engleski

Legal aspects and issues of scientific diving in Croatia

The Republic of Croatia was one of the founders of the diving organisation CMAS – a unique world diving association which has scientific diving in its program (Scientific commission). The Croatian Diving Association, as a member of CMAS, also has a scientific commission. In the Maritime Legal Code of the Republic of Croatia, in 2004, it was stated that the Diving Legal Code will be de-clared soon. However, this has still not happened. There are around forty scientists in the RC who use diving in their research (biologists, archaeologists, chemists, ecologists, geologists, geographers). They are mostly well experienced divers, only a few have less than 5 years of diving experience. The majority of them are 2 star divers. Their health check is performed by departments of occupational medicine or family practitioners with subspecialisation in hyperbaric medicine, and a minority of them dive even without a health check. Only a few possess diving insurance and accelerated work service. Although the diving of scientists in the RC is usually accompanied by formal documents (permission for research issued by a competent ministry and a travel order from the institution of employment), such activities in Croatia are still in the grey zone. Some scientists even do not have these formal documents so their diving/research is completely illegal. The situation is similar in most Mediterranean countries. In the Republic of Croatia, as in many other countries, at the moment there are no unidirectional legal rules which cover this important and complicated activity.

marine biology; scientific research; Adriatic Sea

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