunting) weather events that took place across Dalmatia this past Thursday, which included snowfall on the Dinara and Kamešnica mountains, hurricane storms in the northern part of Dalmatia and a steep cooldown, some really incredible footage arrived from the remote island of Palagruža, writes Dalmacija Danas.

This dangerous meteorological phenomenon was recorded by lighthousekeeper Vojislav Šain. The twister quickly found the ideal conditions in which to develop over the waves and approached the remote lighthouse island, keeping a distance of only a few dozen metres in total. However, it did not cross the island itself, so there was no risk of damage to the lighthouse.

Watch the video here:

YouTube/Dalmacija Danas

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

June 3, 2019 - Croatia's beaches are filling up for the summer season - play your part to keep them clean with BlueBag and win an eco-adventure holiday to amazing Palagruza.

As previously reported on TCN, among the many global initiatives to clean up our oceans and beaches is a rather nice Croatian initiative called BlueBag.

The concept of BlueBag is simple. Make a campaign to clean up the Adriatic, find local partners to support and offer distribution points, and encourage everyone who loves the sea - from sailors to sun-worshippers, to take 10-15 minutes from their enjoyment of Paradise, and give something back. Full up one blue bag with trash from the sea or beach, and dispose of it. Apart from improving things for those who come after you, you have the added karma of enjoying a deserted beach which was strewn with trash washed ashore before you arrived. 

BlueBag started on the island of Krk and is now expanding elsewhere, as is the sophistication of its collection bags with the launch of the new Eco Nautical Starter Box, sponsored by FINA. 

And this summer, this is one more added incentive to help out with the BlueBag initiative - a free eco-adventure holiday to magical and distant Palagruza, the furthest inhabited island on the Croatian coast (albeit only by the lighthouse keeper).

The Seashore of Our Posterity is rewarding you with an eco-adventure on Palagruža! 

1. Get a blue bag from our sponsors or use any other bag

2. Collect the debris the sea washed up on the shore

3. Document your accomplishment of cleaning the coast and publish it on this page or share through Instagram and/or Facebook with a tag #BlueBagEco. Encourage your friends to do the same.

Every month we will pick the most original submission. The lucky volunteers will be rewarded with an eco-adventure from 18th to 25th October 2019. We will sail to Palagruža, clean the beach, and spend 7 days visiting Lastovo, Hvar, Vis... Where the wind takes us.

The contest is open from May 1st to September 30th.

You can still collect debris when September ends. Whenever you do it, in the sound of the waves you can hear the sea, saying THANK YOU.

How to participate in the BlueBag initiative? Take 5 minutes of your holiday and gather debris that washed ashore on some hidden, less accessible beach. When you return to the port just leave the Blue Bag in a dumpster. You will help the sea. You will feel better.

The goal is for every sailor to collect a bag of garbage during the course of a season. If that can be accomplished, there would be no need for various missions and massive resources to keep the coastline clean.

Learn more about where BlueBag is available on the Croatia coast and how you can play your part on the official website.

Palagruža, the Republic of Croatia's most remote lighthouse, can feel like a world all on its own in all types of weather, a rocky paradise under the sun, surrounded by the sparkling Adriatic sea during the warm summer months, and quite the opposite when the seasons turn and the wind blows.

When then the fog and mist descend over Palagruža and the sky turns white, that feeling of total isolation is enough to invoke thoughts of Jack Nicholson's stunning performance all those years ago in Stanley Kubrick's take on Stephen King's book The Shining, a classic tale of an aspiring author slowly losing his mind to isolation.

Croatia's most forbidding area, a far-flung rocky island pushed far away from the mainland, Palagruža isn't really geared up for visits or tourism of any sort, which almost makes this idyllic yet somewhat haunting location more attractive to would-be visitors.

As Morski writes on the 9th of March, 2019, Tomislav Žuvela and his father, upon taking up care of the situation on Palagruža after Vojislav Šajn and Krešimir Tomašić went off on their well deserved break, captured the thick layer of fog which slowly surrounded the largest island of the distant Palagruža archipelago, Vela (or Velika) Palagruža, where a lighthouse was built. Tomislav briefly stated that fog sirens are no longer used there like they once were. Ship crews, in such cases, now rely solely on more reliable, more modern technology.

The fog which slowly engulfed Palagruža is as mysterious as it is beautiful, almost furthering the archipelago's distance from civilisation and creating a sense of isolation that many people simultaneously crave and fear...

Video by Morski HR

If you'd like to watch some drone footage of Palagruža when the skies are clear and the sun is shining, click here. If you've ever wondered what it's like to transport yourself from the heart of Sydney, Australia, and spend one month in this truly bizarre location, find out what it's like to date the lighthouse keeper!

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

The weather in Croatia is typically viewed as sunny, dry and calm, and even impossibly hot by most who visit in the summer months.

But just what happens when bura, jugo, and all other types of Adriatic winds decide to strike the coast? Conditions get suddenly worse, and a once calm, deep blue Adriatic sea becomes like something from the mid-Atlantic Ocean, sometimes even causing damage to the shoreline and to buildings. The sometimes dramatic turn of the weather in Croatia can therefore be a rather strange thing to witness for those who simply assume that because of the country's geographical position, that the warm summer climate is a constant one.

There are many types of winds in Croatia, all have their own sources, come from different directions, and typically occur at different times of year, and of course, we have articles dedicated to three of the main ones, click here, here, and here if you'd like to read more about them.

Palagruža is a location most people visiting the country have never heard of, it is Croatia's most remote lighthouse island, and when the wind blows and the sea becomes stormy, viewing Mother Nature's power from here is quite the experience indeed.

As Morski writes on the 30th of October, 2018, according to data taken from the State Meteorological Institute, at 20:00 last night, conditions on the sea worsened drastically and massive waves with a height of seven metres were recorded, meaning that the waves last night were the highest since back in 2004 according to that measuring station's records.

Palagruža's lighthouse keeper Vojislav Šain told Dalmacija Danas that Palagruža is completely cut off from the world, but that he doesn't particularly care about that because he has naturally become accustomed to living in such isolation on this extremely remote Croatian island.

He continued by saying that the waves were very high, but that it didn't actually rain much, and that storms from the Italian coast were moving ever closer.

Want to find out more about potentially dangerous conditions on the Adriatic and just what to watch out for when sailing in Croatia? Click here and follow Total Croatia Sailing.

Click here for the original article by Dalmacija Danas

A fantastic new appreciation one of Croatia's remotest and most forbidding spots - the island of Palagruza close up. 

July 10, 2018 - Continuing her look at a romantic month living on the remote island of Palagruza with the lighthouse keeper, this week Carmen muses on the fashion accessories of a sophisticated Sydney girl meeting the realities of harsh winter Croatian islet living. To read the first in the series, click here.

July 3, 2018 - Part two of Carmen Tomasic's experience of swapping life in sophisticated Sydney to a month with the lighthouse keeper on one of Croatia's most remote islands - Palagruza. The perfect place for a family Christmas... Read part one here.

June 28, 2018 - TCN is delighted to welcome Carmen Tomasic to the team. Half-Australian, half-Korculan, Carmen begins with a three-part tale on the winter realities of following her summer fling to his place of work and the promise of unlimited lobster - lighthouse keeping on the remote island of Palagruza.