The Kornatian Miracle

Weather disasters are haunting Croatia this summer: one typhoon is replaced by another, extreme heat is interspersed with menacing downpours, earthquakes and fires are also not uncommon in this Balkan country. But what happened recently off the coast of Kornati Island shocked even the seasoned local guides. In just 4 minutes, the sea level rose by a whole meter here and dropped just as rapidly. Oceanologists are still guessing what it was.

Of course, tides are common here. But such sharp changes in sea level are a unique phenomenon. Kornati Island itself is no less unique.

The largest among the hundreds of islands of a huge archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, Kornati is protected by the state. After all, almost 20% of the corals still preserved in the Adriatic live in these waters. Separated by narrow straits from the small rocky islets surrounding it, Kornati attracts attention from afar with its crown-shaped shape. It was this feature that gave the name to the island and the entire archipelago. After all, Kornati means crown in Croatian. As befits a crowned person, the island does not allow crowds of curious people to approach it: there are no buildings and permanent residents here. Only tour groups come here during the summer season.

However, for those who want to get rid of the charms of civilization at least for a while, on some small islands they can organize a Robinson Crusoe-style vacation: provide a hut with a heavenly view for personal use. A prerequisite for such an adventure is the complete absence of water and current. It was such "Robinsons" who witnessed the sudden tide. Perhaps some would consider what they saw just a hallucination, but there was a vlogger who captured this amazing phenomenon on camera.

Most likely, the reason for such sharp fluctuations in sea level in the Kornati archipelago could be the currents that arose in the narrow labyrinths of the straits under the influence of the movement of huge air masses characteristic of this summer's storm winds.