20th anniversary: How SeaHelp established itself as a marine breakdown service in Europe

Hardly any other name is as well-known in the world of nautical tourism in Europe as SeaHelp. What began in 2005 as an idea by the Austrian Wolfgang Dauser has developed into a service provider with 31 bases across Europe. The breakdown service for water sports enthusiasts, modelled on the ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club) and the ÖAMTC (Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club), celebrated its 20thanniversary in the Croatian port town of Punat.

The early days of SeaHelp

It all began in 1998 when Wolfgang Dauser took over a charter company in Croatia. At the time, the entrepreneur noticed that the boating scene had changed. He recalls the early days: “We had customers who were spending two days on an island and who rang me at 2 o’clock in the morning. They couldn’t sleep because a pump was running somewhere.” The entrepreneur then explained what they should do to sort out the problem on board. However, they didn’t want to do that and insisted that someone from the charter company should come round.

Technical problems were piling up on Dauser’s charter fleet, so he began to build up a network of mechanics and support staff in Croatia – an investment that was initially unprofitable for the still-small business, but which laid the foundations for something bigger. The idea of establishing a boat breakdown service on the water thus gradually took shape.

A concept for the European market

After a few detours – including a rocky partnership with the US service provider SeaTow – Wolfgang Dauser decided to launch the concept independently for the European market: Dauser d.o.o. was founded in 2005, followed in 2008 by a rebranding as SeaHelp, and the eye-catching yellow inflatable boats began operating in Kvarner Bay. That same summer, the Ministry issued a regulation stipulating that, in order to save costs, port authorities and the coastguard were no longer permitted to carry out towing operations in the event of technical problems. Furthermore, the infrastructure of the maritime rescue services – in particular the SAR vessels – was to be kept free for rescue operations in Croatia. This is where SeaHelp comes in.

The company has thus evolved from a provider of technical breakdown assistance into a service provider that represents the interests of water sports enthusiasts on a broad scale and advocates for their concerns at a political level as well. These synergies were reflected at the anniversary celebrations: alongside a speech by the mayor of Punat, Daniel Strčić, a priest blessed the four new boats – which are expanding the fleet – along with their crews. Many visitors had the chance to take a ride on one of the Axopar and Technomarine rescue boats, which can reach speeds of up to 44 knots. Each is fitted with two 300 PS V6 engines from Yamaha.

SeaHelp in figures

SeaHelp currently has 233 staff members. These are based at its centres in Croatia, Slovenia, the German Baltic coast, the Italian Adriatic coast, Lake Garda, the Balearic Islands, the Costa Brava and the Netherlands. Across Europe, SeaHelp has over 36,000 members, 22,000 of whom are in Croatia alone. “I’ve known many of our members for over 25 years, back when they still owned small boats – the years have passed and the boats have got bigger and bigger,” says Marko Orlić, head of the operations centre in Punat.

This is evident from the analysis. Two-thirds of members sail motor yachts, whilst one-third sail sailing boats. “When it comes to the actual rescue operations carried out, the figures are exactly the reverse: two-thirds are sailors, whilst one-third are motor-yacht owners,” says Wolfgang Dauser. So far this year, 870 call-outs have been recorded across the EU (as at 15 October). Last year, the figure stood at 983. The most common reasons for alerting SeaHelp in 2025 were that the boat needed to be towed, there were technical problems, or there was no electricity on board.