Legal frame Pravilnik o sigurnosti pomorske plovidbe NN 52/25 (in force 29 Mar 2025) arts 46, 48, 49 and 50, as amended by NN 40/26 (in force 25 Apr 2026).
Speed
Within 300 m of the coast, in narrow channels and on the approaches to harbours and anchorages, every vessel must proceed with special care at no more than 8 knots (art. 50(1)). Motor boats and jet skis may plane only more than 300 m off, and only where planing is not banned (art. 50(2)). Harbour masters can set stricter local limits; they are published on charts and the Ministry website.
Separately, every vessel must keep its wash low enough not to endanger or damage other craft, the shore or shore installations (art. 48(1)). Eight knots is a maximum, not a target, in a crowded bay.
CAUTION — Old numbers in circulation An undated police leaflet still shows 5 kn within 150 m and 8 kn from 150 to 300 m. That was the old regulation. The current text is 8 kn within 300 m, although parks such as Mljet keep their own 5 kn within 150 m (Lesson 3.3).
Distance off the coast
Vessels may not approach the coast closer than (art. 49(1)):
| Length | Minimum distance |
|---|---|
| Under 15 m | 50 m |
| 15 m to under 30 m | 150 m |
| 30 m and over | 300 m |
You may go closer only to enter or leave port, to anchor or moor, or where the channel requires it — and then at a speed that lets you turn and stop quickly (art. 49(2)).
Buoyed beaches
A uređeno kupalište (buoyed bathing area) is a developed beach whose seaward side is marked by a line of buoys. Distances are measured from that line (art. 49(3), replaced by NN 40/26):
| Length | Minimum distance from the buoy line |
|---|---|
| Under 15 m | 50 m |
| 15 m to under 30 m (and seaplanes) | 100 m |
| 30 m and over | 300 m |
Never enter the buoyed area in a motor boat. Pedalos and paddle boards are the only craft allowed inside (art. 49(5)).
Divers and other traffic
- Keep 50 m from a diver's marker — a red or orange buoy or the diving flag — unless you are the diver's own boat (art. 49(12)).
- Within 1 nm of a harbour entrance, craft of 20 m or less keep out of the way of larger vessels, and those entering must not hinder those leaving (art. 46).
- Do not tie up to navigation marks or buoys not meant for mooring (art. 49(13)).
Worked example
You are in a 6 m RIB, 200 m off a headland, heading for a cove 2 nm away. Until you are 300 m off you are limited to 8 kn and may not plane. Once outside 300 m you may plane, keeping a lookout for divers' buoys. Approaching the cove, you come off the plane before the 300 m line and stay at least 50 m from the beach buoys.
TIP — Judge 300 m 300 m is about three football pitches, or roughly 60 lengths of a 5 m boat. If the swimmers' heads are clearly visible, you are almost certainly inside it.
The collision rules themselves are the same as everywhere; see the COLREGs trainer.