TLDR: I went to Norway for two weeks in August, sightseeing and scuba diving. I dove at Ballstad in the Lofoten Islands, and at Saltstraumen, both places above the Arctic Circle. It was terrific! Photos are at the end of this post. 
Part 1. The Diving Trip Overview
I dive a lot in the US Pacific Northwest and was looking for some out-of-the-way cold-water diving in the Arctic, maybe an expedition cruise or organized trip. But everything was astronomically expensive and nothing offered the amount of diving I was looking for, so I designed my own trip.
I’ll cut right to the diving deets, with other trip details at the end…
The diving was excellent, both in the Lofoten Islands and Saltstraumen. Overall, the water was nicely clear on most dives, 10-20m (30-60ft) vis, with exciting thermoclines typically around 20m (60ft). I brought my own drysuit with a Weezle Extreme+ undergarment, which was over-kill except in Saltstraumen. The water is more saline than in the Pacific -- you can taste the difference -- and you may need to add extra weight to compensate. Weather was mixed, most days partially cloudy with sun breaks, occasional mist or rain, and temperatures surprisingly warm, 15-22C (59-72F). I was there in mid- to late-August, and was told it was already past “the end of summer.” Just before I arrived the temperatures had soared above 28C (82F). I was roasting in the drysuit as it was, so I’m glad I missed that. The previous year the weather was apparently crappy all summer, so you get what you get.
There’s so much to see there, below and above the water, that a combined dive/sightseeing trip is a wonderful way to go. I’ll post some screen shots here but it’s going to take a lot longer to put together the videos.
Part 2. Ballstad, Lofoten Islands
Diving with Lofoten Diving, 4 days/8 dives. Instructors Daniel and Blauchet (spelling?) do an amazing job of coordinating snorkelers and divers who come with a huge range of experience, from beginners and Discover Scuba clients through advanced and technical divers. All their clientele were from Europe; I didn’t meet any other Americans or Norwegians (more on that later). The dive operation has an excellent selection of rental equipment, including wetsuits and drysuits. I didn’t see or ask about nitrox. Tanks are 12L 7” HP 230bar DIN. On my dives, I was the only diver who brought their own gear, and had far more logged dives that any other guest. Seems like a lot of the divers are just there for a day or two and decided to try something different; a lot of them had maybe 20 logged dives, the last being a year or two ago. That’s okay because the conditions are great for that level of experience.
The dive areas are around the small islands near Ballstad, which faces the Western Fjord, the area of water between the Lofoten archipelago and mainland Norway. The fjord and protected islands limit the fetch, creating calm conditions unless the weather really picks up. All diving is off a RIB, holding maybe 10-12 passengers max, although you could probably rent tanks and go somewhere shore-based on your own if you had something in mind. Travel time to the dive sites is usually about 15-25 minutes, and entry is via back-roll off the boat. There were no negative entries. The boat is typically anchored during the dives, and the anchor line provides a convenient reference for decent and ascent. Getting back in the boat is an ungraceful belly-flop for those of us who are more walrus than mermaid.
Water temperatures in were generally around 12-14C (53-57F), once dipping to 8C (46F) below the thermocline. There was virtually no current on any dive. Visibility is good to excellent, usually 15 meters or better. The bottom was always visible on every dive, and although there are lots of walls, there aren’t any abyssal bottomless places. Max possible depth on most dives is maybe 30 meters (100ft).
The attraction here is the topology. Canyons, small walls covered in purple coralline algae, swim-throughs, islands, and rocks form a never-ending maze of places to explore, some with beautiful lighting and geology. There is a least one small wreck at the Klubben dive site with some history to it. If the group is small and experienced, ask them to take you to the “Pig Farm” island dive site, Svinøya, which is a little farther out but has wonderful structure and often better vis. The Brannholm site has a wonderful maze of deep canyons.
Sea life is prolific, but the ecosystem is dominated by a few key species. Many sites are covered in a kind of kelp-on-a-stick, which I think is a species of Tangle Kelp (Laminaria hyperborean) looking like a palm tree on a 1-2m stalk. It forms wonderful passages and cathedrals among the rocks, with smaller critters like crabs and nudibranchs hidden among the fronds, and the occasional fierce-looking anglerfish on the bottom. Softball-sized urchins are everywhere, an invasive species. Global warming and changing ocean conditions have changed the water temperatures over the past few years; I was told that the ocean temperature never got above 12C until a few years ago, but now we had dives that never got below 14C. At least one species of fish that is frequent in warmer waters farther south has moved northward and is now common in Lofoten.
