Scuba diving in inland sea waters and in the territorial sea of the Republic of Croatia for the purposes of recreation and sports is regulated by the Ordinance on Performing Underwater Activities (OG number: 47/99, 23/03, 28/03, 52/03, 58/03) and by the Decision on the Abolition of Article 5, Article 5a, paragraph 2 and Article 8 of the Ordinance on Performing Underwater Activities (OG 96/10) which eliminated the requirement of a scuba diving card.

Scuba diving for the purposes of recreation and sports can be:
-    Individual
-    Organized

For organized scuba diving in the Republic of Croatia, it is mandatory to be a member of a scuba diving centre or a scuba diving association or to be a legal or natural person who is registered for performing underwater activities in the Republic of Croatia.
For individual scuba diving in the Republic of Croatia, it is mandatory to acquire the permission of an Individual Scuba Diving Authorization issued by a competent port authority (Pula, Rijeka, Senj, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Ploče or Dubrovnik) or by the branch office of the competent port authority.

The price of the Permission for Individual Scuba Diving is HRK 2,400.00 and is valid for one year from the date of issue.

For individual scuba diving, the diver is obliged to inform himself/herself regarding the zones in which individual scuba diving is prohibited (Ordinance on Procedure and Manner of Issuing Permission for Underwater Activities in Inland Sea Waters and the Territorial Sea of the Republic of Croatia in Areas Containing Cultural Goods, OG 22/09).

Furthermore, in the case of individual scuba diving, the diver is obliged to appropriately mark the diving area by placing an orange or red buoy, with a diameter of a minimum of 30 cm (12 inches), at the centre of the diving area or by placing in this area a scuba flag (orange rectangle with white diagonal line or the letter “A” flag pursuant to the International Code of Signals or by hoisting a clearly visible scuba flag on the vessel used by the diver). At night, the buoy must be equipped with a signal lamp, that is, a blinker of yellow or white colour that is visible at a distance of a minimum of 300 metres.