Is it safe to sail in Croatia?

Croatia is a very safe place to sail. For a start, it’s geographically protected – the sheer number of islands and islets means that a safe harbour is never far away. The climate is stable, so you’re unlikely to face harsh winds and rough waves in the high season. Many of the marinas are regulated by the ACI (Adriatic Croatia International Club), and the more secluded bays are considered safe for sailors to settle down in, too.

Is sailing in Croatia difficult?

Sailing in Croatia isn’t difficult at all – in fact, it’s considered one of the easiest places to sail, alongside destinations like Greece and the British Virgin Islands. The line-of-sight sailing is perfect for new sailors or families sailing with young kids, as it means you’re rarely on the water for more than an hour before reaching land again. There are a few tricky narrow passages, but as long as you keep a close eye on your charts and depth sounder, you’ll be fine.

Is it better to sail Croatia with a skipper?

It’s amazing to experience sailing in Croatia with a dedicated skipper! Having another skipper on board gives you more freedom – you can be as hands-on as you want, with the understanding that, when you want more free time, you can take it. You can also take advantage of their local expertise to find the best anchorages, hidden gems, snorkelling holes and restaurants.

Is snorkelling in Lefkada good for beginners?

Snorkelling in Lefkada is well-suited to beginners, especially along the east and south coasts, where the water is calm, and entry points are easy. Sheltered bays such as Sivota Bay, Poros Bay, and Ammoussa Beach offer clear visibility and gentle conditions that allow first-time snorkelers to feel comfortable in the water.

Where is the best snorkelling in Lefkada?

The best snorkelling in Lefkada is often found at Agiofili Beach near Vasiliki. Its rocky seabed, clear water, and steep surrounding cliffs create ideal conditions for spotting fish close to shore. Other popular snorkelling Lefkada beaches include Ammoussa Beach, Afteli Beach, and Mylos Beach on calm days.

Is scuba diving in Lefkada suitable for beginners?

Scuba diving in Lefkada can be suitable for beginners, but it depends on the dive site and conditions. While some areas offer gentler dives, many of Lefkada’s most famous dive locations feature walls, depth, and underwater formations that are better suited to experienced divers. Local dive centres can advise on beginner-friendly options.

Do you need to book Lefkada diving trips in advance?

Booking scuba diving in Lefkada, Greece, in advance is recommended, particularly during the peak summer months. Dive centres can fill up quickly, and pre-booking helps ensure availability at specific dive sites and allows operators to match dives to your experience level.

Can snorkelling and diving be combined with a sailing holiday in Lefkada?

Snorkelling and diving can easily be combined with a sailing holiday in Lefkada. Many Lefkada sailing itineraries include calm anchorages that are ideal for snorkelling, while scuba diving trips are typically arranged with local operators who depart from the island or nearby ports.

HISTORY HIT – ODYSSEY FILMING BLOG

Bill Locke – Executive Producer

09 July 2026 6 min

SATURDAY APRIL 18TH

The History Hit team arrives at the harbour in Lefkas bright and early, ready to meet Sunsail’s Claire and the local team. Our goal is to make a fascinating series exploring the fact and fiction of the Odyssey – but to make that a reality we need a top team to help us with the crucial sailing element of the story.

Everyone seems super relaxed as we meet our two skippers, Tom and Sitha, for our briefing. Ahead lies an exciting and very packed itinerary as we try to cram Odysseus’s 10 year voyage into just 4 days sailing around the Ionian islands. We’re making a 90 minute Odyssey special for Channel 5 and also a two-part deep dive for our own History Hit channel – plus podcasts and a host of social media. There’s a lot to do as we’ll try to capture everything from a sorceress’s island to Calypso’s cave, and are hoping for a combination of calm conditions and occasional stronger winds to reflect the twists and turns of Homer’s Odyssey…

The team divides into two – Giles our assistant producer has the expansive luxury of the catamaran Second Wind, skippered by Sitha, whilst our presenter Dan Snow, director Mark Edger, me and skipper Tom are in the cosier setting of the mono hull Melikertis (Tom confirms that no-one knows what that name means). The plan is that Melikertis stands in on camera for the ship of Odysseus, and Second Wind is the stable filming platform when we shoot boat-to-boat and also provides extra space to spread out our equipment. Claire has planned everything to perfection – the boat combination works very smoothly from the start.

The whole trip is a dream come true for Dan – he’s sailed all his life and has wanted to cover the Odyssey for years. However, he has un-characteristically overpacked, bringing lots of warm clothes as he has mistakenly been looking at the chilly forecast for the American town of Ithaca in upstate New York!

As we leave the marina it’s soon clear that Tom is the perfect skipper for this job – calm at all times and a great talker, full of local knowledge. Departing Lefkas canal he’s happy to let Dan take the wheel as we get set for the open sea.

As is so often the case with filming, we’re shooting events out of order – Claire’s wise advice was to head all the way south first, reaching Odysseus’s home island, Ithaca on day one, and then work our way back through all the coves, caves and beaches that help explore the story.

