Crabs were carefully measured, counted and prepared for lunch – the freshest seafood lunch in all of the state!
by Leo Tolo
Photos: Juli Cirjak and fishermen.
Despite three weather delays, the 17th annual Adelaide Crabfest 2025 saw dedicated crews battle late-season hurdles to secure their catch. Hosted by Adelaide’s Croatian Sports Centre, the competition unfolded under crisp autumn skies.
Remembering Reno Martinović
Teams adapted tactics in dwindling crab stocks. No records fell, but friendship thrived as awards celebrated ingenuity – from jet-ski crabbing to the day’s sparsest haul. A heartfelt tribute honored late loyalist Reno Martinovic, embodying the event’s enduring spirit. Combining fierce rivalry, fresh seafood feasts, and community pride, Adelaide Crabfest 2025 proved resilience reigns.
After 3 date postponements, the 17th annual Crab Fest competition was finally run and won for 2025.
The weather forecasts were not favorable for the first 3 reserved dates for this year’s Crab Fest. As a result, it needed to be postponed multiple times. However, on our last reserved date, the weather was perfect and the event was set to go ahead. The Adelaide Crabfest was luckily not completely canceled.
Later in the season means the mornings are darker, and there is less time for fishing. Fishermen were greeted with clear and calm sea conditions. They wasted no time launching their boats and getting baited nets down quickly.
As the sun rose, the conditions on the water were glorious! The tide was moving well, the water was clear, the baits were fresh, but sadly the fishing was slow.
Many crews reported poor early catches. Moving spots for deeper water or shallower water was common. Everyone had to work hard to get a decent catch of crabs on board this year. The end of March is getting late in Adelaide’s crab season. They start to move on, or many have been caught in Adelaide Crabfest over the summer months.
There were no records set at this year’s Crab Fest. Also, no one caught their boat limit for the first time in many years. That meant the competition was tight with dedicated teams working extra hard for their catch.
Teams arrived back to the weigh-in on time, and the crabs were carefully measured, counted, and prepared for lunch. This lunch is the freshest seafood lunch in all of the state!
Lunch is always a hit and this year was no different. Many people who don’t fish reserved tables with their friends to enjoy a crab feast at the Adelaide Crabfest.
Crowned a new Champion team
As lunch was served, Branko Suica – our master of ceremonies, did a great job revealing the winners and presenting the prizes.
“Team Greece” (winners in 2024) attended again this year. Sadly, they were unable to defend their title, so a new Champion team was crowned at the Adelaide Crabfest.
Awards as follows:
– Biggest Crab: 67.5cm “Rak-i-Ja”
– Most Crabs: 50 crabs “The Wanderer”
– Junior Award: “Moore-Ons” (with the youngest fisherman)
– Hard Shell Award: “Stipe’s Crabs” (crabbing from a Jet Ski)
– Rusty Net Award: “Laurie’s Boat” (lowest catch recorded for a boat – just 4 crabs)
– Mystery Prize: “Dominant Bluey”
Other honorable mentions include team “Stabi-Crabi”, “Hrvatski Mornari”, “Brac”, “Team Greece”, and the party boat – “Mokra Krpa”, who drank more beers than the crabs they caught and seemed to pull out the drain plug of the ocean. They caught the biggest clump of seaweed in a net anyone has ever witnessed!
As always a big thank you to all the volunteers and CSC staff that help clean, cook, and serve the crabs for our delicious lunch at the Adelaide Crabfest. It truly is an amazing effort. A big thanks also to Mitar for being our official crab measurer again this year and keeping our fishermen honest.
Crab Fest will continue…!
Thank you to all our generous sponsors for their prizes. A thank you to our sponsorship manager, Branko Suica, for organizing them all. It’s a competition run for fun, but the prizes are very much appreciated by our crews and their families. It makes for a wonderful atmosphere and it’s one of the reasons everyone keeps coming back year after year.
A special mention this year to one of Crab Fest’s most loyal supporters – Mr Reno Martinovic. Sadly, Reno passed away just before Crab Fest this year. I don’t think he’s ever missed one. He always attended the lunch, and he was also very keen to witness the measuring and see what the fishermen delivered. Reno was never shy in letting them know, with his usual cheeky smile and good humor, that their catch wasn’t up to his high standard. He also competed a number of times with his good friend Tony Kilic. They were a classic crew of Croatian fishermen. We missed you Reno. But rest in peace our friend, knowing that while there’s an ocean to be sailed and a crab to be caught – Crab Fest will continue.
For more about activities at the Croatian Sports Centre Adelaide, follow their official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Cro.Sports.Centre