Sea kayaking in Croatia

Our summer vacations in Croatia typically consist of camping on one of the country’s beautiful islands, while doing as little as possible.

But I got a sea kayak last year, and this is a great area for it. Clear turquoise water, mostly calm seas, lots of little beaches everywhere. Just perfect. So, once I felt I’d gotten enough rest and wanted some action, I took the kayak for a little overnight trip.

I’m still gathering experience with this sort of thing. Wanting to travel as light as possible, I took just the basics:

• a light sleeping bag
• a hammock (the ground around here tends towards the spiky, and it’s hard to find a level patch
• bottled water for two days, six liters in total
• camping stove
• food: instant ramen, instant porridge, instant coffee, and a few muesli bars
• a shirt, plus a down jacket just in case

I had to wait a few days for the right combination of stable weather and the absence of social events. When the window came, I started in the afternoon, when the heat had let off a little. Paddled along the coast for three hours. I’m a fairly novice sea kayaker, but I’ve had my butt kicked by enough whitewater rivers to deeply respect the water. So I wore a PFD (life jacket), and stuck close to land for the most part. I should probably take a few trips with more experienced paddlers to learn their ways…

There were plenty of little pleasure boats out there, but they left me alone. At a few points along the way, when rounding a cape, the wind and wave situation changed. That sometimes felt stressful, even though I certainly wasn’t in danger of flipping. Still, it was a bit of a mental challenge. (I can roll a kayak fine, but I’d prefer not to test this in open water with a boat filled with luggage.)

I saw quite a few animals. Glistening swarms of sardines jumping. Various seagulls and other birds. A flying fish – something I’d never seen before. And, as the high point, dolphins!

One dolphin surfaced maybe 20 meters from my boat. I noticed it when it made a noise that frankly sounded a bit rude. It swam in parallel with me for a minute or two, surfacing periodically and breathing. Amazing! Later, I saw some more dolphins, jumping and playing. They were quite far away though, at least 500 meters.

Around 18:30, the wind picked up a bit, and I was on a more exposed part of the coastline. I still had a bit of a way to my intended night spot. But the wind and the waves were pushing me towards the shore, which was lined with rows of very pointy rocks. Also, I was getting tired.

So I decided to play it safe, and pulled into the first little bay that presented itself. It turned out to be a good choice! It was lonely, and behind the immediate beach, there was a little depression. So I landed, hid the boat in the depression, and looked for a place to discreetly string up my hammock.

Why the secrecy? Well, this is a touristy area, and the Croatians have wisely decided to ban wild camping. So I tried to avoid being seen, but a few boats did pass by that probably noticed me.

I made my dinner, and watched the sunset on the beach. It was a clear night, and the stars were beautiful! Eventually, I retired to my hammock.

The night was a bit shit. I was woken up around 2am by a motor boat that was passing very slowly, shining a questioning light in my direction. Either one of the boats from earlier had ratted me out, or it was a routine inspection. In either case, I felt a little paranoid. The boat left eventually, though — only to come back two hours later.

Hammocks aren’t great for sleeping in, and it was getting cold by now. Add the excitement of hiding from the rangers, and the whole affair wasn’t very restful. In the end, I put on my down jacket and crawled back into the sleeping bag for another couple of hours.

Around 7am I was debating whether to get up, or try to sleep some more, when my hammock made the decision for me, and simply ripped apart under me, lowering me gently to the ground. So I got up, had a little swim, and made breakfast.

Striking camp was a quick process. Of course, I made sure to take all my trash, and leave no trace behind. Then I got into my boat, and went back the way I had come.

The night took its toll, and I had to take a break every hour or so, seeing a few more lovely beaches. When I arrived home, I dropped into the family hammock, and enjoyed some well-deserved rest.