VIDEO: Blue Lake in Imotski completely dries up

Blue Lake, Imotski (Photo credit: Dreizung/CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Blue Lake (Modro jezero) in Imotski, one of Croatia’s most striking natural attractions, has dried up completely, revealing its rocky floor in a rare spectacle that has quickly captured public attention.

The lake sits in a dramatic karst sinkhole believed to have formed through the collapse of a massive underground cave.

The drop from the upper rim to the bottom is around 220 metres, while the lake’s water level typically fluctuates with the seasons. In spring, fed by melting mountain snow, the water can reach up to 90 metres in depth.

In 1914 it even exceeded 114 metres, briefly spilling over the southern rim.

This week, however, Radio Imotski shared footage on social media showing the lake completely dry, its blue surface replaced by an exposed, stone-covered basin.

When winters bring little snow and spring and summer pass with minimal rain, the sinkhole fails to refill enough to maintain the lake’s water level.

Recent research also suggests that the lake floor has become more porous over time. What once helped retain water is now riddled with openings that allow it to drain more easily. As a result, completely dry cycles have become noticeably more frequent over the past decade.

Blue Lake back in 2016 (Photo credit: revista.lebre/Instagram)

Whenever Blue Lake dries up, a local tradition comes to life. A football match is played on the exposed lake bed between two teams, the Vilenjaci (Elves) and the Vukodlaci (Werewolves).

The first match took place in 1943, and although it has only been held a handful of times since, it remains a beloved symbol of Imotski’s spirit and humour.

With the lake currently dry, visitors to Imotski have a brief window to walk down to its floor and witness this unusual natural phenomenon.

(Photo credit: revista.lebre/Instagram)

But time may be short, weather forecasts predict a change in conditions and significant rainfall in the coming days, which could soon refill the iconic Blue Lake.

Check out the video here