Drysuit Course/equipment - Norway Question

[Shane Blackbourn]

Hi guys, so, I've a few dives to my name and have been diving off and on for over ten years. I have my own equipment that I bought to use in S.E Asia. I have a Scubapro MK25 S600 reg set that is wonderful in warm water. I wonder - should I buy a new Reg for the colder Norwegian waters?

I am moving to Norway in July, so won't be in warmer waters for sometime, hence, I'm planning to do a Drysuit course there - can anyone give me an idea of cost? I would probably use my own gear (as long as my MK25 S600 is suitable) and would do the course within July around Oslo I guess.... Thanks in advance... If anyone can point me to a decently priced course and/or to a group of divers, I'd be thrilled!! Gotta buy a tank when I get there of course!!

 

[Neilwood]

AFAIK that combination is recommended by Scubapro as a cold water set so going by that you should be fine.

Afraid I can't help on costs though - you will need locals to advise on that.

 

[KevinNM]

Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world, so I'd expect you would do better by buying gear before you move if you can determine what you want. I suspect that will also make courses more expensive.

 

[FinnMom]

Ask Storker about learning to use a drysuit and buying a drysuit in Norway.

I wouldn't buy a suit from a shop or representative thousands of miles away. In Norway you may even find a shop what will let you test a few different suits before buying.

 

[sea_otter]

I can't speak for Norway, but in California I paid $125 for a drysuit certification class (gear rental not included). The drysuit itself is the pricy part. I paid around $3k for a really nice custom made DUI suit (including fleece undergarments, pockets, hood). No regrets.

 

[ahereng]

Hi,
It seems the price is approx NOK 2000(about USD 250) at the local diveshops. You can contact Prodykk at Prodykk Oslo

 

[Storker]

That price is pretty standard. Prodykk is located a little bit South of Oslo. I know two other diveshops in Oslo proper: FUE.no, who are rather GUE-oriented, and ofds.no on the west side of town.

Many of the divers I know use neoprene drysuits. They're a lot cheaper than trilams, and since you need less undergarments there's less issues with air migration. I prefer trilams for proper winter diving, for several reasons, but neo can be a good alternative in the three other seasons.

Consider joining a club. They're non-profit and most have a good set of buddies. See ndf.no to search for dive clubs.

 

[Storker]

And the best diving isn't in the inner Oslo fjord. That's mediocre at best. The west coast and further north has great diving. Check dykkepedia.no

 

[Imla]

Don't scare the guy. The Oslofjord has plenty of good diving. There are 5 diveshops within an hours drive of the city. FUE.no (in Oslo, very close to the subway) will let you try and test the drysuits the sell providing they have it in stock (They have most sizes) and you don't need a custom fit.
Diving equipment in Norway isn't that much more expensive than abroad, and with the low Norwegian Krone you will get plenty bang for your buck. Also worth mentioning is the unique Norwegian consumer laws that give the buyer protection agains faulty goods for 2yrs for tings that are meant to last 2yrs or less, and 5 yrs for things that are supposed to last longer. (Although, normal wear and tear is not covered...)
Diving around the Oslofjord can be done from shore, or via the shops or the local dive clubs that have boats.

Fue has an excellent reputation. Their owners and employees are all active divers and the shop caters to all types of divers. (Technical, Recreational, CCR. TriMix, Argon. They have banked 32% at 300bars)
Fillcard for a full year of 32% will cost you 1395nok and you can fill as many bottles you want at a time
Fue is a GUE - affiliated store with the owner being our very own GUE T2 instructor Gunnar Midtgaard.
Other instructors that can help you are Annika Persson, Christian Vilming or Bjørn Opperud.
Dykkerutstyr

ProDykk is another excellent shop. They are situated at Fagerstrand in Nesodden. They have a very good environment to get to know other divers. This is a PADI affiliate and a drysuit class will cost you around 2K nok. This is one of the places that have their own pier and they always have coffee ready. (Sometimes even cake and waffles) This is a place where you can experience 3 wrecks on a short dive... 5 on a longer.... and 7 with a scooter. 8 with trimix (In one dive...)
Prodykk Oslo

Gylte Divestore
Located in Drøbak. Has a very nice location for "flower dives". Slightly prone to bad viz after heavy rainfall, but has an abundance of critters. 41 nudibranchs has been identified just off the entry point
Shop also provide gas, toilets and waffles. They teach PADI and CMAS
Divestore Gylte Dykkersenter AS i Drøbak Dykk Mer Betal Mindre!

Oslofjorden Dykkesenter
Reasonably new divestore at Fornebu, but owner is a previous manager of a shut down divestore. They run classes from OW to ISE and IANTD Technical and Cave classes. (This is the only shop that run cave-classes) They also have a small satellite dive centre at Båtstø in Hurum where they often run their classes. They also have dive trips from their boat.
- Dykking i Oslo

If you are a student, Oslo University has a dive club OSI BAUS with a lot of active people. They also have instructors from CMAS. They have some gear to lend out.
Other clubs worth mentioning: De Glade Froskers Dykkeklubb, Drøbak undervannsklubb, Sandefjord Dykkeklubb, Tønsberg Dykkeklubb.

There are a lot of people diving in and around Oslo. From OW to CCR.
We have wrecks from 6-90m

Welcome to Oslo
(Oh.. and we have no dive season... we dive year round)

 

[dbulmer]

Imla the Norwegian tourist board should give you a job good info!