Seconds from Tragedy: Speedboat Zooms Past Diving Buoy
A concerned reader provided footage showing complete recklessness by the helmsman, while divers warn that some boaters are deliberately targeting their markers.
A concerned reader provided footage showing complete recklessness by the helmsman, while divers warn that some boaters are deliberately targeting their markers.
New alarming footage from the Šišan coast near Pula has reignited the pressing issue of diver and spearfisher safety in the Adriatic. The incident, recorded in early August 2026, shows a speedboat passing at an extremely close distance to a clearly marked diving buoy, while its helmsman is not looking in the direction of the danger at all.
The footage was provided to the Morski portal by a concerned reader who is a professional diver, appealing to the public and authorities to finally put an end to irresponsible behavior at sea.
The video clearly shows a spearfisherman with a properly placed and visible buoy, while the boat's operator looks in the opposite direction and fails to notice the diver entirely.
Please, look at this footage. On the right side, there is a spearfisherman with a properly placed buoy, while the helmsman looks left and does not see the diver at all. I am a professional scuba diver, and sometimes I also freedive, and situations like this have become terrifying.
A boat propeller striking a diver's body almost invariably results in severe, often fatal, consequences, making this kind of disregard for regulations a direct threat to life.
The Maritime Code precisely defines the obligations of boaters near locations where underwater activities are conducted. Boat and yacht operators must not navigate within a circle of at least 100 meters from a deployed diving buoy, and within that radius, planing, anchoring, or any maneuvers that could endanger people below the surface are strictly prohibited.
As soon as they spot a buoy, boaters are required to immediately reduce speed, intensify their scanning of the horizon, and bypass the marked area at a distance greater than the prescribed minimum. The diving area is marked with a red or orange buoy with a red flag bearing a white diagonal stripe, or a blue-and-white "Alfa" flag.
A well-known Croatian diving instructor and owner of the Foka Diving Center in Šimun on the island of Pag has also warned about the serious problem of irresponsible boaters. His message is direct and sharp.
Some boaters aim for the buoys with flags instead of going around them-don't come wave at us!
These warnings come in the midst of the summer season when the Adriatic is crowded with vessels and underwater activities are at their peak. Authorities are therefore once again urging all participants in maritime traffic to exercise maximum caution and strictly adhere to legal regulations to avoid unnecessary accidents.
