Cold Water · Norway
Kristiansund & the Atlantic Ocean Road
Ravines, kelp and drop-offs beside the Atlantic Ocean Road
The coast of the Atlantic Ocean Road, between Kristiansund and Molde in northwest Norway, is a cold-water boat-diving coast of ravines, kelp and sheer drop-offs. Fogna mixes ravines and kelp forest at 15–25 m, Vevangstrømmen is a tidal drift through a narrow pass, and Skardhammeren is a vertical wall that falls to 180 m. The ravine, kelp and drift dives sit between 4 and 25 m, in water that runs from 5 °C to 17 °C.
About diving in Kristiansund & the Atlantic Ocean Road
Diving here is from boats. On the Atlantic Ocean Road, a seasonal sea-sport centre runs daily fishing trips, seal snorkels and RIB tours in summer, and its diving is aimed at experienced groups. In Kristiansund the diving club's boat leaves at 10.00 every Sunday from its berth in the harbour or from the clubhouse at Nordsundet on Goma, and the day's site is chosen from the wishes of those who turn up and the weather. Group dive trips are also organised from the town.
Underwater the coast is rock: ravines cut into the seabed at Fogna and Føllingen, drop-offs at Hottane and Tevikholmen, and a vertical wall at Skardhammeren. Fogna adds kelp forest to its ravines. The life is cold-water: lobsters and Norway lobsters, crabs, eels, cod, coalfish, mackerel and ballan wrasse, anglerfish and catfish at Hottane, dead man's fingers and anemones on the rock, and nudibranchs in many colours.
Currents shape some dives. At Vevangstrømmen the tide runs through a pass about 10 m wide and picks up to 3–4 knots, which makes it a drift, and at Skardhammeren moderate current is common in the top 10 m before the water clears below. In the ravines at Fogna and Føllingen, wave motion can set up a drag. Skardhammeren needs drop-off experience, and Fogna is not a site to try without a guide.
The coast suits experienced cold-water divers who want walls, ravines and kelp, and photographers after nudibranchs and cold-water fish, with wide-angle work inside the ravines and between the islets at Føllingen, and macro. Newer divers have the shallow ravine at Føllingen, where the current is weak, but the seasonal centre's diving is aimed at experienced groups and the wall at Skardhammeren asks for drop-off experience.
Best time to dive Kristiansund & the Atlantic Ocean Road
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
From January to April the sea off Kristiansund is at its coldest, bottoming out at about 5 °C in March and April, and the local club boat still leaves the harbour every Sunday morning. Water warms through May. The centre on the Atlantic Ocean Road opens in early June and runs until late September, and the sea peaks in August at up to 17 °C. From October the seasonal centre is shut, the water cools again, and the Sunday club dives carry on through winter.
Dive types & marine life
Summer boat tours from Strømsholmen to Orskjæra offer snorkelling among wild grey seals, and seals also turn up underwater at Fogna. Nudibranchs, lobsters, crabs and anemones turn up across the sites, with anglerfish and catfish at Hottane.
- Wall
- Drift
- Kelp forest
- Nudibranchs
- Seals & sea lions
Best dive sites in Kristiansund & the Atlantic Ocean Road
- 1
Fogna
Ravines and kelp forest at 15–25 m with lobsters, eels, anemones and seals; best dived with a guide.
- 2
Skardhammeren
A vertical wall dropping to 180 m, with very good visibility usually found below 10 m.
- 3
Vevangstrømmen
Drift dive at 15–18 m where the tide squeezes through a pass about 10 m wide at 3–4 knots.
- 4
Hottane
Drop-off dived from 5 to 36 m, home to Norway lobsters, anglerfish and catfish.
- 5
Føllingen
Shallow ravine at 4–13 m with nudibranchs of all colours, cod, coalfish and ballan wrasse.
- 6
Tevikholmen
Drop-off with fjord-type fauna: hermit crabs living with anemones, starfish, snails and prawns.
Site guides
Reef
Kelp-edged rock gullies where seals share the water
Kelp forest
A kelp-roofed rock corridor
Wall
Clear water under the salinity layer
Wall
A vertical wall that drops to 180 m
Wall
Island rock, a sand shelf, then a steep plunge
Drift
A tide-driven ride through a narrow pass
How to get to Kristiansund & the Atlantic Ocean Road
Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget (KSU), sits on Nordlandet, one of the islands of Kristiansund. The diving club and the group dive trips are based in Kristiansund itself, while the seasonal sea-sport centre at Strømsholmen lies on the Atlantic Ocean Road, between Kristiansund and Molde.
Photos from Kristiansund & the Atlantic Ocean Road
Brataffe · CC BY-SA 4.0
dconvertini · CC BY-SA 2.0
Questions divers ask
When is the Atlantic Ocean Road dive centre open?+
Strømsholmen opens from early June to late September, with diving aimed at experienced groups. Outside that window the Kristiansund diving club still takes its boat out every Sunday.
Is the diving shore or boat based?+
Boat. The Kristiansund club leaves at 10.00 on Sundays from the harbour or its clubhouse on Goma, and the site is picked on the day from the divers' wishes and the weather.
What experience is needed?+
Skardhammeren, dived to 39 m, needs drop-off experience, Fogna should be dived with a guide, and Vevangstrømmen is a 3–4 knot tidal drift. Føllingen, at 4–13 m with weak current, is the gentlest option.
How cold is the water?+
It bottoms out at about 5 °C in March and April and peaks in August at up to 17 °C; from January to April the sea is at its coldest.
Can divers see seals here?+
Yes. Seals appear at Fogna, and in summer Strømsholmen runs boat trips to Orskjæra to snorkel with wild grey seals.
Sources
- Strømsholmen Sjøsportsenter — Strømsholmen Sjøsportsenter
- Dykketurer — Kristiansund Dykkerklubb
- Dykkerturer — Witec Norge DA (Kristiansund Dykkesenter)
- Kristiansund average sea temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
- Kristiansund — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- A road curving over low rocky islets between grey-blue water, with a small boat offshore and mountains under a cloudy sky. by Brataffe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A sheltered bay ringed by rocks and grass, with a long low bridge, red houses and mountains on the far shore. by dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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