Zadar Speedboat Tour: 3 Island Stops & Snorkeling Adventure

4.74

(145 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We hopped onto the speedboat at Zadar’s little harbor, sun already sharp even though it wasn’t noon yet. Our skipper, Marko — friendly but not too chatty — handed out cold bottles of water and grinned when he saw my clumsy attempt to tie the life jacket. The engine started up and suddenly we were flying over blue water, salty wind hitting my face in a way that made me laugh out loud (and swallow a bit of sea spray — not as tasty as I’d hoped). First stop was Pjescana Uvala, this quiet bay with sand so pale you could see every little fish darting below. I dunked my head under with the snorkeling mask and heard nothing but my own breath and the distant thrum of the boat. Kind of peaceful, actually.

The next island was tiny — only a handful of houses, some old stone walls, and a church that Marko said was from the 9th century. He told us about families who still live here year-round; I tried to imagine winter on such a small patch of land. We wandered along the shore for a while, picking up smooth pebbles and poking around some ruins from World War II. There was this moment where everything went quiet except for cicadas buzzing somewhere behind us — I didn’t expect to feel so calm out here.

Last stop was Preko on Ugljan Island. It’s busier in summer but today felt easygoing, just locals chatting outside cafés and kids splashing at the edge of the little sandy beach. Marko suggested we swim across to Galevac island if we felt brave (I didn’t), or just grab coffee with a sea view. I picked coffee — sitting there with wet hair, watching boats come and go, thinking how different life moves here compared to home. The speedboat tour back to Zadar felt slower somehow, maybe because none of us wanted it to end yet.