SeaHelp, Europe’s leading nautical breakdown service offering comprehensive all-round protection for almost any problem that can befall a skipper and their crew, has presented the latest figures for this year’s water sports season.
“Our annual statistics for 2025, collected at the end of the season on October 15, show that the number of call-outs in Croatia this year remained at a very high level, down 4.7 percent compared to last year”, says SeaHelp Managing Director Wolfgang Dauser. In addition, there was a 96.4 percent increase in marina-to-marina tows, which are free of charge for SeaHelp Smart and Premium Pass holders, also in Croatia.
In 2025, there were also 17.7 percent more call-outs for minor groundings than in the previous year; and compared to 2024, the number of technical problems resolved rose by as much as 35 percent.
Dauser points out that the reason for the only slight decrease in the number of missions, at just under five percent, is that in the past water sports season in Croatia, “from Losinj to Korcula,” there was “much less going on” overall than in previous years. Bays and harbors were only partially occupied by boats, and in Hvar town, for example, the city pier, which is otherwise completely occupied, was only half full at the beginning of August, and even some anchor buoys opposite the old town were still free during the high season. The number of missions carried out in 2025 was roughly the same as in the first post-corona year, 2023. city pier in Hvar was only half full, and even some of the anchor buoys opposite the old town were still free during the high season.
The number of missions carried out in 2025 reached roughly the same high level as in the first post-corona year of 2023, when recreational boaters made up for lost time in terms of boating vacations in the popular Adriatic coastal region. Now, a certain degree of “normality” has returned. Wolfgang Dauser, who himself spends six weeks in Croatia every year with his boat, says: “Some acquaintances only stayed in the vicinity of their mooring this year,” which was symptomatic of the entire past season.
In the past season, SeaHelp delivered an increasing number of requested spare parts and installed them
The increase in technical problems being resolved is due to the fact that SeaHelp’s emergency crews had more time in 2025 to solve technical problems that had nothing to do with “getting the fleet ready,” but rather with providing increased “service to members.” Dauser: “We delivered and installed more requested spare parts.”
The category “technical problem resolved” generally includes all assistance that was mostly provided on a one-off basis, or when the SeaHelp crew was able to provide technical assistance (in the broadest sense) on site, such as when a V-belt was replaced, fuses were replaced, an anchor was raised by hand, or when, for example, a genoa was stuck. However, this would also include the transport of persons, for example, if there were injuries or firefighters had to be transported.
The number of calls for help handled in Punat and the number of SOS calls received were included in the statistics for the first time
In addition to the missions carried out, the number of calls handled by the Croatian SeaHelp operations center in Punat (up to October 15: 1,380), as well as the number of SOS calls received via the practical – and free – SeaHelp app (329).
While the number of calls for help, like the number of operations, remained roughly constant compared to the previous year (2024: 1,396 calls), the number of SOS messages received rose by 120.8 percent last season – a clear plus for the SeaHelp app. Also new in the statistics is the category “regatta support and similar services,” which was requested a total of 23 times in the 2025 season.
In Italy, like Croatia an important area of operation for SeaHelp, there was a decline in the number of callouts (minus 25 percent) compared to the previous year; Nevertheless, breakdown assistance was still in high demand in Italy last season. In addition to call-outs for minor groundings (+15.4 percent), the most frequent requests were for assistance with power failures on board / jump starts / jump starts (+166.7 percent). Across SeaHelp’s entire Adriatic Sea operating area (Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Germany), the number of call-outs fell by a total of 6.5 percent compared to 2024.
In 2025, SeaHelp’s rescue boats covered a total of 18.6 percent fewer nautical miles than in the previous year to reach those seeking help or boats and yachts in distress; operating hours and fuel consumption also fell accordingly, by 15.2 and 21.9 percent respectively. Interestingly, the trend of further reductions in travel time – and thus the waiting time for those in distress – continued this season, falling by 12.1 percent compared to 2024 (compared to 2023: minus 14.7 percent).
SeaHelp has done a lot to further reduce the response times of its rescue boats
Wolfgang Dauser: “Of course, the response time and therefore the waiting time always depends a little on luck.” If a member reports a breakdown and there are no other calls in the vicinity, the SeaHelp boat can be on site in a few minutes to help. SeaHelp has done a lot to further reduce response times: two new bases were opened in Pula and Rab two years ago, and staff are continuously trained so that operations can be completed more quickly.
SeaHelp Managing Director Wolfgang Dauser is satisfied with the figures presented for 2025. The reasons for the lower number of missions due to rescues, power failures on board, and fuel problems in the past season were also due to the fact that the owners who had been out on their boats this season had simply been more careful and cautious, and knew the area and their boats well.
The motto among owners and charterers of recreational boats was often: “Always stay close to the mooring and never spend more than one night in the bay without shore power.”
