WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Today we are diving in Norway, at Svestad Brygge near Oslo
WHY ARE WE DIVING IN NORWAY?
Norway is a beautiful Scandinavian country with stunning mountains, glaciers, and deep coastal fjords. These fjords were cut into the land creating inlets of water that are surrounded by steep cliffs and scenery.
With water, comes diving, and today we are going to Svestad Brygge, a place known as one of the best places for all certification levels when diving in Norway; from Open Water level to Technical Diving. Its close proximity to the capital city, Oslo, make it a favorite for Norwegians to practice their diving skills and to get their certifications.
HOW DO WE GET THERE?
To get to Svestad Brygge, you can fly into Oslo, the capital of Norway. You can then take a ferry from Aker Brygge or if you have a car you can drive out there. The ferry is around a 30 minutes ride. After the ferry, you will need to take a short bus ride which will take around 25 minutes.
By car, it will be around 45 minutes from Oslo. There is also a dive center at Svestad Brygge.
Access to the dive sites at Svestad Brygge is super easy; you can walk into the water from your car or the dive shop.
WHICH DIVE SITES ARE MUST-SEE?
There is a dive center on-site and the location has many wrecks, platforms, and underwater mountain walls which can go down to 90 meters. The shallowest wreck starts at 12 meters and the deepest one is 60-70 meters deep. There is even a training platform at 6 meters in depth. This is amazing for beginners and also great for more Advanced divers who want to practice their skills.
Svestad Brygge has many house wrecks that are easily accessible from shore.
Lekter’n: Depth 9 – 22m for Open Water and Advanced levels
Bounty: 5-12m Open Water
Sinbad’s Armada: 12-18m Open water
Kaptein Sortebill’s Skute: 27-33m for Advanced divers
Long John Silver: 25m
Sortebills Skute: 25 – 30m
Hobby: 60-70 meters Tec trimix
A huge Vinsj: 40meters. Deep dive
A huge platform on land is built into the water where also you can practice some “cave diving”. There is no entry directly to the surface while going under, so this is only open to cave divers. Please do not dive out of your certification level. Always talk to the local dive shop.
Huge mountain walls stretching down to 90 meters deep.
All of this in one and the same location dive site.
TELL ME MORE
From Svestad Brygge it is possible to go on boat trips to other dives sites. This runs twice a week. This will be mainly for Advanced to Tec Divers. Most of the boat trips will go to old shipwrecks. These trips take around 20 to 40 minutes. Depths are around 20 to 90 meters.
DO I NEED ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT?
You can dive the beginner level sites with a single 12-liter tank. But it is normal to have a double 7, 8 or 12-liter tanks as a twinset.
You will need a drysuit because of the cold conditions of diving in Norway. Because of the tougher conditions and possible obstructions in the water, you need 2 cutting tools, 2 DSMB (delayed surface marker buoys) and 2 lights; a primary light and a backup light because of the visibility and the green waters.
In winter when diving in Norway, at Svestad Brygge, the visibility can reach 20 meters. And in the summer it can be as low as 0.5-meter visibility.
WHAT LEVEL CERTIFICATION SHOULD I BE?
You can be an Open Water level diver, but if you never dived the dive site before, you will need a guide as they can help you to navigate around. You will also need your drysuit certification when diving in Norway due to the cold temperature.
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Drysuits.
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS?
The diving at Svestad Brygge is all year around, so conditions will depend on the season, the water temperature, air temperature, wind, general conditions and so on.
You will need to prepare when diving in Norway, and dress warmly under the drysuit, even in the summertime.
In winter (December through to April) the average water temperature can be as low as 4°C/39°F.
In the ‘summer’ (July and August), the average water temperature can be as ‘high’ as 18°C/64°F.
Usually, the deeper you go the colder it is. But in the winter it gets warmer the deeper you go. However, stay away from decompression dives if you are not prepared for a long cold experience!
HOW MUCH WILL I SPEND?
If you have all your own equipment it only cost you money to fill the tanks. It is about 75 – 100 Norwegian kroners (NOK) per tank. And to rent a full set of gear it is around 750 NOK. If you are a member of the club they will give you some discounts.
WHAT TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION IS AVAILABLE?
There is accommodation available around the area. For example; a big house/old villa for rent. This can make for a great weekend of diving with your buddies! There are also some hotels nearby. If you are staying in Oslo you can take the morning ferry out to the dive location for a day trip.
WHERE DID YOU STAY?
I live in the capital and always drive out to Svestad Brygge.
DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
There is amazing diving in Norway, and in Svestad Brygge as it gives you a broad range of diving sites. You don’t have to be a tec diver to enjoy this dive site, as it has sites perfect for beginners or Open Water level divers. The dive center on-site offers courses for any level, so you can always continue your diving education when diving in Norway!
WHAT DO WE DO ON SURFACE INTERVALS?
The on-site dive center offers free coffee to all divers which is perfect after a cold dive. They also sell refreshments, such as drinks, snacks and of course, diving equipment in case you have forgotten a piece of diving equipment!
The nightlife in Oslo is known for its fancy clubs and wild nightlife. (I’m speaking from experience!). It also has incredible hiking tours, cinemas, opera, museums, and many many more fun activities.