Traveling With JaredHigh Culture & Pop Culture in Travel

Diving into Dubrovnik

The Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea

During my short time in Dubrovnik, Croatia, my family and I chartered a boat from a small harbor near the city, where we spent a day in the Adriatic Sea.  This body of water separates Italy from Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania.  While it may not look big compared to the Mediterranean, or even the Atlantic, it is quite a sight to behold.

"Don't swim too close to the rocks!"
“Don’t swim too close to the rocks!”

What I loved was how clear and blue the sea was when I went diving near Dubrovnik.  I can safely say that the Adriatic is one of my favorite diving spots in the world.  For starters, you can count on finding a lot of species of fish here.  Makes you wonder why this part of Europe is so well known for its fishing industry and seafood?  Two of my most interesting finds were sea urchins and a live octopus!  Of course, being the skittish fellow I am around sharp-pointy objects, I remembered to steer clear of those spiny balls!  I had learned, however, that when caught and properly cut open, the meat inside is prized by cooks for both its flavor and texture.

"Look at those suckers!"
“Look at those suckers!”
"Behold!  The terror of the deep!"
“Behold! The terror of the deep!”

The octopus, however, is a rather funny story.  Our boat captain managed to catch one, with his own bare hands!  The octopus wasn’t huge, but it looked like quite a catch.  It was slimy, lumpy, and you could feel those suction cup suckers against your skin.  Well, I didn’t hold it, but our boat captain did; he was quite the hero!

"Sailing away from Dubrovnik"
“Sailing away from Dubrovnik”

The reefs under the sea where I swam were most intricate; I found an arch-shaped reef, big enough for a person to swim under.  Feeling adventurous, I dove down.  However, I had to make sure I wasn’t going to get wedged under the arch, or run into any sharks.  There was, however, one thing in my way: a pair of spiny urchins just a few feet from the bottom of the reef arch.  Luckily, they were a good distance from where I’d be, so I took a deep breath, gently thrust myself under the arch, and managed to clear the entrance!  Whew!

The coolest part of my day on the Adriatic was when our boat captain made us lunch.  But our lunch didn’t come from the sea, but rather the land.  It was a scrumptious pasta with a meaty ragout.  It reminded me so much of my mom’s pasta with meat sauce; right down to the fresh Parmasean and chunks of white onions.  And I’m not making the onions thing up; when we boarded the boat, we could smell the pungent odor of onions being chopped in the ship’s galley.

 

1 comment