Reefwander
A small harbour behind a rock breakwater, with moored sailing yachts and motorboats under a grey sky and a red wooden boathouse on the right — Hästholmen, Lake Vättern

Lake Vättern · Sweden · Freshwater

Hästholmen

A loop around a small island straight from a harbour ramp

Photo: Marcus.linneberg · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hästholmen is a harbour shore dive near Ödeshög on the eastern side of Vättern, built around a small island. The lake bed reaches 20 m, and the island makes navigation simple. Shoals of small fish and plenty of crayfish are the usual sight, with perch and burbot also about.

Also known as Hästholmens Hamn.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Hästholmen: typical dive to 20 m (to 66 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit20 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

58.2785° N, 14.6386° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Divers go in from the ramp behind the silo tower, and the usual plan is to swim around the small island. Halfway through the dive the advice is to come up to 5–7 m so as not to miss the island's edge. For an easier dive, the bay gives a maximum depth of 7 m.

Marine life and season

  • Freshwater fish
Month-by-month season rating for Hästholmen
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodFairFair

Season follows Lake Vättern: Lake courses run in spring, summer and autumn, and from November training moves to an indoor pool. No month is singled out as the best.

Know before you go

  • Boat traffic can be heavy, so a dive flag goes up and ascents are made close to the cliffs.

Dive videos

Scuba diving at Hästholmen, lake Vättern, Sweden, August 2022 · Nina Åxman on YouTube

Sources

  1. Lokala dykplatser — Atlantis Dive College
  2. Hästholmen (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap

Photo credits

More dive sites in Lake Vättern

One of four wrecks off Karlsborg, all shallower than 20 m

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Artificial reef

A boat scuttled in 2012, five minutes out from Jönköping harbour

to 14 mbeginner

Two-masted brick freighter known to divers as Hajen

to 31 madvanced

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