Thursday: This Deep See.

Kathy, Jane and I jumped into the glassy flat calm this morning before we moved the boat to check on our octopus friend. I found her and she seemed even more curious than last night. Another day and I know would have been pals. - HP

I didn’t realize how dramatic this coastline was here in Croatia. And the real drama is underwater, hidden to everyone except the few that get the right conditions and have the right skills (swimming) to see it.

Gaffney climbed to the top of our first cliff to jump to us. There were a few screams (from us) as he seemed to fall forever. Quite the splash, Ghops!

The cliffs facing the Adriatic Sea soar just as high below the water as they do above. Combined with super clear water, the scene is otherworldly. We swam along Mana Island this morning, endless blue beneath, a steep cliff with ruins atop. Note: the “ruins” are from the set of the 1959 film As The Sea Rages. They used traditional building materials and methods, so the passing of 64 years has eroded them nicely, and they look a lot like the real thing. Anyway, the real show here is the geology.

We swam in little caves and “swim throughs”, little tunnels and crevices that we traditionally love to swim in on SwimVacation. At one point I was swimming under a rock overhang 300 feet above me. I flipped onto my back and watched the swifts flying in and out of their lofty little caves. Sunlight and shadow played with the blue depths and all around me.  Everyone got back on the boat a tad giddy. 

Thank you Ante for getting some photos of us swimming beneath the cliffs from the boat! It really shows the scale of this island. - HP

Let’s pause a second from our day here to talk about our captain, Ante. We were referred to him by the manager of the charter company, Nicole of Mare Yachting, and she could not have found a better match. Ante is serious about his job, but also kind and patient. Gaffney and I have been performing deckhand duties this week, tasks which have the capacity to frustrate everyone, but Ante stays cool, calm, and collected as he gently explains to us how to assist him in picking up mooring balls and dropping anchor. Ante is an accomplished freediver, and enjoys meditation and yoga. His knowledge of these islands is thorough, and he figured out rather quickly the kinds of places we like to swim. Ante’s English is superb, and he takes delight in learning our quirky little colloquialisms like “elbow room”. 

The star of lunch was a creamy shrimp pasta, followed by ice cream with pumpkin seed oil, which put most of us in the right frame of mind for a nap. Thursday is the day that time seems to speed up, and our second swim was upon us before we knew it. Let’s take a look at where we are: 

Our yacht is the blue spot. You can see how extensive this island chain is off the coast of mainland Croatia. Italy is directly  across the Adriatic from us.

Our afternoon swim was a circumnavigation of three islets of varying size, but the most amazing thing about them was the drop offs - just a few meters deep on one side of each island, with a ledge that dropped to endless blue as we rounded the corner to the outsides. Very dramatic and a little disconcerting. I’m not afraid heights, but I wonder if someone who was would struggle a little here. As you look down, the brain considers you might be falling. A few deep breaths and the experience is exhilarating.

Chef Matea (who I will profile in a later blog) plated a delicious pasta carbonara for dinner, which we washed down with bottles of red and rosé wines. As I hit my bunk, I could hear several female guests and crew swimming around the yacht, quite possibly in the nude, under the stars. I fall asleep to their laughter and have nice dreams. 

Hopper