21st BIG OM concludes with victory, community and a story that connects generations
Team MARKO wins the 21st BIG OM and secures a place at the World Championship in Costa Rica. The biggest catch of the competition was a 54.4-kilogram tuna landed by team PODIN. For four days, Omišalj was filled with sport, the sea, tradition and the people who give BIG OM its special character. During the competition, nine tuna were landed, while fish were reported on the line 35 times.
OMIŠALJ, August 30, 2026 – For the past four days, Omišalj has been living to the rhythm of the sea, fishing, competition and socialising. The 21st edition of the international qualifying big game fishing competition BIG OM has come to an end, once again bringing more than 130 competitors from Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia to the island of Krk.
Out at sea, teams were chasing tuna; on the waterfront, spectators awaited the returning boats, scores were being calculated and fishing stories exchanged, while in the evenings Omišalj became a meeting place for competitors, their families, guests and local residents.
The strength of BIG OM, however, has long been about more than the competition itself. It lies in the people, in friendships that have lasted for years, in knowledge and experience passed from one generation to the next, and in a sense of community that brings people from different countries together through their shared connection to the sea.
MARKO wins the 21st BIG OM
After three days of fishing and the final tallying of points, team MARKO, led by captain Dražen Horvat, claimed victory at the 21st BIG OM with a total of 887.02 points.
Second place went to BIGGAME TEAM MIMA II, captained by Domagoj Grabovac, with 536.38 points, while ORCA, captained by Pavo Cindrić, finished third with 480 points.
The victory also secures team MARKO a place at the Offshore World Championship in Costa Rica, the world championship of big game fishing.
This year’s competition proved challenging. With a full moon, the tuna were more cautious and the number of catches was lower than the anglers had hoped for. But this unpredictability is precisely what makes big game fishing so appealing – every trip out to sea brings a new opportunity, a new strategy and a new challenge.
The biggest catch of the 21st BIG OM was landed by team PODIN, captained by Damir Uhač, which caught a 54.4-kilogram tuna on the first fishing day.
Four days in which Omišalj lived BIG OM
The competition began on August 26 with the gathering of teams and the official opening ceremony. During the following three fishing days, 34 teams headed out into the waters of the Kvarner Gulf and Kvarnerić.
Every return of the boats to the port of Omišalj brought a new dose of excitement. Catches were inspected, recorded and weighed, while the standings changed from day to day.
But an equally important part of the story was taking place on land.
The Omišalj waterfront became a meeting place for competitors and spectators, local residents and guests from different countries. Alongside the fishing competition, BIG OM brought music, gastronomy, social gatherings and an evening programme, turning the sporting event into an occasion embraced by the entire local community.
A memorial tournament that connects generations
A special significance was given to this year’s BIG OM by the Bruno Dragičević Memorial Tournament.
Bruno Dragičević was a prominent club member and a man who lived the fishing story with particular passion. He was one of those people who naturally brought others together – a man who connected generations and for whom fishing was never simply about the catch or the result.
That is why the memorial tournament was much more than an addition to the sporting programme. It was a reminder of what BIG OM is truly about: a community of people connected by the sea.
As Tomislav Sparožić, President of KSRM BIG OM, explains:
“BIG OM is much more than a fishing competition. It is a story about people, community and a love of the sea that brings us together in Omišalj year after year. It is especially important to us that this year, through the Bruno Dragičević Memorial Tournament, we were once again able to show how much people are at the heart of this event. Bruno was one of those people who not only loved fishing, but lived that fishing story with soul. He was a man who brought people together, and that is precisely why it was important to us to weave his name and his memory into this year’s BIG OM.”
“BIG OM connects tradition with what modern big game fishing is today. Respect for the sea and experience passed down through generations meet new technologies, international rules, sporting standards and young people who come to the sea from different countries. What does not change are the people and the sense of community. That is what we want to preserve.”
More than sport for Omišalj and Krk
BIG OM is held in accordance with the prescribed rules, with official personnel, observers and supervision. The organisers aim to connect the tradition of big game fishing with modern sporting standards and a responsible approach to the sea.
For Omišalj and the island of Krk, however, the significance of BIG OM extends far beyond the sporting results.
More than 150 competitors from five countries spent several days in the destination, together with their families, supporters and guests. Their presence brought additional activity to local accommodation providers, restaurants, nautical services and other businesses.
At the same time, the international character of the competition and its media visibility present Omišalj as a destination that offers much more than a traditional summer holiday – combining sport, nautical activities, the sea, gastronomy and authentic local events.
This is one of BIG OM’s particular strengths: the competition takes place at sea, but comes alive on land.
A story that remains
Today, BIG OM brings together two generations of experience – a fishing tradition passed down through the years and a modern international sporting event shaped by rules, technology and high sporting standards.
But after four days of competition, it will not be the points alone that people remember.
They will remember the people, the encounters on the waterfront, waiting for the boats to return, shared tables and conversations after a day at sea. They will remember the victories and the missed opportunities. They will remember Bruno. And they will remember the stories that will be told until the next meeting.
Because BIG OM is not a story about a fish on the scales.
BIG OM is a story about the people around the sea.
