You’ve had a chance to read about Biševo island on this site more than once: there was the guide to the world-famous Blue Cave, and we mentioned it on occasion in articles about its bigger neighbour Vis island… We probably won’t ever shut up about either of them because our love for Vis and Biševo grows stronger by the day, but this time, the islet gets a mention for a more specific, artsy reason.
Between September 29 and October 1, the waters of Biševo will host the long-running underwater photography contest. It’s been going on for more than 40 years; since the diver and photographer Antun Gavranić passed away in 2002, the festival has been named after the departed lover of hidden corners of the Adriatic.
Why Biševo? This year, Vis island and its close surroundings are celebrating 50 years since Medvidina cave, the Green cave, Ravnik island and Stiniva beach have all been pronounced protected nature sites. As all of them are located either on Vis or in its archipelago, the Public Institution More i krš (Sea and Karst) decided the anniversary should be marked by organising the photography cup there in order to promote the beauty of Vis and draw attention to the importance of preserving the underwater world.
All the photos that will soon be taken around Biševo will be used to embellish the future Blue Cave Visitor Centre. The Town of Komiža and the PI More i krš applied the proposal to the European fund for regional development, and the new centre is hopefully coming to life in near future.
There are seven protected sites in total to be found on (and around) Vis island. Both the land and the maritime area are part of the European Ecology Network Natura 2000 that aims to preserve caves, sand beaches, dolphins, various other animal species and the Mediterranean flora on the island.
If you’ve ever been to Vis – actually, even seeing a couple of images would suffice – you know how gorgeous a destination it is. It boasts incredible scenery, a lot of underwater attractions, tranquil bays and stunning sea caves; preserving the natural resources on the island is an understandably important goal. In recent years, there have been plans and actions aiming to introduce organised visits to some of the protected sites, as they were gradually becoming overcrowded by fascinated tourists. They are not to blame, and it’s not hard to get why so many people would like to see the Blue Cave in person, for example. However, the steadily increasing number of visitors presents a growing pressure and danger for the sites.
We’ll update you on the process of applying to the photo contest in case you’re interested – more information will be announced in August. Until then, if you’re thinking of participating, you can send an enquiry to [email protected].
Source: Morski.hr
Photo credit: Ivo Biočina, courtesy of the Croatian National Tourist Board