The wind starts getting up in the afternoon and we are soon getting up to around 9 knots as we cleave our way through the ‘wine dark seas’ – Tom explains about the catabatic effect of the mountains, causing stronger winds later in the afternoon. It’s just right for us as we need to show how exciting sailing can be and also get a small sense of the challenges that Odysseus faced.

Blown by a fair breeze we reach the lovely harbour of Kioni in north west Ithaca in good time – a well earned glass of ‘Odyssey – red ale’ awaits in a local bar, followed by a delicious harbour side meal. This filming trip seems like a very good idea.

SUNDAY APRIL 19TH

A day filming ashore on Ithaca. We get a taxi up to the “Palace of Odysseus’ (also known as the School of Homer), a collection of fine buildings from the Late Bronze Age, the era of the Odyssey and Trojan War. Whether this really was the palace of Odysseus is much debated – in fact the arguments have gone on forever about whether modern day Ithaca was actually Odysseus’s home island of the same name or whether it all happened on Cephalonia or somewhere else entirely – or no such palace ever existed! It’s all part of the delight of exploring the Odyssey, an ancient myth full of fantasy, half truths and a few tantalising facts – sorting the fiction from the reality is a big editorial challenge, but very enjoyable.

In the afternoon we venture into a fabulous cave, which is standing in for the home of the cyclops. Meanwhile Tom and Sitha sail both of the yachts around to Vathy where we meet up with them. Vathy is a larger place than Kioni, a good berth for us to continue our adventure – and full of good places to eat. We are early in the season here, so there are plenty of options and everyone seems very pleased to see some of the first arrivals of the summer.

MONDAY APRIL 20TH

A busy day ahead as we film various boating details. Both yachts head south to a narrow channel between Ithaca and tiny island of Ligia. Here we spend a long time showing how Odysseus would have moored from rocks on the shore – no smart harbours for our heroes 3000 years ago! Dan dives in to take a line ashore, somehow I volunteer to jump in with him and shoot the swimming sequence on a waterproof GoPro camera. It’s a really fun morning as we get out some of the toys too – edging along the rocky edge of Ligia in the blow up canoe, but being careful not to moor up there as there are reports of rats ashore and we don’t want any of them trying to stow away on our yachts.

The afternoon we sail north as we want to recreate Odysseus’s first arrival on Ithaca. We’ve identified a nice quiet cove near Kourvoulia. Dan rows ashore and sets a kedge anchor to hold us firm. Tom is an ace at mooring up nice and snugly so we get a good night’s sleep.

Tonight we cook on board the catamaran using supplies we picked up in Lefkas – my culinary skills don’t extend far beyond pasta with tomato sauce, but the hungry team seem happy enough after a long and very enjoyable day.

TUESDAY APRIL 21ST

Lots to do today. After an early start at our lovely isolated mooring, filming Homer’s ‘rosie fingered dawn’, we sail to Atokos, a small island that is famous for its beaches and population of wild pigs. Mark’s plan is that this will be the perfect way to illustrate the story of the sorceress Circe turning Odysseus’s crew into swine, but everyone has warned us that the pigs can be aggressive, so we approach with caution, mooring in the bay and rowing ashore. Tom and Sitha stay on board the yachts…

Of course, no pigs are anywhere to be seen. We wander about as the day starts to heat up, Mark and Dan start to plan a slightly disappointing sequence where Dan explains there are usually pigs here, but not today… But then, right on cue, two adults and a crowd of piglets come scampering down the beach and start cooling off in the surf. Dan launches into a perfect piece to camera and we have all the cameras running to capture the scene. Thankfully the pigs don’t gore us to death (I can’t guarantee this will be the case if you visit) and it makes for a great scene. The gods were smiling on us after all.

We sail in good winds to Sivota, at the southern tip of Lefkas. We’ve booked a lovely harbourside restaurant to shoot a delicious sequence where Dan describes how Odysseus’s crew angered the sun god by eating his cattle. It’s the perfect excuse to enjoy a fabulous beef stew as the sun goes down with our two boats moored alongside on the restaurant’s own pontoon.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 22ND

A busy final day of sailing lies in store – lots of storylines to fit in before we finish. We sail straight to Meganisi where the huge Papanikolis cave is standing in as the home of Calypso. Tom reckons the weather is perfectly calm so we won’t be bashed by any big waves. It’s an amazing spot that should be on any itinerary if the weather is right. Then the cliffs of Meganisi provide the background for the story of the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis.

One final story to fit in – the Sirens who lured sailors to their deaths. Tom puts cotton wool in his ears so he can’t hear their fatal call and lashes Dan to the mast.

A final bit of drone filming and then we sail north to Sunsail’s home base at Lefkas. It has been an amazing few days of sailing – fun, exhilarating and beautiful, often all at the same time. Great company, great sailing, great filming, all in the wake of the greatest voyage ever told!

You can see this trip for yourselves on History Hit – our in depth two-part Odyssey series is available to subscribers all over the world from July 16th. The shorter version can also be seen in the UK on Channel 5 on July 16th and subsequently on their catch up service – this version is also available on SBS in Australia.

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