Legal frame Pravilnik o sigurnosti pomorske plovidbe NN 52/25 arts 45 and 53, as amended by NN 40/26 art. 6 (in force 25 Apr 2026); park rules of NP Mljet and PP Lastovsko otočje for anchoring practice.
Most renters anchor for lunch and a swim. The rules on where you may do that are short and specific.
Where anchoring is banned
Art. 53(9) bans anchoring:
- where charts or official publications show no anchoring;
- where the harbour master has banned or restricted it (published on charts and the Ministry website);
- near cables, pipelines and outfalls, so that your swinging circle never lies over them;
- where your swinging circle comes within 50 m of a buoyed beach line;
- within 150 m of the shore of a natural beach (prirodno kupalište).
The swinging circle (lazni prostor) is a circle whose radius is the horizontal length of chain or rope paid out plus the boat's length (art. 45). A 6 m boat on 20 m of rope swings on a 26 m radius, so to keep that circle 50 m from a beach line the anchor must go down at least 76 m from it.
What is a natural beach?
A prirodno kupalište is a beach declared and marked as a natural sea beach in the local spatial plan (art. 45). In practice: an undeveloped beach, often without a buoy line. Ask the rental company which beaches near you have that status. Where in doubt, keep 150 m off any beach with people on it.
Mooring to the shore
Mooring with a line ashore and an anchor out is common in the coves. The rules:
- no mooring to the shore inside any bathing area, developed or natural, or where cables and outfalls come ashore (art. 53(10));
- no part of the vessel may be 70 m or more from the shore — measured to the point where the anchor chain or rope enters the water (art. 53(7) as amended by NN 40/26; it was 50 m until 25 April 2026);
- lines may not damage shore vegetation (art. 53(8)) — use rocks or rings, not pine trees;
- mooring lines and anchor chains must be marked and must not obstruct others (art. 53(6)).
WARNING — Cables and outfalls Bays near towns often have power cables and sewage outfalls on the bottom. They are charted. Anchoring over them is banned and can cost far more than the fine.
Seagrass
No national rule in the texts read bans anchoring on posidonia as such. The parks are clear about it, though. Mljet tells visitors to drop the anchor on lighter, sandy patches and to pay out at least 3 times the depth (4–6 times in depths up to 20 m). Lastovo has replaced anchoring with buoys in its main coves to protect the seagrass. Do the same everywhere: sand is lighter in colour, posidonia is dark.
Anchorage types you will meet
| Croatian term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| lučko sidrište | Harbour anchorage, charted |
| nautičko sidrište | Equipped anchorage (buoys) run under concession — pay the attendant |
| zaštićeno prirodno sidrište | Charted natural anchorage |
| nezaštićeno prirodno sidrište | Uncharted natural spot, fair weather only |
TIP — Before you leave the boat Check the swing with the wind shifting through 180°. Afternoon sea breezes on the Adriatic often turn boats round onto the beach line they were clear of at lunchtime.
For a fuller treatment of anchoring technique and seagrass, see Anchoring & Protected Areas in Greece; the method is the same.