Cold Water · Sweden
Karlskrona & the Blekinge Archipelago
Naval ships scuttled to guard Karlskrona, lying at about 12 m in Djupasund
The Blekinge archipelago around the naval city of Karlskrona, on Sweden's southern Baltic coast, is wreck country. Brackish water keeps hulls from the 1500s to the present in good condition, and dives take in aircraft, warships and merchant ships. The Ekenabben ship cemetery in the Djupasund strait holds ships sunk on purpose to bar the way into Karlskrona. Most dives sit between 7 and 14 m, with deeper wrecks such as Spulga for nitrox divers.
About diving in Karlskrona & the Blekinge Archipelago
Most of the Ekenabben wrecks are relatively easy to reach from the harbour of Ekenabben, and the bottom runs as sand and stone from the pier out to where it starts to drop away. The harbour is an active fishing port, so divers there should fly a diver-down flag, and an escort boat is recommended. Guided wreck trips run by RIB through the archipelago, and when the weather rules out a seal dive, other sites are dived instead.
The ship cemetery lies in the Djupasund strait between the islands of Sturkö and Tjurkö, on a bottom of sand and stone at about 12 m. Among its warships is Enigheten, a three-decked ship of the line launched in Karlskrona in 1696 and one of the largest ships of the Swedish navy of its day. A good deal of sediment lies on the wrecks, and it can make the visibility poor.
Karlskrona suits divers who come for maritime history: old wooden warships, merchant ships and aircraft, all in cold Baltic water. The guided wreck packages are for experienced divers. The scuttled warships in Djupasund are slated to form part of a planned dive park in Karlskrona, a World Heritage Site. Divers looking for warm water will not find it here.
Best time to dive Karlskrona & the Blekinge Archipelago
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
The sea off Karlskrona is at its coldest in March, at about 2 °C, when it feels painfully cold. By July it feels cool, and August is the warmest month at about 18 °C. Try-dives in the sea for first-timers run weekly at Karlskrona from mid-July to late August. By December the sea feels extremely cold again.
Dive types & marine life
Seals are the headline animal. Guided trips set aside a seal dive when the weather allows and switch to other sites when it does not, so the seal dive depends on the weather.
- Wreck
- Seals & sea lions
Best dive sites in Karlskrona & the Blekinge Archipelago
- 1
Ekenabben ship cemetery
Warships sunk to bar the way into Karlskrona, reached from Ekenabben harbour and dived at 7 to 10 m.
- 2
Spulga
Latvian coastguard vessel standing at 42 m, its mast rising to 30 m; nitrox recommended.
- 3
King
Escort ship turned Norwegian cargo ship in 1925, dived at about 32 m; nitrox recommended.
- 4
Pråmen
Wooden wreck about 40 m long at Verkö, dived at 7 to 9 m.
Site guides
Ships of the line scuttled across a strait to bar the way into Karlskrona
How to get to Karlskrona & the Blekinge Archipelago
Ronneby Airport, about 30 km from central Karlskrona, has scheduled flights to Stockholm Bromma and Arlanda. Stena Line ferries link Karlskrona with Gdynia in Poland, averaging two return trips a day. A dive centre operates in Karlskrona itself.
Questions divers ask
Is Karlskrona wreck diving from shore or boat?+
Both. Most of the Ekenabben ship cemetery is within reach of Ekenabben harbour, though the fishing traffic there calls for a diver-down flag and ideally an escort boat. Guided wreck trips run by RIB.
What experience do the Karlskrona wrecks need?+
The Ekenabben wrecks stay within 14 m, but the sediment on them can make the visibility poor. The guided wreck packages are for experienced divers, and nitrox is recommended for Spulga at 42 m.
When is the sea warmest at Karlskrona?+
August, at about 18 °C, and by July the sea already feels cool rather than painfully cold. It bottoms out at about 2 °C in March. Try-dives in the sea at Karlskrona run weekly from mid-July to late August.
How do divers get to Karlskrona?+
By air to Ronneby Airport, about 30 km away, with flights from Stockholm, or by Stena Line ferry from Gdynia in Poland.
Sources
- Dykplatser — Octopus Dykcenter
- Om oss — Octopus Dykcenter
- Äventyrsresa 4-dagar — Blekinge Outdoor
- Ship cemetery at Ekenabben — Wikipedia
- Six warships identified outside Karlskrona — Museum of Wrecks
- Karlskrona — Wikipedia
- Karlskrona — Wikivoyage
- Karlskrona Average Sea Temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
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