We didn’t start Blue Cave Tours Dubrovnik in a boardroom. We started on a dock in Gruž harbour, with one boat, a cooler of drinks, and the conviction that visitors to our city deserved something better than a factory-line tour bus on water.
Captain Nick grew up on these waters. His grandfather fished off the Elaphiti Islands before tourism reached the Dalmatian coast. His father ran cargo between Dubrovnik and the outer islands. By the time Nick earned his maritime licence, the Blue Cave had already become one of Croatia’s most sought-after natural attractions — but the tours getting people there were rushed, overcrowded, and impersonal.
In 2016, Nick and his wife Paula decided to change that. They purchased their first RIB speedboat, registered the business with the Croatian Commercial Court, and ran their first tour with four guests and zero reviews. Word spread fast.
A decade later, those four guests have become thousands. We’ve completed over 1,500 visits to the Blue Cave on Koločep and guided guests through the hidden coves, sea arches, and turquoise bays of the Elaphiti archipelago that only local captains know how to reach.
The Croatian boat-tour market is lightly regulated, which means anyone can buy a boat and put up a website. We chose the opposite path — every licence and registration a Dalmatian operator can carry, we carry.
Registered as: Obrt Gari · Vinogradarska 10, 20236 Mokošica, Croatia · VAT number HR81751799060
| Credential | Number | Issued by |
|---|---|---|
| VAT number | HR81751799060 | Croatian Tax Administration |
| Vessel registration — primary RIB | 271547 DB | Croatian Port Authority, Gruž |
| Skipper licence — Captain Nick | Category B + C (commercial) | Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs |
| Skipper licence — Captain Avi | Category B + C (commercial), VHF radio operator | Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs |
| First-aid certification | Valid 2026–2028 | Croatian Red Cross (Hrvatski Crveni križ) |
| Passenger liability insurance | €1 million per vessel | Croatia osiguranje |
| Member of | Croatian Chamber of Economy — Tourism Branch | HGK, Dubrovnik regional office |
| Tourism-board registration | Dubrovnik Tourist Board partner | Turistička zajednica grada Dubrovnika |
We can send a digital copy of any certificate on request — drop us a message through the contact page and we will email them within the hour. Real operators don’t hide their paperwork; brokers do.
Every season sharpened our operation:
Dubrovnik gets millions of visitors a year. Most see the Old Town walls, eat on the Stradun, and leave. They never discover what makes the Adriatic coast extraordinary — the light inside the Blue Cave at 11 a.m., the empty beaches on the Elaphiti Islands, the way Lokrum Island feels like stepping into another century.
We built this business to fix that gap. Every tour we run is a chance to show someone the Dubrovnik we grew up in — not the postcard version, the real one.
That’s why we cap our group tours at 12 passengers. It’s why our captains know every passenger’s name before the boat leaves the harbour. And it’s why we still personally answer every booking inquiry.
Born in Dubrovnik. Maritime licence holder since 2010. Certified speedboat and yacht operator with advanced open-water navigation training. Nick has logged more hours in the Blue Cave than any other independent operator on this stretch of coast. When he’s not on the water, he’s maintaining the boats — he does his own engine work.
Former Croatian Coast Guard. Five years of search-and-rescue experience in the central Adriatic before joining us in 2019. Avi runs our afternoon tours and most of our private boat charters. Guests consistently mention him by name in reviews.
Co-founder. Paula handles bookings, guest communication, and logistics. She’s the reason your confirmation email arrives within the hour and your pick-up is on time. She also manages our partnerships with Dubrovnik hotels and travel agencies.
Every guest on our boats is covered:
Insurance policies are underwritten by a licensed Croatian insurer and renewed annually. Proof of insurance is available on request and carried aboard every vessel.
We hold every certification required by Croatian maritime authorities — and several that aren’t required but that we maintain anyway:
We conduct a pre-departure safety briefing on every tour, covering life jacket locations, man-overboard procedures, and emergency contacts. No exceptions.
We operate a fleet of three rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) — purpose-built for the Adriatic:
Our fleet is the reason we can offer everything from a full-day Blue Cave tour to a quick speed boat transfer to the islands near Dubrovnik.
We don’t curate our reviews — we earn them. After 10 years and thousands of guests, our reputation speaks through platforms like TripAdvisor, Google, and Viator. Here’s what people consistently highlight:
Have questions before you book? We respond personally — no chatbots, no call centres.
Ready to see the Adriatic the way locals do? Check our tour options or explore our boat rental services, and book your spot today.
We’ll see you at the harbour.
— Captain Nick, Paula, and the Blue Cave Tours Dubrovnik crew
