Kayak and SUP, windsurfing, diving and boat rental
Vela plaža beach stretching 1,800 meters, Prvić island a kilometer away across Senjska vrata, and Bura wind entering the bay from the east-northeast. Four different ways to get out on the water, each with its own conditions and range.
Bašćanska draga leži zapadno od Senjskih vrata, između rtova Škuljica i Rebica. S jugozapadne strane zatvara ju masiv Obzove, čiji je prirodni nastavak nenaseljeni otok Prvić južno od Baške, a Vela plaža duga 1.800 metara cijelom je dužinom otvorena jugu.
Za planiranje dana to znači dvije stvari. Jutro je najčešće najmirniji dio dana i najbolje je za veslanje, a bura je najjača od sumraka do zore i najslabija između 12 i 15 sati, što je u Baški poznato kao „bura ide na ručak“. Kad zapuše, uvjeti se mijenjaju u satu.
Independent, no license required
Kayak and SUP — access to coves without road access
Most of Baška's coastline isn't a series of beaches but a series of small coves reached on foot from land or not at all. Kayak and SUP solve exactly that: two hours of paddling is enough to leave the bay and enter a cove where there's no one.
East of Vela plaža stretches a whole series like that — Storišće, Vrženica, Bunculuka, then further Vela luka and Mala luka. According to the official beach list, these are all short beaches from 50 to 500 meters, with published coordinates and no serious infrastructure. To the west the beach ends at Zarok, above which rises Bag peak, at 185 meters the southernmost point of Krk island.
Conditions are key. Paddle in the morning while the sea is calm and before the afternoon wind develops, and don't leave the bay if Bura is in the forecast. Beyond the headlands there's no lee and the wind carries you away from shore, not toward it.
Rental isn't in one place. Kayaks and SUP boards are rented along Vela plaža, in the harbor by the sailing club hangar and on Bunculuka camp beach. Offerings and prices differ from stand to stand, so it pays to ask at two or three spots.
- 1.800 m Vele plaže
- Bez dozvole i bez ispita
- Najbolje rano ujutro
- Najam na više lokacija
Spot for experienced riders
Windsurfing — a spot that lives on Bura
Baška isn't a spot for easy afternoon sailing. The wind that carries here comes from Velebit through Senjska vrata, and the direction it comes from determines whether the day will be excellent or unusable.
For Baška bay the best direction is east-northeast. Then the wind enters freely, slightly toward shore from the left side, with chop up to about a meter. At east-southeast waves grow to head height, and pure northeast is the worst scenario: the hill above town breaks it and the wind becomes extremely gusty. Water entry works best in the middle of the bay and further south, by the camp and hotels on that part of the coast.
Wind strength comes from the Bura pattern. For neighboring Senj measurements show Bura in about 36 percent of all hours in the year, with average speed 11.3 m/s, daily maximum from dusk to dawn and minimum around noon. In strong Bura pages about Croatian spots list 27 to 30 knots and waves up to a meter and a half, with shorebreak on the beach. That's terrain for shortboard and for sailors who know what they're doing.
Summer is another story. Bura in summer comes in phases of one to three days, and between them remains weak western thermal from 5 to 10 knots, which is enough for slow riding and for learning, but not for planing. When sirocco blows, the bay is exposed and it's better to cross to the other side, to Stara Baška.
Bring your own gear. There's currently no active surf center in town, and the spot for boards is by the sailing club hangar. For Baška there's no published wind statistics, so the forecast is read through surrounding stations — the nearest reference is Senj.
- ENE — najbolji smjer
- 27—30 čvorova u jakoj buri
- Valovi do 1,5 m
- Ljeti 5—10 čvorova termike
Guided dives and courses
Diving — Prvić is right at your doorstep
The advantage of Baška for divers is distance. The uninhabited island of Prvić lies south of town, across Senjska vrata about a kilometer wide, and most sites around it are accessible by boat in 15 to 30 minutes. You don't spend half the day on transport.
