Poreč: Snorkeling & Cliff Jumping Tour with Rovinj Panorama｜Croatia

Some boat trips show you the coast. This one puts you in it.

Four hours out of Poreč on a private speedboat carrying a maximum of 8 guests, built around the two things most Istrian excursions leave out: real time in the water, and somewhere to jump from.

We head south first to the Lim Fjord, an eleven-kilometre inlet of still green water walled in by limestone and protected since 1964. The stop inside is the Pirate Cave, the largest of the caves along the bay and one that can only be approached by boat. Local legend hands it to Henry Morgan; you can go ashore, climb to the mouth and see the whole canal laid out below you.

Out of the fjord we carry on to Rovinj. The Old Town was an island until the 18th century and still looks like one from the water — a solid front of ochre and pink houses standing straight out of the sea beneath the bell tower of St. Euphemia. We take a slow loop past the waterfront, then head for the islands scattered in front of the town.

This is where the tour earns its name. Your skipper chooses two snorkelling spots according to the sea that day, one of them at an island off Rovinj, where the bottom falls away from sand to rock and the visibility is at its best. Masks, snorkels and fins are on board for everyone.

Every trip includes a cliff jumping stop. Your skipper picks the spot to suit the day's sea, goes in first and marks the entry point. From there it is your call — some guests go off the rocks, others watch from the deck and get in from the ladder, and the afternoon works either way.

Cold soft drinks are available throughout, and there is a freshwater shower on deck for the run home.

Two departures. The 09:00 gives you the flattest water and the strongest light for seeing the bottom. The 17:00 puts you out at sea for the last hours of the day, with the coastline turning gold behind you.