Cold Water · Sweden
Öland & the Kalmar Strait
Baltic wrecks from beginner shore dives to intact hulls in the strait
Kalmarsund, the strait between Öland and the Swedish mainland at Kalmar, is a Baltic wreck coast. Shore dives such as Neptuni åkrar and the beginner wreck Olga Atkinson sit beside boat runs to intact hulls like Hertha and Regina, and a limestone quarry at Grönhögen gives a fallback in any weather. Most dives run from 5 to 26 m, with the upright wreck of Lilly deeper still.
About diving in Öland & the Kalmar Strait
Diving here splits between shore entries and boat runs into Kalmarsund. The shore sites lie on both sides of the strait, some on Öland and others on the mainland around Kalmar. Boat days head out to the deeper wrecks, and the boat makes 20 knots, so the run to a site is short. When the wind is up, the limestone quarry at Grönhögen can still be dived, and Stora Rör and the quarry also serve for night dives.
Underwater the strait is a wreck ground, from the heavily eroded Olga Atkinson near the beach to nearly intact hulls such as Lilly and Familjen, whose cement sacks still lie stacked in the hold. The natural sites are rock and sand: at Hagelstad large boulders form crevices where mussels and flatfish thrive, and at Neptuni åkrar a narrow corridor leads down to a plateau walled by vertical cliffs on the landward side. The quarry at Grönhögen has shallower ledges in places.
The coast suits divers drawn to wrecks and their stories: Ada Gorthon was torpedoed off Öland's east coast in 1942 and broke in two, and Familjen sank in mid-strait after a collision in 1950. Newly certified divers have an easy first wreck in Olga Atkinson, which lies just 30 m from land, while the trip programme runs from beginner dives up to technical diving.
Best time to dive Öland & the Kalmar Strait
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
The sea is painfully cold from January to April, close to freezing in February, which makes late winter the hardest time in the strait. It warms through May and June and peaks in August, though even in July it still feels cool. Öland is crowded with holidaymakers from Midsummer to mid-August. The water cools again through autumn, but boat trips into Kalmarsund carry on, with wreck runs still scheduled for 3 October, and by December the sea feels extremely cold.
Best months: May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Dive types & marine life
Cod, sea trout and perch turn up under Olga Atkinson only with luck, and in the summer half of the year a lucky diver may see a lumpsucker there. Flatfish and sculpins are usually plentiful at Neptuni åkrar, and the Grönhögen quarry holds plenty of crayfish and perch.
- Wreck
- Freshwater
- Night
- Freshwater fish
Best dive sites in Öland & the Kalmar Strait
- 1
Neptuni åkrar
One of the best shore dives in the strait, near Öland's northern tip, with a small wreck at 15 m.
- 2
Olga Atkinson
Probably the strait's most-visited wreck, easy to reach from shore and an excellent beginner wreck.
- 3
Lilly
Nearly intact wreck standing upright at 36 m on pale sand, where visibility is usually very good.
- 4
Hertha
Wooden wreck lying with its hull intact on the starboard side at 15 m.
- 5
Ada Gorthon
Wreck salvaged for scrap after the war, with many large cod under its plates.
- 6
Regina
Intact galeas hull at 26 m between Sandvik and Dämman, one mast still upright.
- 7
Grönhögen stenbrott
Limestone quarry on southern Öland, about 15 m deep with an easy entry and exit.
- 8
Hagelstad
Natural dive just south of Löttorp, a steep boulder slope down to sand at about 15 m.
Site guides
Freshwater
Limestone quarry full of crayfish, dived in any weather
Reef
Steep boulder slope full of hollows where flatfish shelter
Wreck
Finnish motor sailer rammed at anchor by a German steamer
Small wreck off Öland's northern tip, one of the strait's best shore dives
Wreck
German steel galeas a short swim off the beach
Wreck
Intact galeas hull with one mast still standing
How to get to Öland & the Kalmar Strait
Kalmar has the nearest airport and railway station. Öland is reached by car or bus from Kalmar over Ölandsbron, the longest bridge in Sweden. Dive centres work from Kalmar on the mainland and from Borgholm on Öland.
Questions divers ask
Is there a wreck in the Kalmar Strait suitable for beginners?+
Yes. Olga Atkinson lies just 30 m from land at 12 m and is an excellent beginner wreck, probably the most-visited in the strait.
Can divers still dive at Öland when the wind is up?+
The limestone quarry at Grönhögen on southern Öland can be dived in any weather, so it serves as the fallback when the strait is rough.
How do divers get to Öland?+
Fly or take the train to Kalmar, then drive or take the bus across Ölandsbron, the longest bridge in Sweden, to the island.
Are there boat dives in the Kalmar Strait?+
Yes. Boat trips run into Kalmarsund for certified divers, with wreck runs such as Hertha still scheduled in early October.
Sources
- Utfärder - Octopus Dykcenter — Octopus Dykcenter
- Dykplatser från båt och från land — Octopus Dykcenter
- Närområdet - Kalmar Dykcenter — Kalmar Dykcenter
- Revsudden Dyk — Revsudden Dyk
- Öland – Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Kalmar Average Sea Temperatures — seatemperature.org
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