SECRETS OF OPEN-SEA ISLANDS!

Open-sea islands are not a typical one-week tour where drinking coffee, sunbathing and doing nothing prevail. Open-sea islands are for those who like challenge, adventure and are ready to conquer not easily accessible areas. Visit to open-sea islands may be compared to conquering some high mountain peaks or entering into still unexplored caves.

Palagruža, Galijula, Sušac, Svetac, Brusnik and Jabuka are open-sea islands rarely visited by tourists because they are isolated and inaccessible. Jabuka and Brusnik are of volcanic origin and in their vicinity the compass needle .
Reaching these islands requires good preparation, organisation of food and water stocks, and provision of different types of fishing equipment. We must take special care of weather conditions, because any breeze along the coast may mean a storm in the open sea. As all these islands are fully exposed to the sea and winds, they provide poor possibility of docking and anchoring and therefore they must be left at the first sign of bad weather.
Thanks to excellent knowledge of these islands, rocks and shallow spots around them as well as weather conditions, our skippers will introduce you into a world of mystic beauty.

Since it is impossible to foresee the weather conditions that are essential for open-sea tours, no daily programmes will be made. Lastovo and Vis will be the starting points before setting out to the open-sea islands and our last preparations will be made there.

Distances between islands:
LASTOVO - SUŠAC = 13 NM
LASTOVO - PALAGRUŽA =32 NM
VIS - SUŠAC = 24 NM
VIS - PALAGRUŽA = 40 NM
VIS - BRUSNIK = 13 NM
VIS - SVETAC = 15 NM
VIS - JABUKA = 30 NM

The price will be formed depending on time period and type of boat from our fleet selected by our guests

Palagruža was named after the Greek word - Pelagosa meaning the open sea or open sea-island. This island is the furthest away from the Croatian part of the Adriatic coast. It consists of Vela Palagruža (Big Palagruža) and Mala Palagruža (Small Palagrruža), situated at the distance of 300 m from each other, and many rocks and shallow spots around them.
Vela (Big) is 1300 m long, 200 m wide and 91 m high. Steep and inaccessible cliffs of this giant open-sea island are awe-inspiring.
Many history tales are related to this island. Different armies strived for the ideal observation post, and fishermen from Komiža used to come to the island in their legendary boats called Falkuša. They rowed for 40 miles to win the best possible fishing position.
Today only two keepers live in the lighthouse built in 1875 at the top of the island.
On the island of Vela Palagruža there is also an archaeological site and the findings prove that Palagruža was the island of the Greek hero Diomed. The island is a nature reserve with plant and animal endemic species.
Galijula is a small island located at the furthest south, 3.2 NM south-east of Palagruža. The island looks like a far continuation of the impressive Palagruža. It is 80 m long, 40 m wide and 6 m high. Galijula is more a diving than a fishing location, but to get to the furthest south Croatian island is a special award for navigators.
Sušac is the closest neighbour of Palagruža and Galijula. It is situated at the distance of 24 NM from these islands. The lighthouse on Sušac is a stone two-floor building built in 1878 on a 100 metre high cliff at the south-east part of the island. The cliff goes down almost vertically into the sea that is so transparent that the visibility reaches the depth of up to 30 metres.
The lighthouse keeper and shepherd Goran are the only inhabitants on the island. Goran has a considerable herd of sheep that enjoy there a specific pasture. Goran will prepare for us the lamb under bell, a special dish that cannot be obtained under ordinary conditions! Just like Palagruža, Sušac also has its endemic plant and animal species.
Brusnik, although only 30 m high, can be seen from far because of its broken coast and volcanic rocks. This moon-like scenery surrounded by undersea rock fissures is a real paradise for spear fishing. Life conditions are very cruel on Brusnik so that only few endemic species can survive there such as the plant Centaurea (Cro: dubrovačka zečina) and the endemic reptile - black lizard. The etymology of the name Brusnik is derived from the verb "brusiti", which means to grind, because the sea virtually grinded it by ferocious waves and frequent winds, thus making it so inaccessible. On Brusnik there are remains of a salt water pool where fishermen from Komiža used to keep the caught lobsters. In the vicinity of the pool, there is a small cave, where they used to stay for a few days.
At the distance of 2 NM from Brusnik there is the island called Svetac (Sv. Andrija) - the forest richest open-sea island. It looks proud with its height of 316 m. At the south-east part of the island, there is one of the few coves with the houses of the family Zanki. This family has been living on this island for 250 years and it is the only owner of the island. In the 17th century, a little church was built there named after the island saint - Sv. Andrija. The island was inhabited in prehistory. Numerous remains from that time have been found in the island caves. The most interesting are the remains of late antique fortress Krajicino (the name derived from Kraljičino - Queen's) from the 6th century. As the legend says, the Illyrian queen Teuta used to stay there from time to time. She attacked merchant vessels by her fast ships and plundered them. Many believe that, as the legend says, Teuta's treasure is still somewhere on the island.
Some 15 NM from Svetac there is the island of Jabuka. It is actually a very large, steep, 97 m high cliff in the shape of a pyramid. Jabuka is the furthest west Croatian island and it is the second island of volcanic origin. It is rarely visited, the surrounding waters are rich in fish and due to the harsh climate, there are only two endemic species on the island: black lizard and the plant Centaurea (Cro.: dubrovačka zecina). Till some 50 years ago, the island was home to an endemic type of carnation, nowadays unfortunately extinct. At the time of rowing and sailing boats, only the bravest and most enduring fishermen set off to Jabuka driven by the need to feed their families with good fish and highly appreciated lobsters. This wonderful island is awe inspiring and breath taking when the weather is fine during summer, and in winter with strong winds and huge waves it really becomes a life-risking adventure.