Level of difficulty 2 |  Gastronomy 2 |  Length 6 km |  Time 1.5 - 2 hours

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The Cervar Porat Bay is a comfortable paddling area with calm water and little boat traffic. A circumnavigation ideally leads past the two offshore reefs and promises lasting impressions.

General information

• Cervar Porat tourist information
• Istra tourist information
• Istra Card
• Cervar Porat Wikipedia
• Istria Wikipedia
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

The beaches along the bay are very popular, but not overcrowded. Nevertheless, there are enough bathers in the water, give them priority. The same applies to the occasional motor boats, yachts and small ships along the route.

Dangers and risks

Although Porat Beach is wide and flat, sea urchins can always appear between the pebbles. Around the reefs the bottom is rocky and sharp-edged, getting off barefoot is not recommended, so it is best to wear bathing shoes or not get off the board at all.

In addition to the risk of foot injuries, the health of the fins is also an issue as soon as you approach the reefs. It is best to keep a distance of about ten meters so as not to hit the fins hard!

The Porat beach is demarcated with ropes for swimmers. Swimmers and SUP paddlers are to be expected within the swimming area, but also on other sections of the bank. It is therefore best to only get up on the board outside of the swimming area. Less experienced paddlers could snag their fins on the ropes and fall into the water.

Even if the bay is quite comfortable to paddle, the swell and the wind increase a little, but noticeably, towards the reefs. Of course, this requires more effort and concentration, but should also be manageable for SUP beginners.

Likewise, towards the open sea one encounters a little more boats. Foresight is given!

Directions

From the central roundabout in Poreč, drive straight north along the D75 (signs Poreč sjever, Parenzo – nord), passing three roundabouts. After driving 5.3 km, turn left at the fourth roundabout towards Cervar Porat and follow the road for 830 m towards the next roundabout where you turn right. After another 430 m at the T-junction in front of the bus stop, turn left into Bršljan Street and follow it for about 450 m to the parking lot.

You can also take the bus, which is very quick and cheap, from the bus stop in Poreč to Cervar Porat. Those who like to travel with the SUP bag on their back and by bike can also rent a bike. The route is about 7 km long and quite flat, so it is managable even with SUP equipment.

Parking

There are free parking spaces, they are located on Bršljan Street in front of the tennis courts and directly above the beach. From here you can walk to the beach or to the harbor in two minutes.

Swimming

The Cervar Porat Bay is well developed on all banks and can be explored on foot. In the south you will find the popular Porat Beach and a nudist area on the stone shore towards the open sea. The northern shore also offers nudist zones, apart from the two harbors you can go into the water everywhere.

In midsummer, the average water temperature in the region rises to up to 25° C, with pleasant bathing conditions even well into autumn.

In addition, the Aquacolors Aquapark is nearby (near Poreč). From June to September you can fully enjoy its twenty attractions on offer.

Tour

From Porat Beach turn right, go along the shore and around the bay, past the reef and back again. 

Length

6 km

Time

1.5 - 2 hours

Start and landing

On Porat Beach along the southern shore of Cervar Porat Bay.

SUP rental

ProSurf Watersport Center
Špadići, 52440 Poreč
Phone +385 (0)92 230 5977  

Ap Sport Poreč
Brulo 4, 52440 Poreč
Phone +385 (0)95 588 4505

Jet ski rentals Porec Mz Prestige
Ul. Mate Vlašića, 52440 Poreč
Phone +385 (0)91 928 1725

PulaKayakRental
Mobile SUP rental throughout Istria
Teslina 30, 52100 Pula
Phone +385 (0)977 636 590

From the bay to the reef - what muscle power can achieve

Between Novigrad in the north and the former Roman colony of Poreč in the south lies the unspoiled and quiet Cervat Porat Bay. Due to little boat traffic and relatively calm water, it is worth planning a circumnavigation tour here and top it off with a highlight on the open sea. About 500 m west of the bay there are two small reefs, they can easily be steered for by SUP. This is what I have planned for today as I am aiming for the free parking lot has been held at Porat Beach and back again.

From here it's a few minutes down to the beach, where you can get ready and warm up under the shades of pine trees. First you have to leave the defined swimming area behind you and overcome the limiting rope, which is floating in the water about 100 m in front of the beach. Stable paddlers quickly paddle towards the rope, survive the short jerk the touching fin triggers and are immediately on the open water. If you prefer a conservative approach, slowly approach the boundary rope and use the paddle to push it behind you under the fin.

First I paddle to the right to the nice little harbor with its 450 berths, but I don't let the names of ships like Shark Fright (aka Haischreck, the German name of one yacht) disturb me. After a small tour of the harbor I am drawn to the opposite bank, which opens up in front of the pine forests and reveals lonely pebble and rocky beaches. Anyone who settles down here to relax is usually to themselves all day long. The journey is only possible by bicycle, because there is a good network of paths through the forests, which also runs close to the coast.

My next stop is the port of Santa Marina about 600 m north of me as the crow flies. To reach it, I paddle to the right around the forest and the stone coast and am there in a few minutes. On the recently built quay, dozens of seagulls are making themselves comfortable in the morning sun and staring contentedly into the distance. Unfortunately, this satisfaction evaporates when I arrive, because the birds flap their wings to fly away over me towards the sea.

That's where I'm drawn to as well, because I believe to see the Reef Solaris already there far out on the sea. About two kilometers in front of me there are tower or tube-shaped metal structures in the water. As a layman I assume that these serve as markings so that boats and ships keep a sufficient distance from the reef. That's where the fishing boat in front of me comes in handy. I paddle up to the old cutter and ask the duo working on it – apparently father and son – if they know anything about the reef. They deny my question while shooting each other questioning looks. In return, they show me their freshly caught mussels, which are still to be sold today.

Then I paddle up to Beach Vabriga and work my way along the shore to the open sea. On the way there the wind increases significantly, but remains quite weak at 1-2 Bf, which is still pleasant to paddle. Of course, the wind also ruffles the surface of the water, which initially slows things down a bit. When I align myself with the nose towards the northern reef, a corridor about twenty meters wide and several hundred meters long opens up to me, which surprisingly shows no wind sea.

Smooth water in the gently churning sea all around, like a paved road through rough terrain. I am now certain that the metal towers out there mark the reefs, and so I paddle through the smooth-water corridor in front of me almost without resistance.

The sea pushes gentle and long drawn out waves against me from the front, and within minutes I already see the ring of turquoise water taking shape around the first reef. A private small boat is still out here with me, the fishing rods are hanging in the water. Otherwise there is nothing here but my board, me and the relaxing sounds of the sea.

The seagulls, who can stand undisturbed on the rocks on the reef, also know this, because paddlers have to keep a certain safety distance, especially since the bottom is rugged and sharp-edged and can therefore cause sensitive scratches to any board. The clear water gives me a detailed view of the subsoil and so I almost reverently circumnavigate the small rocky outcrop in front of Cervar Porat Bay.

I also paddle onto the reef to the south, which is about 500 m away, and after a few more photos I orient myself towards the mainland again. The swell is no longer coming at me head-on, but the waves are pushing me from behind. I surrender to their rhythm and then adjust my paddle strokes until I am comfortably carried back into the bay past the nudist beach on my right.

Now the wind and waves are quickly decreasing and I cruise towards the entry point, where my family is already working on their sunburn in the water. The beach has now filled up and domestic and foreign families enjoy the relaxed atmosphere by the water.

You could treat yourself to a rewarding snack right here on the beach, but I prefer to drive down to Poreč to be spoiled with culinary delights at L'insolito in the middle of the old town.