Useful facts about the Blue cave and Biševo island

We decided to present the island of Bisevo in a slightly different light.  Primarily because Bisevo is not just a Blue cave, it is much more than that.  Bisevo is located 5 kilometers from the island of Vis, with a population of 19 inhabitants.  Archaeological findings confirm that the island has been inhabited since prehistoric times, in ancient times.  There used to be about 200 people living on the island, but the rapid depopulation of the island is due to the fact that there is no water supply network or drainage system on Bisevo.  Some current residents say that on Bisevo, if you work a little, you live well, and if you work a lot, you live like a king.  It is an interesting fact that Bisevo is the most remote inhabited Croatian island, and it is connected only with the island of Vis.  Growing vines, olives and figs and fishing are mainly the income of the population.  The emergence of tourism and hospitality today has changed the situation, although the sea around the island of Bisevo is still a paradise for fishermen.  The coast of the island is rocky and hides many bays and caves.  According to some researchers, Bisevo 26 caves.  By far the most famous is the Blue cave.  It has always been known to the locals but gained its real popularity in 1884 when it was discovered and researched by the Austrian diplomat and naturalist Eugene Ransonnet Villez.  The Blue Cave was not protected until 1951 as a geomorphological monument of nature.  It is hollowed out by the action of the waves and is partially submerged.  The cave has become a real attraction for many tourists who want to visit it in the last 10 years.  It is important to point out that the queue for entry is sometimes waited for an hour and it mostly happens in the high season; July and August.  Local people are doing their best to protect Bisevo from devastation and mass tourism, so they limit the number of visitors by organizing a visit to the cave by small boats and staying in the cave for about 10-15 minutes.

However, there is another cave, less popular but still amazing. It is Monk seal cave. „Medvidina špilja“ is located on the southeast side of the island of Biševo. It has been protected since 1967. The origin of the name of the cave is clear if we know that once the main inhabitant of the cave was a Mediterranean monk seal, today an endangered species. It is geomorphologically special. The entrance to Monk seal cave is large and wide, and narrows completely towards the interior. The length of the cave is 160 m and ends with a small beach that only small boats can reach.

If Croats were asked to list some of the most beautiful islands on the Adriatic coast, Biševo would belong to the very top. Amazing nature, the smell of the air, the kindness of the people who dedicated their lives for this island.