Podgora (Croatia)

Located on the coastline of central-southern Croatia on the Makarska Riviera in Split-Dalmatia County, Podgora is a small town which used to be a fishing village. Nowadays it has a population of around 2.000. During the summer season (July to August) three times as many tourists can find a bed in Podgora, either in one of the hotels, in an apartment or on a camping site.

Podgora has a small cosy harbour with nice restaurants and cafes and three or four tourist boats which frequently offer trips to the surrounding islands Hvar, Brač, or Korčula. A narrow promenade with lots of cafes, bars, restaurants and shops spans the town.

More about Podgora

How to get there

The easiest way will be by plane to Split (SPU) and from there by taxi or bus which costs around EUR 140,- (taxi) or EUR 10-15,- (bus). To Podgora, it is around 90km and takes about 1,5h, depending on the traffic. The trip takes you along the magistrale with a gorgeous view at the Adriatic Sea, mountains and plenty of small villages, beaches and harbours. Try to sit on the right side of the vehicle. If you take the highway, it is probably a bit faster but you will have to pay a toll which should be included in the fare.

Diving: Birgmaier Sub

Location: Branimirova Obala 107, Podgora 21327, Croatia

Birgmaier Sub (TA) is the place to go if you want to go snorkeling, do a discovery dive, maybe sign up for a CMAS course or, as an already certified diver, go on a diving trip either by boat or from the shore. The owner and instructor Oleg Birgmaier has tens of years of experience and he will ensure that you have a pleasant and safe dive.

House reef

The diving center is located at the promenade right next to Restoran Konoba Borak and Hotel Primordia.

You can either get in your suit at the diving center or carry everything across the promenade to the beach and get ready there. Distance to the water is about 20m.

The discovery or refreshment dives take place in shallow water until a depth between 6 to 8m. Max. depth for discovery dives is 10m.

Uzorita beach (Mediteran)

Another diving spot, the Uzorita beach, is situated in front of the former Hotel Mediteran, now belonging to the Medora Auri hotel complex.

Two routes are common: Less experienced divers, or new divers doing the CMAS one-star course, stay on top of the reef in about 15m depth. More experienced divers can go deeper, usually until a depth of about 20m. My first deep dive (31,4m) took place there, as a part of the CMAS two-star course. If you are lucky, you can see a scorpionfish (scorpaenidae) - Be careful at the reef and wear gloves as you could accidentally touch a scorpionfish which has venomous fin spines causing painful wounds. These fish almost look like rocks (they are also called stonefish or rockfish).

Korito (below Camp Sutikla)

This location is close to Uzorita below the cemetery and Camp Sutikla, right next to an abandoned Pizza and ice cream (Sladoled) place. Regular diving depth is 17-20m.

Until 2016 the site used to have a quite nice reef, but in 2017 we discovered that major parts of it got destroyed by massive rocks that got dumped there. It made us want to cry.

By boat

Garma

A diving trip by boat to a very nice lagoon in the north-west end of Podgora featuring a reef and a small wreck. Diving depth is between 12-35m.

The diving buddies will use a hand truck to bring the equipment along the promenade to a pier, around 500m distance to the diving center. From there it takes about 15 minutes by boat to get to the spot. Garma is also a nice place for snorkeling.

See also:

Žuć Kamen (Yellow stone)

This yellow stone is located between Čaklje and Drašnice and a nice place for snorkeling and diving. The usual depth is between 9-15m, the water is ocassionally quite cold.

See also:

Kamena, Tučepi

A diving site for every level of experience, located between Podgora and the south-west end of Tučepi.

I only went there once so far, my depth was around 21m. It was a bit challenging as we went in a group of six, the visibility was quite bad that day and there was some minor current. Overall it was a very nice dive.

Food & Drinks

There are plenty of family-owned restaurants and Konobas in Podgora. All waiters speak English, older ones even German or some additional slavik languages. The food ranges from typical touristic food (pasta, pizza, "Wiener Schnitzel") to very nice meat and fish. Almost all restaurants are full in the evenings during the season, hence I recommend booking a table, which can be combined with a stroll along the promenade during lunchtime.

Some recommendations

Roko

Very nice fish and meat dishes. Romantic tables on the pier, right next to the sea. The staff is very professional and friendly. // TA

Website: www.roko.hr

Restauran More

Various dishes, from pasta over pizza to meat and fish - and a lot of it on each plate! // TA

2 Monkeys

This restaurant is owned by a German and a partner who created an interesting and delicious menu. You will e.g. find huge white burgers, or car-wheel-sized white pizza with blueberries, crème fraîche and smoked dalmatian ham, or fancy cucumber salad with water melon, blueberries and feta cheese. // TA

Konoba Klemić

Located in the port of Podgora. Very nice mostly domestic meals, with fish caught by local fishermen. Good wine. If a big fish is on display you can go and choose the part which you would like to have. // TA

Konoba Borak

Located right next to the diving center Birgmaier Sub, this restaurant is a nice place for a meal after diving. The staff is friendly and they offer various nice meals. // TA

Restaurant Primordia

Right next to Konoba Borak is this old restaurant which is part of the Hotel Primordia. They offer a salad bar which is included in every meal. Their food ranges from Wiener Schnitzel or Zagrebački Odrezak (Gordon bleu) to nice domestic fish.

Website: www.hotelprimordia.com // TA