Last updated: 2026-06-03
- Seven skipper-tested swim stops within an hour of Gruž, from Betina cave to Sveti Andrija.
- Each entry lists depth, shelter and which wind ruins it.
- Morning maestral-free water is calmest; south wind (jugo) closes the exposed spots.
- We anchor on sand, never on posidonia seagrass — it takes decades to regrow.
Every skipper on our crew has a private shortlist of swim stops, and after twelve seasons the lists overlap on the same seven names. None of them is reachable by tour bus. Most are awkward or impossible on foot. All of them are ordinary stops on a half-day or full-day charter, which is rather the point of having a boat. Here they are, with the practical notes we actually use: how deep, how sheltered, and which wind sends us elsewhere.
Which seven coves make the list?
1. Betina cave
A pocket of pebble beach inside a sea cave under the cliffs east of the Old Town, below Sveti Jakov. There is no path down; you arrive by water or not at all. The cave mouth faces southwest, the water inside is 3–4 m deep over pale stones, and in morning light the whole chamber glows. Fine in the northwest maestral, untenable in a southerly.
2. Šunj bay, Lopud
The rarest thing on this coast: real sand. Šunj is a wide, southeast-facing bay on Lopud where you can wade 50 m out and still stand waist-deep — the best spot in the region for children and nervous swimmers. We anchor in 4–6 m on the sandy bottom. Sheltered from the maestral; exposed and weedy when the jugo has been blowing.
3. The Koločep blue cave area
The southern cliffs of Koločep hide a small blue cave and a string of deep, glassy inlets. The water runs 8–12 m deep right to the rock, visibility is often 20 m-plus, and confident swimmers can fin into the cave itself when the sea is flat. Calm-day territory only: any swell from south or west makes the cave mouth dangerous, and your skipper will not hesitate to say no.
4. Lopud’s west coves
Around the corner from Lopud town, the island’s western shore breaks into two or three quiet rocky coves with pine shade and nobody in them. Depths of 5–8 m over mixed sand and rock; good snorkelling along the edges. Sheltered from the afternoon maestral chop that ruffles the open channel — our usual escape hatch on breezy July afternoons.
5. Plat
Twenty minutes southeast towards Cavtat, Plat is a series of pebble coves below the coastal hills with strikingly clear, cool water — a small river spring keeps it fresh. We hold in 5–7 m off the beach. Best in the morning before the westerly sea breeze fills in; avoid it in a rising bura, which funnels down the slopes here.
6. The Lokrum lagoon
Off Lokrum’s western shore near Portoč, a shallow rock lagoon holds bath-warm, gin-clear water a ten-minute cruise from the city walls. Lokrum is a protected nature reserve, so we anchor outside the restricted zone in about 6 m and swim in; there is a small reserve fee if you also want to step ashore. Sheltered in most summer weather, but it is the busiest spot on this list after 11:00 — go early.
7. Sveti Andrija
The wild card. A lonely lighthouse islet in open water west of the Elaphiti, Sveti Andrija drops sheer into 20 m of the clearest blue we know — swimming here feels like flying. There is no shelter at all, so it is strictly a flat-calm, settled-forecast stop, usually folded into a full-day route. When conditions allow it, guests talk about it for years.
How do the seven compare?
| Spot | Depth at anchor | Shelter | Skip it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betina cave | 3–4 m | Good in maestral | Jugo (south wind) |
| Šunj, Lopud | 4–6 m | Good in maestral | After days of jugo |
| Koločep blue cave | 8–12 m | Poor | Any swell |
| Lopud west coves | 5–8 m | Very good | Strong bura |
| Plat | 5–7 m | Moderate | Bura, afternoon chop |
| Lokrum lagoon | ~6 m | Very good | Crowds after 11:00 |
| Sveti Andrija | 15–20 m | None | Anything but calm |
The two winds worth knowing: the maestral, a friendly northwest sea breeze that builds most summer afternoons, and the jugo, a warm, wet southerly that brings swell for days. Croatia’s weather service posts marine forecasts every morning at meteo.hr, and your skipper reads them before deciding the day’s order of stops.
How do we anchor responsibly?
We anchor on sand, full stop. The dark patches you see from the surface are meadows of Posidonia oceanica, a Mediterranean seagrass that shelters most of the fish you’ll snorkel over — and it grows about 1 cm a year, so one careless anchor drags out decades of growth. Our skippers pick the light-coloured sand patches, keep respectful distance from swimmers near cave mouths, never anchor inside the Lokrum reserve zone, and pack out every scrap of rubbish. The Dubrovnik Tourist Board promotes the same code, and it is why these coves are still worth writing about.
How do you get to them?
Three of the seven feature on the standard Elaphiti Islands day cruise; the rest slot into half-day and full-day routes depending on wind and your appetite. Tell us which of the seven tempts you most when you reserve at our booking page — the skipper will build the day around the forecast, and quietly add an eighth spot that didn’t make this list.
By Sarah Kovač, who has personally tested every entry above. Repeatedly. For research.