Cold Water · Norway
Oslofjord — Nesodden & Fornebu
Five popular wrecks at Svestad Brygge, a ferry ride from Oslo
Photo: Vidar A from Gozo, Malta · CC BY 2.0
Nesodden faces Bærum across the Oslofjord, a short passenger-ferry ride from Oslo, and the diving on both sides is from the shore all year. At Svestad Brygge on Nesodden five wrecks are popular dives, and the fishing boat Hobby lies off the pier at technical depth; Alværn Brygge hides a small wreck graveyard, and Høvikvollen is an easy dive with an anemone wall. Most dives run from about 10 to 30 m, and autumn and winter bring the clearest water.
About diving in Oslofjord — Nesodden & Fornebu
Diving here is shore diving on both sides of the fjord. On Nesodden the dive centre sits at Svestad Brygge, where five wrecks are popular dives, and a guide line leads from a pier out through open water to the Sorte Bill wreck. The centre runs a Tuesday evening dive every week. At Alværn Brygge the favoured route to the wrecks is a long way from land, so a scooter or a boat is recommended rather than the swim. Summer boat traffic is the hazard to watch at the shore sites.
Svestad combines wreck and wall diving on one stretch of shore. Just north of the main pier at Svestad a barge lies on a slope with its long side parallel to the shore, its top at 10 m. At Alværn small dinghies lie scattered on the way out to the wrecks. Høvikvollen's wall is so thick with anemones in spring and summer that the rock barely shows, with lobster, plenty of starfish, crayfish and fish around it. Off Sjøholmen in Bærum, ten large sculptures of marine cement were placed underwater in January 2018, no deeper than 6 m.
The fjord suits divers who want wrecks within reach of Oslo without a boat. New divers have easy sites such as Høvikvollen, Alværn is an intermediate dive, and the fishing boat Hobby is reachable only by technical diving. The sculpture park off Sjøholmen suits divers who want to photograph or simply see the art, as there is little else to see there, and its very muddy bottom well inside the fjord keeps summer visibility from being at its best.
Best time to dive Oslofjord — Nesodden & Fornebu
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
Diving runs every month, and courses at Svestad run every week of the year. January to March is the coldest stretch, with the sea averaging about 3 °C in March, the coldest month, yet visibility stays at its best through March. From April to October the water is warmer, and the algal bloom that follows the warmth takes away the clarity; August is the warmest month at about 18 °C. From September the clearer water returns while the sea is still in its warmer months, and autumn and winter are usually the high season in the Oslofjord.
Best months: January, February, March, September, October, November, December
Dive types & marine life
Cod rest on rocky knolls at Svestad, often between 10 and 30 m. Cuckoo wrasse are seen most often around the wrecks and the stone pile by the barge Lekter'n, and lumpsuckers often rest among the stones around it.
- Wreck
- Wall
Best dive sites in Oslofjord — Nesodden & Fornebu
- 1
Sorte Bill
A wreck 15.5 m long at 30 m; its guide line breaks at 19 m and continues in open water.
- 2
Alværn Brygge / Steilene
A small graveyard of five wrecks, rated intermediate, to 35 m.
- 3
Sinbad's Armada
A tired wreck still upright on its keel, bow to the fjord, at 12 to 18 m off Nordre Brygge.
- 4
Høvikvollen
Rated easy and one of the easiest dives here, with a wall and a bottom to 20 m.
- 5
Vinsjen
A winch at 36 m just outside the course platform, at the end of a 51 m line from below the barge.
- 6
Hobby
A fishing boat sunk on purpose, upright on its keel off Svestad pier at 58 to 68 m; technical only.
Site guides
Five wrecks and a scatter of dinghies on one dive
Wreck
A scuttled fishing boat sitting upright on its keel in the deep fjord
Wall
A wall so thick with anemones in summer that the rock disappears
Wreck
A tired hull still upright on its keel, bow aimed at the fjord
Artificial reef
Ten marine-cement sculptures set on the seabed in 2018
Wreck
A guide line that breaks at 19 m and carries on through open water to the hull
Artificial reef
An old winch on the fjord bottom beyond the course platform
How to get to Oslofjord — Nesodden & Fornebu
Passenger ferries run from Aker Brygge in Oslo to Nesoddtangen in 23 minutes and from Lysaker in Bærum in 8 minutes; by road Nesodden is 45 km from Oslo. The Nesodden centre is at Svestad Brygge, and a second centre serving these sites is at Vollen Marina.
Dive videos
Dive Day: Diving At Løvøya With A GUE Instructor · Scuba Dive Adventures on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When is the best time to dive the Oslofjord at Nesodden?+
Autumn and winter are usually the high season. Visibility is at its best from September to March, because the algal bloom follows the warmer water of April to October.
Is the diving from shore or by boat?+
Almost all of it is from shore. The wreck field at Alværn Brygge is the exception, where a scooter or a boat is recommended for the long favoured route.
How cold is the water?+
The sea averages about 3 °C in March, the coldest month, and about 18 °C in August, the warmest, so the clearest winter water is also the coldest.
How do divers get to Nesodden from Oslo?+
The passenger ferry from Aker Brygge reaches Nesoddtangen in 23 minutes, and one from Lysaker in Bærum takes 8 minutes; by road the trip is 45 km.
Sources
- Dykke på ProDykk — ProDykk Oslo
- ProDykk Oslo — ProDykk Oslo
- Dykkesenter i Oslo — Oslofjorden Dykkesenter
- Alværn Brygge / Steilene — Oslofjorden Dykkesenter
- Høvikvollen — Oslofjorden Dykkesenter
- Skulpturparken — Oslofjorden Dykkesenter
- Sorte Bill — SSI Scubago
- Sinbad — SSI Scubago
- Hobby — SSI Scubago
- Vinsjen — SSI Scubago
- Oslo Average Sea Temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
- Nesodden — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Close-up of a plumose anemone's orange oral disc ringed by pale, translucent tentacles against blue water by Vidar A from Gozo, Malta, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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