I spent four days diving out of Ballstad and thought that was a good amount of time for a serious diver. Although we re-visited some of the sites several times, they all have different paths and structures to explore, so you can go to a site and not see the same thing twice. For casual divers who are in the area, a day or two would probably be enough. I would recommend doing a full two-dive day rather than a single dive on one day, since a lot of the effort for incoming divers is getting geared-up and doing buoyancy checks. Once you’ve got the gear dialed-in, the next dives are easier and more enjoyable.
Ballstad itself is a small town with few amenities. A local chain store, Joker (“Yoker”) and a cafe are available, a hotel restaurant, along with lots of rental cabins, lodges, and places to stay. Fishing is still a big industry here, but many of the old fishing cabins are being converted into vacation rentals, even as new cabins are being built. Ballstad is far enough away from the main “highway”, E10 (often little more than one lane wide), so that it doesn’t get nearly the traffic and congestion of other towns in Lofoten. It's kind of a peaceful end-of-the-road retreat. Nearby Gravdal, 5km up the road, has more services, including a Bunnpris grocery store which is better stocked and about 25% cheaper than the Joker store, and an YX self-service gas station.
I decided to pay a bit extra and stayed at the swanky Hattvika Lodge (highly recommended), overlooking the bay and just down the street from Lofoten Diving. Wherever you stay, make sure your lodging includes a kitchen since a nice diner out can easily cost $75 per meal before drinks, and a lot more if you’re not careful. As in most of Norway, a single glass of beer may set you back $15USD, although the non-alcoholic varieties are actually cheaper than in the States and rather good. If you’re on a budget at all, plan on stocking up at Bunnpris and cooking your own meals. Hattvika offers both sleek individual cabins without a kitchen, and lodge rooms that are essentially rustic one-bedroom apartments but with nice appliances and decor, which is where I stayed. Around the Ballstad area are lots of other recreational opportunities for non-diving partners, like hiking, kayaking, saunas and spas, and a few local art galleries.
Part 1. The Diving Trip Overview
I dive a lot in the US Pacific Northwest and was looking for some out-of-the-way cold-water diving in the Arctic, maybe an expedition cruise or organized trip. But everything was astronomically expensive and nothing offered the amount of diving I was looking for, so I designed my own trip.
I’ll cut right to the diving deets, with other trip details at the end…
The diving was excellent, both in the Lofoten Islands and Saltstraumen. Overall, the water was nicely clear on most dives, 10-20m (30-60ft) vis, with exciting thermoclines typically around 20m (60ft). I brought my own drysuit with a Weezle Extreme+ undergarment, which was over-kill except in Saltstraumen. The water is more saline than in the Pacific -- you can taste the difference -- and you may need to add extra weight to compensate. Weather was mixed, most days partially cloudy with sun breaks, occasional mist or rain, and temperatures surprisingly warm, 15-22C (59-72F). I was there in mid- to late-August, and was told it was already past “the end of summer.” Just before I arrived the temperatures had soared above 28C (82F). I was roasting in the drysuit as it was, so I’m glad I missed that. The previous year the weather was apparently crappy all summer, so you get what you get.
There’s so much to see there, below and above the water, that a combined dive/sightseeing trip is a wonderful way to go. I’ll post some screen shots here but it’s going to take a lot longer to put together the videos.
Part 2. Ballstad, Lofoten Islands
Diving with Lofoten Diving, 4 days/8 dives. Instructors Daniel and Blauchet (spelling?) do an amazing job of coordinating snorkelers and divers who come with a huge range of experience, from beginners and Discover Scuba clients through advanced and technical divers. All their clientele were from Europe; I didn’t meet any other Americans or Norwegians (more on that later). The dive operation has an excellent selection of rental equipment, including wetsuits and drysuits. I didn’t see or ask about nitrox. Tanks are 12L 7” HP 230bar DIN. On my dives, I was the only diver who brought their own gear, and had far more logged dives that any other guest. Seems like a lot of the divers are just there for a day or two and decided to try something different; a lot of them had maybe 20 logged dives, the last being a year or two ago. That’s okay because the conditions are great for that level of experience.
