Croatia officially has one of the cleanest seas

Croatia is renowned for its clear, clean sea

Croatia has been ranked among the top five countries in Europe for water quality, according to the latest report by the European Environment Agency.

Whether you prefer the sea or freshwater lakes and rivers, chances are high that you will be swimming in excellent quality water anywhere in Croatia this summer.

The report shows that 95 percent of Croatia’s bathing waters are rated as excellent.

This places the country fifth in Europe, just behind Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece and Austria. At the bottom of the list are Estonia and Poland with around 60 percent of waters rated excellent, and Albania with only 16 percent.

Praise for Croatia’s water quality is not limited to official statistics. Visitors and locals alike continue to be impressed.

Currently, the majority of bathing waters in Croatia are of excellent quality. Around two percent are rated good, and less than one percent are satisfactory. No beaches are in the red zone.

Testing is conducted in laboratories by public health institutes. In Split-Dalmatia County alone, experts collect and analyse samples at 162 beach locations from mid May to mid September.

“It is up to the experts to conduct the research, but it is up to all of us to preserve our sea, which is one of our greatest treasures,” Tatjana Puljak from the Department of Health Ecology at the Public Health Institute of Split-Dalmatia County, told RTL.

Challenges Remain

While Croatia’s waters are mostly clean in terms of microbiology, marine biologist Petar Kružić warns that the sea is still under threat from other forms of pollution.

These include waste from ships, especially cruise liners, the effects of climate change such as higher temperatures and invasive species, and plastic pollution.

One of the biggest issues is untreated sewage. “In the past, sea blooms occurred mainly in early spring and summer, with perhaps one more peak in September or October. Today, we are noticing that the sea blooms almost daily from May to November,” Kružić explains.