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Maritime traffic regulations

Supervision of the implementation and safeguarding of law and order in ports and all other parts of the internal sea waters and the Croatian territorial sea is carried out by the authorized officials from the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructuree and the Harbour Master's Offices.

When entering and leaving port, at the posted sign for reduced speed, alongside the places where coastal and underwater works are being carried out, as well as at marked diving sites, ships, boats and yachts must navigate with the minimum speed in order to avoid raising waves through their navigation which could cause damage.

Sports and other activities may be carried out on waterways only with the approval of the Harbour Master's Office.

When navigating ships, yachts and boats must not approach the coast as follows:

• ships to a distance less than 300m
• yachts to a distance less than 150m
• motor boats and sailing boats to a distance less than 50m

Exceptionally, ships, boats and yachts may navigate at a lesser distance from the coast if sailing into a port, anchorage or to a mooring site alongside the coast, if the configuration of the waterway demands it, but they must reduce their speed to the level which ensures a quick and easy manouver of stopping and turning. Rowboats, sailboards and surfboards, canoes, kayaks, gondolas, beach canoes and paddle boats may navigate at a distance less than 50m from the coast.

In the area near beaches, yachts and boats must navigate at a distance greater than 50m from the enclosure of the appointed bathing area and 150m from the shore of a natural beach.

Speedboats, waterjet propelled boats (scooters, jet skis, hovercraft etc.) may skim only in areas where such activity is not banned, but not closer than 300m from the coast.

Speedboats and jet propelled boats (scooters, jet-skis, hovercraft, etc.) may pass close to the areas where skimming is not banned, but they must do it at the lowest possible speed.If skimming constitutes a commercial activity speedboats and the above listed jet propelled boats must use only the properly marked corridors.

A speedboat pulling a water skier, a parachutists or a person on an air cushion or similar - on the surface of the sea or above the surface - must, in addition to the legally defined lowest number of crew members, have one person supervising the skier, parachutist, the person on an air cushion or similar, and giving them instructions. Areas where skimming and water-skiing is banned are determined by the Harbour Master's Office.Without prior approval of the Harbour Master's Office, bathing, diving, skimming,windsurfing, waterskiing and waterskiing lessons are forbidden in ports.

Wind surfing is not allowed in the area of port entrances, in waterways where sailing routes for boats and ships are narrow, and within appointed beaches. Bathing and swimming outside the restricted sea areas of tended beaches is notpermitted.
Bathing and swimming at a distance greater than 100 m from the coast of anatural beach is not permitted. Without approval of the Harbour Master's Office, bathing and swimming is notpermitted in navigable seaways, narrow passages and channels.

Diving areas must be clearly marked by placing in the center of the diving area anorange or red buoy of at least 30 cm in diameter, or a tall prominent diving flaghoisted on the boat from which diving is performed. Areas where diving is forbidden are listed in a separate chapter of this brochure. It is strictly forbidden to send any kind of false signals and messages of distress, urgency or safety warnings, as well as giving false identification signals from ships, yachts and boats in any form and by any means (radio, visual or audio).

Sailing vessels that are not entered in the register (e.g. kayak, canoe, gondola, paddle boat, sailboards etc.) must not sail further than 500m from the mainland or island shore. A vessel up to 2,5m in length or less may at the same time carry two persons at the most. Non-compliance with the transport/traffic regulations is punishable by law.