Boat Rental Podgora — 2027 Guide: Hvar Across the Channel, Southern Riviera Beaches and Speedboats from €320

Podgora lies on the southern part of the Makarska Riviera, about 10 km southeast of Makarska, between Tučepi and Drašnice. The village is squeezed onto a narrow strip between Biokovo mountain and the sea, and above the small harbour stands the Seagull Wings (Galebova krila) monument, built in memory of the partisan navy founded in Podgora during the Second World War. For a day on the water, Podgora has one advantage over places further north on the riviera: the eastern tip of Hvar with Sućuraj is only about 9 nautical miles away. This guide covers where to go by speedboat from Podgora, how long the crossings take, when the wind changes the plan and which boats we offer. For Makarska itself and trips from Makarska harbour, see our guide to boat rental in Makarska, and for the coves of the northern riviera, from Brela to Vruja, read Sailing beneath Biokovo.

Distances from Podgora

All our boats in Podgora are open speedboats of 6.5 to 6.7 metres with 150 hp engines. The times below are approximate, for a calm sea and a cruising speed of about 20 knots:

• Drašnice: about 2 nm, a few minutes.
• Igrane: about 4 nm, 10–15 minutes.
• Živogošće: about 5–6 nm, about 15 minutes.
• Drvenik: about 9–10 nm, about half an hour.
• Sućuraj (Hvar): about 9 nm, about half an hour.
• Jelsa (Hvar): about 17 nm, 45 minutes to an hour.
• Bol (Brač): about 18 nm, 45 minutes to an hour.

Along the coast to the south: from Drašnice to Drvenik

South of Podgora the coast stays beneath the steep slopes of Biokovo, lined with pebble beaches, pine woods and low rocky headlands. This is the route for half a day, or for a day when the weather is poor out in the open.

• Drašnice and Igrane: pebble beaches beneath the pines, on both sides of Igrane. From the sea you can see how narrow the strip between the mountain and the shore is.
• Živogošće: a series of small beaches between rocky headlands.
• Drvenik: a village in two bays, Donja vala and Gornja vala, from where the ferry crosses to Hvar. From here Sućuraj is only a few miles away.

Across the channel: eastern Hvar, Sućuraj and Jelsa

• Sućuraj is a village with a small harbour on the very eastern tip of Hvar. Half an hour's ride takes you to the island: coffee in the harbour, then a swim in the coves outside the village.
• Eastern Hvar between Sućuraj and Jelsa is a long, sparsely populated part of the island. Both shores are lined with coves the road barely reaches, so from the boat you pick the ones sheltered from that day's wind.
• Jelsa is a town on the north coast of Hvar, with a waterfront and a square by the harbour, a good place for lunch before heading back.

A good full-day loop: Podgora – Sućuraj – the north coast of Hvar to Jelsa – back to Podgora, about 45–50 nm in total. A shorter day: Sućuraj and the coves of eastern Hvar, then back past Drvenik and Igrane.

Southern Brač

Bol with Zlatni Rat beach on the south coast of Brač is the furthest usual destination from Podgora, about 18 nm away, through the channel between Brač and Hvar. It is a route for a full day and a calm sea; Bol is closer to Makarska, so from Podgora it makes more sense to combine it with Jelsa than to go to Bol and back only.

Winds and season

• Bura comes down from Biokovo in gusts and right under the mountain it can be strong and sudden, even in summer. In a bura, a speedboat of this size does not cross the channel.
• Jugo blows from the southeast and raises waves through the channel between the mainland and Hvar. The north coast of Hvar is then in the lee, but the crossing to it is wet and slow.
• Maestral is the summer northwesterly that strengthens in the afternoon, so for Jelsa or Bol it is better to set off early.
• Season: June to September, with July and August in highest demand. In May and October the sea is cooler and the weather less stable.

Our boats in Podgora

• Jeanneau Cap Camarat 6.5 CC (2015): 6.5 m, Yamaha F150, up to 7 people, €320 a day, without a skipper, and a skipper can be added. It has a bow sundeck, GPS, sonar and a bimini, and a towable tube can be rented with the boat.
• Jeanneau Cap Camarat 6.5 CC (2016): the same model a year newer, with the same equipment and towable tube, €330 a day, without a skipper, and a skipper can be added.
• Atlantic Marine Open 670 (2022): 6.7 m, Honda 150 hp, up to 10 people, €450 a day with a skipper. It is rented with a skipper only, with GPS, charts and a bimini.

To take a Jeanneau without a skipper you need a boat licence. Booking works like this: you send an inquiry, we check the date with the owner, you pay us the reservation, and you pay the rest to the owner on the day of the rental.

Boat rental in Podgora with Crystalium Booker

See all boats on the Podgora location page or send us your date and number of people through the contact page, and we will suggest a boat. Do you rent out a boat in Podgora or elsewhere on the Makarska Riviera? List it with us.