The dive areas are around the small islands near Ballstad, which faces the Western Fjord, the area of water between the Lofoten archipelago and mainland Norway. The fjord and protected islands limit the fetch, creating calm conditions unless the weather really picks up. All diving is off a RIB, holding maybe 10-12 passengers max, although you could probably rent tanks and go somewhere shore-based on your own if you had something in mind. Travel time to the dive sites is usually about 15-25 minutes, and entry is via back-roll off the boat. There were no negative entries. The boat is typically anchored during the dives, and the anchor line provides a convenient reference for decent and ascent. Getting back in the boat is an ungraceful belly-flop for those of us who are more walrus than mermaid.
Water temperatures in were generally around 12-14C (53-57F), once dipping to 8C (46F) below the thermocline. There was virtually no current on any dive. Visibility is good to excellent, usually 15 meters or better. The bottom was always visible on every dive, and although there are lots of walls, there aren’t any abyssal bottomless places. Max possible depth on most dives is maybe 30 meters (100ft).
The attraction here is the topology. Canyons, small walls covered in purple coralline algae, swim-throughs, islands, and rocks form a never-ending maze of places to explore, some with beautiful lighting and geology. There is a least one small wreck at the Klubben dive site with some history to it. If the group is small and experienced, ask them to take you to the “Pig Farm” island dive site, Svinøya, which is a little farther out but has wonderful structure and often better vis. The Brannholm site has a wonderful maze of deep canyons.
Sea life is prolific, but the ecosystem is dominated by a few key species. Many sites are covered in a kind of kelp-on-a-stick, which I think is a species of Tangle Kelp (Laminaria hyperborean) looking like a palm tree on a 1-2m stalk. It forms wonderful passages and cathedrals among the rocks, with smaller critters like crabs and nudibranchs hidden among the fronds, and the occasional fierce-looking anglerfish on the bottom. Softball-sized urchins are everywhere, an invasive species. Global warming and changing ocean conditions have changed the water temperatures over the past few years; I was told that the ocean temperature never got above 12C until a few years ago, but now we had dives that never got below 14C. At least one species of fish that is frequent in warmer waters farther south has moved northward and is now common in Lofoten.
I spent four days diving out of Ballstad and thought that was a good amount of time for a serious diver. Although we re-visited some of the sites several times, they all have different paths and structures to explore, so you can go to a site and not see the same thing twice. For casual divers who are in the area, a day or two would probably be enough. I would recommend doing a full two-dive day rather than a single dive on one day, since a lot of the effort for incoming divers is getting geared-up and doing buoyancy checks. Once you’ve got the gear dialed-in, the next dives are easier and more enjoyable.
Ballstad itself is a small town with few amenities. A local chain store, Joker (“Yoker”) and a cafe are available, a hotel restaurant, along with lots of rental cabins, lodges, and places to stay. Fishing is still a big industry here, but many of the old fishing cabins are being converted into vacation rentals, even as new cabins are being built. Ballstad is far enough away from the main “highway”, E10 (often little more than one lane wide), so that it doesn’t get nearly the traffic and congestion of other towns in Lofoten. It's kind of a peaceful end-of-the-road retreat. Nearby Gravdal, 5km up the road, has more services, including a Bunnpris grocery store which is better stocked and about 25% cheaper than the Joker store, and an YX self-service gas station.
I decided to pay a bit extra and stayed at the swanky Hattvika Lodge (highly recommended), overlooking the bay and just down the street from Lofoten Diving. Wherever you stay, make sure your lodging includes a kitchen since a nice diner out can easily cost $75 per meal before drinks, and a lot more if you’re not careful. As in most of Norway, a single glass of beer may set you back $15USD, although the non-alcoholic varieties are actually cheaper than in the States and rather good. If you’re on a budget at all, plan on stocking up at Bunnpris and cooking your own meals. Hattvika offers both sleek individual cabins without a kitchen, and lodge rooms that are essentially rustic one-bedroom apartments but with nice appliances and decor, which is where I stayed. Around the Ballstad area are lots of other recreational opportunities for non-diving partners, like hiking, kayaking, saunas and spas, and a few local art galleries.
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