Diving in Norway

General information on scuba diving in Norway
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The norwegian coastline, from the swedish border in southeast to Kirkenes by the Russian border far to the northeast, provides scuba divers with more than 2500 kilometers of possible dive-sites. The underwater-world varies tremendously along the coast, as do the weather. Because of the weather conditions, as well as (locally extreme) season variations, the submarine life show great variability of species well suited for such environments. The water temperature in the fjords may get below freezing during the winter, while the west coast show less variance caused by the (warm) Golf Stream which pass here on its way to the arctic. This part of the coastline therefore rarely freeze.

The norwegian seawater exhibits fairly high amounts of dissolved salts, thus favoring the growth of large kelpwoods, which may be several meters high in certain areas at the west coast. The best "forests" can be observed between Bergen and Lofoten. Beneath the sea surface visibilities usually vary between 10 and 50 meters and the conditions for submarine photographing are mostly excellent. The inner part of some fjords (e.g. the Oslofjord and other areas affected by heavy industry) are rather polluted however, and you may get disappointed if you enter the sea in such areas with high expectations.

In open waters, Cod, Coalfish, Flounder, Cat-fish, are examples of common citizens to observe. The cartoon shows a "Steinbit", an ugly-looking fish which however is extremely well tasting. This page on "Fisk" (fish) is a good starting page if you want more information about the different fishes you might observe in Norway (written in norwegian).

Also, Crabs and Lobsters are common south of Trondheim (mid-Norway). Towards the northernmost parts of Norway (Lofoten, Troms and Finnmark), Lobsters are rare, but instead their monster-like, enormous relative called "Russerkrabbe" has during the last decades been added to our fauna from the east. If you'll like to have a look at them, try this page!

If you spot the correct place, an unforgetable dive among seals may be experienced. Although not very common, lucky divers may also be accompanied by whales during their expeditions.

Wreck diving is also very popular in Norway, because of the large amount of shipwrecks along the partly rough coast. Follow the rules, however! You will not be very popular if you take away lots of stuff from wrecks. Use your eyes or camera instead. Local dive-centers or shops are usually capable of guiding foreign divers to nice wreck localities, or to provide guests with maps of registered wrecks. A large amount of wrecks, however, have never been discovered so far... Check out this page on underwater archaeology if you are interested in such stuff.

Drift diving is another popular happening among scuba divers who visit areas which experience large sea level fluctuations due to the tide water or even rivers. One of the most famous places is "Saltstraumen" close to Bodø (the malstroem referred to by Jules Verne). Note that due to the nature of strong underwater currents, this activity should always be performed in company with experienced divers who have detailed informations about local conditions.


Because of the relatively cold water which we experience in Norway, you must use a dry (preferentially) or a semi-dry suit during the winter season wherever you go. If you wear a dry suit with warm clothes under, even -2 oC is pretty comfortable! Be sure that your inflator can work under such (freezing) conditions. In general, dry or semi-dry suits are recommended if temperatures are below 10 - 15 oC, which in practice comprises the whole year north of Bergen. During the summer in southern Norway however, water temperature rises to ca. 18-22 oC and wet suits (5-7mm) are sufficient. Dry suits may actually feel unconfortable in these areas during the summer (June - August). You may also dive in a thinner suit in the summer, but I bet you won't get a pleasant dive.

Finally, diving in Norway can never be explained by words. Try it!

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