PHOTO: Someone fenced off a bay on Vis with electrified wire? ‘The fence reaches into the sea’

A fence reportedly carrying an electric current now blocks access toward the sea at Vela Čavojnica bay on the Croatian island of Vis, leaving swimmers uneasy about what they found.

Visitors who arrived intending to swim said they encountered a fence about 1.70 meters high as they descended into the bay. According to a post in the Facebook group “I Love Komiža,” the fence was also fitted with live wire and stretched all the way toward, and reportedly into, the sea.

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The fence was about 1.70 meters high and was also surrounded by live wire.

The visitors said they understood that the house on the right side of the bay might require privacy, but questioned whether a private owner could restrict access in this way. The incident has also drawn attention to a concrete jetty in front of the property and to whether public maritime land has been enclosed.

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I understand that a person wants privacy, but can the local sheriff impose his will, and is it legal?

Under Croatia’s Maritime Domain and Seaports Act, maritime property remains in general public use and cannot be restricted contrary to law. Authorities are expected to determine where the fence stands, whether it encroaches on maritime property, whether the jetty was expanded, and whether the necessary permits exist.

Vis municipal officer Andro Brajčić said his office had received no complaints before being contacted and that he had never encountered a similar case. He said the terrain is difficult to reach, probably accessible only by boat, and that the land once belonged to an old Vis family before being sold. Brajčić added that the jetty had existed for at least 50 years, but needed checking for later expansion. “As for the electric current in the fence, I will report it to the police,” he said.

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As for the electric current in the fence, I will report it to the police.