The seabed isn't sandy bottom but steep walls, caves and canyons. On the south side of Prvić dives descend along deep walls, on the north side there are azure gorgonians, on the east corals and sponges in multiple colors, and one of the sites is a tunnel about thirty meters long with entrance at nineteen meters depth. Along the coast you can also dive from land, at depths from three to about thirty meters, where octopuses, eels and seahorses are most commonly seen.
For wrecks there's a clear target: Peltastis, a seventy-meter Greek cargo ship that sank in a storm in 1968 and lies at a depth of seventeen to thirty-three meters. Beside it is also a small sports boat at the Bracol dive site.
Organizationally, a shore dive lasts about two and a half hours, and a half-day boat tour about five and a half hours, with a minimum of four divers. Night dives and wreck dives are also offered, which are charged separately from packages. In Baška there's one dive center.
Squatina Diving
Dive center- Address
- Zarok 88a, 51523 Baška
- Phone
- +385 51 856 034 · +385 99 336 2223
- Opening hours
- Mon–Fri 8 AM–8 PM, Sat 9 AM–7 PM, Sun 9 AM–9 PM
- Programs
- Courses according to CMAS, i.a.c., IDDA and PADI standards
- 50 ronilačkih mjesta oko Prvića
- 15—30 min brodom
- Olupina Peltastis, 17—33 m
- Tunel dužine 30 m
All day, flexible schedule
Boat rental — range that changes the day
Everything described so far is tied to Baška bay. With a small motorboat, the range expands to the entire southeastern Kvarner: Prvić, Sveti Grgur, Goli otok and the northern coast of Rab become a day trip, not a planned journey.
The practical difference isn't just in kilometers. There are coves with a restaurant that realistically have no land road and can only be reached from the sea. Three such points are marked on the map below: Mala luka east of Baška, Bracol cove on the southwest coast of Krk toward Stara Baška and a restaurant on Sveti Grgur island. Having lunch at such a place is reason enough for rental by itself.
Independent operation requires a license. For any motorboat the person at the helm must have a boat operator competency certificate, and the rental company is obliged to verify it before handing over the vessel. For sailing without a license the fine goes to both guest and rental company.
You don't have a license — a day on the sea isn't closed to you. The boat in that case is taken with a skipper, which is both legal and more practical than it sounds: a local skipper knows where to dock, how to read Bura and which cove is sheltered that morning, and you're a guest on the vessel all day, not a driver. Regula skipera offers and explicitly requires it for all guests without a license, so the outing can be arranged without a single nautical document in the group.
If you have a license, check the category. For a boat up to seven meters and up to 15 kW category A is sufficient. Anything more powerful than that, including speedboats from Baška's offering with a hundred or more horsepower, requires category B and at least 18 years of age. Recognized foreign licenses are valid the same as Croatian.
Plan fuel and return time. Check the forecast the morning before departure and return before Bura blows, because the return against the wind through Senjska vrata becomes additionally difficult.
Regula rent a boat
Boat rental, Baška harbor- Contact
- +385 98 930 54 15 · [email protected]
- Skipper
- Available on request, required for guests without a boat operator's license
- Boat rental departure point
- Coves with dining facilities, accessible by sea
Cove and departure point coordinates have been verified on Google Maps. Only locations relevant for boating are shown — other activities on this page take place within Baška bay.
Before going out on the water
Wind above all
Baška doesn't have its own weather station; the nearest reference is Senj. Bura is strongest from dusk to dawn, weakest between noon and 3 PM, and in summer comes in phases of one to three days.
Help at sea
Number 195 connects to the National Search and Rescue Center at sea. Calls to 112 are forwarded to the center. Keep VHF on channel 16 on your vessel.
Boat license
To independently operate a motorboat, you need a boat operator's license: category A up to seven meters and 15 kW, category B for more powerful vessels, from age 18. Without a license, the boat is taken with a skipper, which the rental operator in Baška offers.
Children and the beach
According to the official maritime domain management plan, two inflatable aqua parks are set up on Vela plaža, in the eastern and western parts of the beach, along with a separate land-based entertainment center with slides.