Image: Skipper Fell from a Charter Catamaran near Šolta Screenshot/MMPI
Latest: Coordinated search suspended after five days
The coordinated search for the missing Austrian skipper was suspended on 30 July after five days without a successful outcome. Maritime authorities will continue handling the case through regular navigation safety and maritime traffic monitoring.
Read the latest report in Search for the Missing Austrian Skipper near Šolta Suspended After 5 Days.
Update: Skipper Fell from a Charter Catamaran near Šolta
The search for the missing skipper entered its second day on Monday, with the search area expanded towards Šolta and Drvenik Mali. Rescue teams are continuing operations by sea and air.
For all the latest information, see Austrian Skipper Missing near Šolta Still Not Found, Search Area Expands.
Search underway for missing Austrian skipper
An intensive search is underway near the island of Šolta after an Austrian skipper fell from a twin-hulled sailing vessel and disappeared into the sea on Sunday morning.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rijeka (MRCC Rijeka) received the report at 9:10 am on July 26 through the county 112 emergency centre.
According to Croatia’s Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, extremely difficult weather conditions were affecting the area at the time of the report. The ministry did not state what caused the skipper to fall into the sea.
Boats and aircraft involved in the search
All available search-and-rescue units were deployed under an agreed search plan.
The operation involves two rescue boats from the Milna branch of the Harbour Master’s Office, one rescue boat from its Hvar branch and three vessels operated by the Split Maritime and Airport Police.
MRCC Rijeka also coordinated an aerial search with the Croatian Coast Guard. A Pilatus aircraft began flying over the search area at 11:42 am.
The coastal radio station Splitradio is broadcasting a PAN-PAN urgency message to vessels sailing in and around the search area.
Six crew members found unharmed
MRCC Rijeka established direct communication with the six remaining people aboard the vessel and determined their approximate position. They were found shortly afterwards and were not injured.
All six crew members are Austrian nationals, as is the missing skipper.
The twin-hulled sailing vessel belongs to a Croatian charter company. In cooperation with the company, a replacement skipper was brought aboard and took control of the vessel under the coordination of MRCC Rijeka.
The replacement skipper will take the crew to the next safe destination, where they will disembark.
The intensive search for the missing Austrian skipper remains underway but has so far produced no results.
Skipper reportedly fell while checking a rope near the propeller
Ivan Paušić, head of the Navigation Safety Service at the Split Harbour Master’s Office, told HRT that the skipper fell into the sea at 9:10 am on Sunday, approximately six nautical miles south of Šolta.
Three Harbour Master’s Office rescue boats and three Maritime Police vessels were immediately deployed. When they reached the location from which the emergency call had been made, they found the sailing vessel with six Austrian nationals on board.
According to Paušić, the passengers said the skipper had fallen into the sea shortly before they called for help.
“According to the information available to us, the skipper fell while checking a rope that had become wrapped around the propeller. Large waves and strong winds caused him to fall into the sea, which carried him away from the vessel. They tried to throw him a rope to hold onto, but he was unable to reach it, and after only a few minutes they could no longer see him,” Paušić told HRT.
All vessels began searching the area immediately. A Croatian Air Force Pilatus aircraft was also deployed to survey the search zone, while a Customs Administration crew later joined the operation. Paušić said a helicopter was also expected to assist.
The missing Austrian skipper is 46 years old. Search vessels remain at sea and will continue operating for as long as weather and sea conditions allow.
A replacement skipper provided by the charter company boarded the vessel and began taking the six passengers back towards the mainland. All six were safe and no injuries were reported.
The group had departed from Trogir for Maslinica on Saturday. They left Maslinica on Sunday morning and reportedly planned to visit Korčula and Hvar. According to the report, the missing skipper is believed to have been a friend of the six passengers.
Weather conditions in the wider Split and Šolta area were expected to deteriorate further, with stronger winds and rain forecast during the following hours
Earlier report: skipper fell from a charter catamaran near Šolta
Emergency services were deployed on Sunday morning after a skipper fell from a charter catamaran near Šolta and into the sea.
According to the Split-Dalmatia Police Department, the report was received at around 9:00 am on July 26, 2026.
Police said that all relevant emergency services were immediately informed and dispatched to the scene.
No further details have yet been released about the circumstances of the incident or the condition of the skipper.
This is a developing story and the article will be updated when official information becomes available.
Separately, difficult weather and sea conditions have caused widespread disruption along the Croatian coast on Sunday. Multiple ferry, catamaran and boat services were suspended, while marine warnings were issued for strong winds, rough seas and thunderstorms. More details are available in Multiple Croatia Ferry and Catamaran Cancellations as Strong Winds Hit the Adriatic.
